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Title: Evening Primrose

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Title: Evening Primrose Title Record # 43716
Author: John Collier
Date: 1940-00-00
Type: SHORTFICTION
Length: short story
Webpages: YouTube
Language: English
Note: According to Contento, this story first appeared in 1940, but the copyright page of ''Out of This World'', ed. Julius Fast, gives 1931 as the copyright year. An inventory of Collier's papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (at one point available on the internet on this site) lists a first draft as a "1937(?)" document, which suggests that 1931 is an error.
Synopsis: A poet leaves society and secretly moves into a department store, sneaking around at night. He soon discovers that there is an entire society of people already living in the store, and they have some not-very-nice social customs.
User Rating: 9.00 (2 votes) Your vote: Not cast VOTE
Current Tags: Escape (Radio) (1), dystopia (1), humour (1) Add Tags

Other Titles

Translations
Year Language Title
1967Translated by Luisa Ripoll and Salvador Bordoy Luque
Spanish El extraño almacén
1967Translated by an unknown hand
French Primevère du soir
1969Translated by Else Hoog
Dutch Nachtbloem

Publications

Not displaying variants or translations • Display all variants and translationsDo not display translations

Title Date Author/Editor Publisher/Pub. Series ISBN/Catalog ID Price Pages Format Type Cover Artist Verif
Presenting Moonshine 1941-01-00 John Collier The Viking Press  
$2.50?$: US dollar
327
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
coll E. McKnight Kauffer  
Presenting Moonshine 1941-01-00 John Collier Macmillan of Canada  
C$3.00?C$: Canadian dollar
327
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
coll  
Presenting Moonshine 1941-01-00 John Collier Macmillan and Co.  
8/6?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
351
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
coll  
The Touch of Nutmeg and More Unlikely Stories 1943-00-00 John Collier The Press of the Readers Club  
$2.00?$: US dollar
viii+
247
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
coll  
Out of This World 1944-05-00 ed. Julius Fast Penguin Books (US) 537
$0.25?$: US dollar
viii+
245
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
Out of This World 1944-08-00 ed. Julius Fast Penguin Books (US) 537
$0.25?$: US dollar
viii+
245
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
Green Thoughts and Other Strange Tales 1945-00-00 John Collier Editions for the Armed Services 871
$0.00?$: US dollar
287
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
coll  
Out of This World 1945-04-00 ed. Julius Fast Penguin Books (US) 537
$0.25?$: US dollar
245
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth  
Out of This World 1946-03-00 ed. Julius Fast Penguin Books (US) 537
$0.25?$: US dollar
232
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
Avon Fantasy Reader, No. 3, 1947 1947-07-00 ed. Donald A. Wollheim Avon Book Co.  
$0.35?$: US dollar
132
digest?Digest-size magazine, including both standard digest size, at about 7" by 4.5", and also large digest, such as recent issues of Asimov's, which are about 8.25" by 5.125".
mag Hannes Bok Checkmark
Fancies and Goodnights 1951-11-00 John Collier Doubleday  
$4.00?$: US dollar
364
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
coll Margot Tomes Checkmark
Fancies and Goodnights 1953-04-00 John Collier Bantam Books (Bantam Giant) A1106
$0.35?$: US dollar
506
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
coll Charles Binger Checkmark
Presenting Moonshine 1957-00-00 John Collier Hart-Davis  
13/6?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
192
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
coll  
Fancies and Goodnights 1957-12-00 John Collier Bantam Books F1703
$0.50?$: US dollar
375
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
coll Checkmark
Stories for Late at Night 1961-00-00 ed. Alfred Hitchcock Random House  
$5.95?$: US dollar
469
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Fred Banbery  
Stories for Late at Night 1962-00-00 ed. Alfred Hitchcock Max Reinhardt  
20/-?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
500
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Bernard Blatch Checkmark
12 Stories for Late at Night 1962-07-00 ed. Alfred Hitchcock Dell 9178
$0.50?$: US dollar
223
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Fred Banbery  
