Paycheck and Other Classic Stories is the first of five volumes put out by Citadel Press collectively containing all the short stories Dick wrote, arranged chronologically by when they were originally published. This same collection was previously published under the marquee title The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford. Presumably the publishers chose “Paycheck” as the marquee title when it was reprinted in 2003 to capitalize on the blockbuster movie adaptation starring Ben Affleck that came out that year. Neither “Paycheck” nor “The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford” are the best out of what’s gathered here.
This collection starts with a story he wrote in the late forties, and all the other stories were written before 1955. Dick’s early works are hit or miss with me, although a few stand out: “Beyond Lies the Wub”, “The Defenders” and “Nanny”, his take on creeping post-war consumerism.