Born of Man and Woman (short story collection)

Born of Man and Woman is the first collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by Richard Matheson, published in hardcover by Chamberlain Press in 1954. It includes an introduction by Robert Bloch. A truncated edition, dropping four stories, was published by Bantam Books in 1955 as Third from the Sun.

Born of Man and Woman

First edition cover
Author	Richard Matheson
Cover artist	Mel Hunter
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction and fantasy stories
Publisher	Chamberlain Press
Publication date	1954
Publication place	United States
Pages	252

Contents

• "Born of Man and Woman" (F&SF 1950)
• "Third from the Sun" (Galaxy 1950) - this story was the basis of The Twilight Zone episode of the same name.
• "Through Channels" (F&SF 1951)
• "Lover, When You’re Near Me" (Galaxy 1952)
• "SRL Ad" (F&SF 1952)
• "Mad House" (Fantastic 1953)
• "F---" (Thrilling Wonder Stories 1952)
• "Dear Diary" (original)
• "To Fit the Crime" (Fantastic 1952)
• "Witch War" (Startling Stories 1951)
• "Return" (Thrilling Wonder Stories 1951)
• "Dress of White Silk" (F&SF 1951)
• "Full Circle" (Fantastic Universe 1953)
• "Disappearing Act" (F&SF 1953)
• "The Wedding" (Beyond Fantasy Fiction 1953)
• "Shipshape Home" (Galaxy 1952)
• "The Traveller" (original)

"F---" was originally published as "The Foodlegger".^[1]

Reception

The New York Times reviewer J. Francis McComas characterized Matheson as "an established producer of the violently disturbing" and described the "scintillating" collection as "a stimulating look at a genuine artist at work."^[2] P. Schuyler Miller, noting that all the stories had been relatively recently published, praised Matheson as "one of the best of the newer writers."^[3]