Fancies and Goodnights 1963-00-00 John Collier Bantam Books (Bantam Classic) SC91
$0.75?$: US dollar
418
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
coll Checkmark
The Worlds of Science Fiction 1963-06-00 ed. Robert P. Mills The Dial Press  
$4.95?$: US dollar
349
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Ronald Clyne Checkmark
Stories for Late at Night: Part One 1964-00-00 ed. Alfred Hitchcock Pan Books X344
3/6?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
285
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Glenn Steward  
The Worlds of Science Fiction 1964-00-00 ed. Robert P. Mills Gollancz (Gollancz SF Series (3))  
21/-?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
349
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Checkmark
Best Horror Stories 2 1965-00-00 ed. John Keir Cross Faber and Faber  
18/-?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
270
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth  
Fancies and Goodnights (selections) 1965-00-00 John Collier Time-Life Books (Time Reading Program)  
$?$: US dollar
xix+
328
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
coll Seymour Chwast Checkmark
Of Demons and Darkness 1965-00-00 John Collier Corgi Books / Transworld Publishers FS7126
5/-?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
xii+
303
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
coll  
Shock! 1965-00-00 ed. M. C. Allen Popular Library SP375
$0.50?$: US dollar
144
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
Stories for Late at Night: Part One 1965-00-00 ed. Alfred Hitchcock Pan Books X344
3/6?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
285
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Glenn Steward Checkmark
The Worlds of Science Fiction 1965-07-00 ed. Robert P. Mills Paperback Library 54-819
$0.75?$: US dollar
287
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
The Worlds of Science Fiction 1965-07-00 ed. Robert P. Mills Paperback Library 54-819
C$0.75?C$: Canadian dollar
287
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
The Worlds of Science Fiction 1966-00-00 ed. Robert P. Mills Panther 2124
5/-?Prior to decimilisation (1968-1971), UK books were priced in shillings, or shillings and pence, where 20 shillings equals one pound and 12 old pence equals one shilling. Shillings were indicated with a variety of suffixes, e.g. 3s, 3', 3", 3/ all mean 3 shillings. Any number after that is additional pence, usually 6 (half a shilling) but sometimes 3 or 9 (a quarter of a shilling or three-quarters of a shilling).
288
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
12 Stories for Late at Night 1966-06-00 ed. Alfred Hitchcock Dell 9178
$0.50?$: US dollar
223
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Hoot von Zitzwitz  
The Worlds of Science Fiction 1967-10-00 ed. Robert P. Mills Paperback Library 54-577
$0.75?$: US dollar
287
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
Fancies and Goodnights 1969-00-00 John Collier Bantam Books N4614
$0.95?$: US dollar
xii+
418
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
coll  
The Worlds of Science Fiction 1970-07-00 ed. Robert P. Mills Paperback Library 64-374
$0.75?$: US dollar
287
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
The Worlds of Science Fiction 1970-07-00 ed. Robert P. Mills Paperback Library 64-374
C$0.75?C$: Canadian dollar
287
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Checkmark
12 Stories for Late at Night 1972-11-00 ed. Alfred Hitchcock Dell 9178
$0.75?$: US dollar
223
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Hoot von Zitzwitz Checkmark
The John Collier Reader 1972-11-00 John Collier Alfred A. Knopf 0-394-46186-X
$10.00?$: US dollar
xv+
571
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
coll Checkmark
Fantasy: The Literature of the Marvelous 1974-00-00 ed. Leo P. Kelley McGraw-Hill (Patterns in Literary Art) 0-07-033502-8
$3.96?$: US dollar
vi+
305
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
anth  
The Best of John Collier 1975-09-00 John Collier Pocket Books 0-671-80076-0
$1.95?$: US dollar
xvii+
492
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
coll Ed Soyka Checkmark
The Best Horror Stories 1977-09-00 ed. uncredited Hamlyn 0-600-38244-3
£2.95?£: UK pound
751
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth  
Thrillers Chillers & Killers 1979-00-00 ed. Helen Hoke J. M. Dent 0-460-06885-7
£4.25?£: UK pound
192
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Alex Brychta  
Thrillers Chillers & Killers 1979-00-00 ed. Helen Hoke Elsevier / Nelson Books 0-525-66633-8
$6.95?$: US dollar
192
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth  
Fancies and Goodnights (selections) 1980-00-00 John Collier Time-Life Books (Time Reading Program)  
$?$: US dollar
xix+
328
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
coll Seymour Chwast Checkmark
Fancies and Goodnights 1981-03-00 John Collier Doubleday / SFBC 5749
$5.50?$: US dollar
396
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
coll Tony Fiyalko Checkmark
Space Mail, Volume II 1982-01-00 ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin Harry Greenberg, Charles G. Waugh Fawcett Crest 0-449-24481-4
$2.50?$: US dollar
380
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Paul Alexander Checkmark
The Best Horror Stories 1984-00-00 ed. uncredited Hamlyn 0-600-38244-3
£5.95?£: UK pound
751
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth  
The Dark Descent 1987-10-00 ed. David G. Hartwell Tor 0-312-93035-6
$29.95?$: US dollar
1011
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Doug Fornuff Checkmark
The Dark Descent 1988-08-00 ed. David G. Hartwell Tor / BOMC  
$12.95?$: US dollar
1011
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
anth Doug Fornuff Checkmark
The Best Horror Stories (abridged) 1990-04-00 ed. uncredited Mallard Press 0-7924-5250-X
$7.98?$: US dollar
398
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth  
The Colour of Evil 1990-06-00 ed. David G. Hartwell Grafton 0-246-13667-7
£12.95?£: UK pound
292
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Checkmark
The Colour of Evil 1990-06-00 ed. David G. Hartwell Grafton 0-246-13668-5
£7.99?£: UK pound
292
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
anth Ian Miller  
The Best Horror Stories (abridged) 1990-09-00 ed. uncredited Ivy Leaf 0-86363-002-2
£3.99?£: UK pound
398
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth  
The Colour of Evil 1991-06-00 ed. David G. Hartwell Grafton 0-586-20681-7
£4.99?£: UK pound
491
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Ian Miller  
The Color of Evil 1991-09-00 ed. David G. Hartwell Tor 0-812-51898-5
$4.99?$: US dollar
438
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth  
The Dark Descent 1997-02-00 ed. David G. Hartwell Tor 0-312-86217-2
$27.95?$: US dollar
1011
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
anth  
Fancies and Goodnights 2003-05-00 John Collier New York Review of Books (NYRB Classics) 1-59017-051-2
$14.95?$: US dollar
xi+
418
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
coll Neo Rauch  
American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940s to Now 2009-00-00 ed. Peter Straub The Library of America (The Library of America #197) 978-1-59853-048-3
$35.00?$: US dollar
xv+
713
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Fredrik Broden , Renee Rhyner Checkmark
The Century's Best Horror Fiction 1901-1950 2012-01-31 ed. John Pelan Cemetery Dance Publications 978-1-58767-080-0
$75.00?$: US dollar
706
hc?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.
anth Alan M. Clark Checkmark
The Color of Evil 2016-10-04 ed. David G. Hartwell Tor 978-0-7653-9113-1
$8.99?$: US dollar
438
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth  
HorrorBabble's Ultimate Weird Tales Collection, Volume 1 2019-04-05 ed. Ian Gordon HorrorBabble  
$29.95?$: US dollar
 
digital audio download?Digital recording in any format that is downloaded directly from the Internet. This category includes podcasts.
anth  
The Big Book of Classic Fantasy: The Ultimate Collection 2019-07-02 ed. Ann VanderMeer, Jeff VanderMeer Vintage Books 978-0-525-43556-3
$25.00?$: US dollar
xix+
822
tp?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.
anth Grandville Checkmark
The Big Book of Classic Fantasy: The Ultimate Collection 2019-07-02 ed. Ann VanderMeer, Jeff VanderMeer Vintage Books 978-0-525-43557-0
$12.99?$: US dollar
xix+
822
ebook?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.
anth Grandville  
25 Unmissable Horror Stories 2021-09-22 ed. Ian Gordon HorrorBabble  
$24.95?$: US dollar
 
digital audio download?Digital recording in any format that is downloaded directly from the Internet. This category includes podcasts.
anth  
12 Stories for Late at Night date unknown ed. Alfred Hitchcock Dell 9178
$0.75?$: US dollar
223
pb?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.
anth Hoot von Zitzwitz  
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