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To Serve Man (short story) - Wikipedia
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dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">1950 science fiction short story by Damon Knight</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about the short story by Damon Knight. For the Twilight Zone episode, see <a href="/wiki/To_Serve_Man_(The_Twilight_Zone)" title="To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone)">To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone)</a>. For the Cattle Decapitation album, see <a href="/wiki/To_Serve_Man_(album)" title="To Serve Man (album)">To Serve Man (album)</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above summary" style="font-size:125%; background: #ededed;">"To Serve Man"</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-subheader" style="font-weight: bold; background:whitesmoke;"><a href="/wiki/Short_story" title="Short story">Short story</a> by <a href="/wiki/Damon_Knight" title="Damon Knight">Damon Knight</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Galaxy_195011.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Galaxy_195011.jpg/220px-Galaxy_195011.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="314" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Galaxy_195011.jpg/330px-Galaxy_195011.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Galaxy_195011.jpg 2x" data-file-width="390" data-file-height="557" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Country</th><td class="infobox-data">United States</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Language</th><td class="infobox-data">English</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Genre(s)</th><td class="infobox-data">Science fiction</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background: #ededed;">Publication</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Published in</th><td class="infobox-data"><i><a href="/wiki/Galaxy_Science_Fiction" title="Galaxy Science Fiction">Galaxy Science Fiction</a></i></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Publication type</th><td class="infobox-data">Periodical</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Publisher</th><td class="infobox-data">Galaxy Publishing Corporation</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Media type</th><td class="infobox-data">Print (magazine, hardcover, and paperback)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Publication date</th><td class="infobox-data">November 1950</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>"<b>To Serve Man</b>" is a science fiction short story by American writer <a href="/wiki/Damon_Knight" title="Damon Knight">Damon Knight</a>. It first appeared in the November 1950 issue of <i><a href="/wiki/Galaxy_Science_Fiction" title="Galaxy Science Fiction">Galaxy Science Fiction</a></i> and has been reprinted a number of times, including in <i>Frontiers in Space</i> (1955), <i><a href="/wiki/Far_Out_(book)" title="Far Out (book)">Far Out</a></i> (1961), and <i>The Best of Damon Knight</i> (1976).<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Synopsis">Synopsis</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=To_Serve_Man_(short_story)&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Synopsis"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The story is set in the United States in a time that appears to be contemporaneous with the story's 1950 publication date. It is told in first-person narrative by a United Nations translator. The story opens at a special session of the UN where three alien emissaries are testifying that the purpose of their mission to Earth is to bring humans "the peace and plenty which we ourselves enjoy, and which we have in the past brought to other races throughout the galaxy". The aliens, who are large humanoid pigs with three fingers on each hand, soon supply Earth with cheap unlimited power, boundless supplies of food, and a device which disables all modern armies by suppressing all explosions, and they begin work on drugs for prolonging life. As a further token of friendship, they allow humans to visit their home planet via ten-year "exchange groups". </p><p>The narrator has trusted the emissaries from the time of their arrival, but his friend and fellow translator Grigori has not. Grigori dismisses any notion of disinterested altruism and is certain that the aliens have an ulterior motive underlying their actions. He is determined to discover what they stand to gain by helping humans and takes a job at the alien embassy to learn their language. This affords him access to an alien dictionary, and he later steals an alien book, hoping to translate it. </p><p>The narrator has also left the UN to work at the embassy, and the two determine that the book's title is <i>How to Serve Man</i>. Two weeks later, the narrator returns from a trip to find Grigori distraught, having discovered to his horror that the title is a double entendre. Grigori informs the narrator that he has translated the first paragraph of the book and has determined that it is not a treatise on serving humanity, but a <a href="/wiki/Cookbook" title="Cookbook">cookbook</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Awards">Awards</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=To_Serve_Man_(short_story)&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Awards"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 2001, the story was awarded a Retro <a href="/wiki/Hugo_Award" title="Hugo Award">Hugo Award</a> as the "Best Short Story of 1951".<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Adaptations">Adaptations</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=To_Serve_Man_(short_story)&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Adaptations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Knight's story was adapted for use as a <a href="/wiki/To_Serve_Man_(The_Twilight_Zone)" title="To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone)">1962 episode</a> of the television series <i><a href="/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone_(1959_TV_series)" title="The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)">The Twilight Zone</a></i>,<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> in which the aliens are portrayed as 9 ft (2.7 m) tall humans with dome-like heads. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Trivia">Trivia</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=To_Serve_Man_(short_story)&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Trivia"><span>edit</span></a><span 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.ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-Trivia plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-style" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/40px-Edit-clear.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/60px-Edit-clear.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/80px-Edit-clear.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section contains a <b><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Trivia_sections" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trivia sections">list of miscellaneous information</a>.</b><span class="hide-when-compact"> Please <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Handling_trivia#Recommendations_for_handling_trivia" title="Wikipedia:Handling trivia">relocate</a> any relevant information into other sections or articles.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">November 2024</span>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <ul><li>In <a href="/wiki/John_Ringo" title="John Ringo">John Ringo</a>'s book <i>A Hymn Before Battle</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> "To Serve Man" is mentioned as a classic example of aliens seeming to be benevolent, while in fact using humans for their own purposes.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/George_Scithers" class="mw-redirect" title="George Scithers">George Scithers</a> wrote a cookbook<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> named for the story.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cattle_Decapitation" title="Cattle Decapitation">Cattle Decapitation</a> titled <a href="/wiki/To_Serve_Man_(album)" title="To Serve Man (album)">an album</a> after the story.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/James_Michener" class="mw-redirect" title="James Michener">James Michener</a>'s <i><a href="/wiki/Space_(Michener_novel)" title="Space (Michener novel)">Space</a></i> features characters reading the story.</li> <li>In <i><a href="/wiki/The_Naked_Gun_2%C2%BD:_The_Smell_of_Fear" title="The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear">The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear</a></i> during a panic after Dr. Albert Meinheimer's speech, the character Terence Baggett holds a copy of the book <i>To Serve Man</i>, proclaiming "It's a cookbook!" The joke is that Terence Baggett is played by <a href="/wiki/Lloyd_Bochner" title="Lloyd Bochner">Lloyd Bochner</a>, who was the lead in the <a href="/wiki/To_Serve_Man_(The_Twilight_Zone)" title="To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone)"><i>Twilight Zone</i></a> adaptation of the story.</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Simpsons" title="The Simpsons">The Simpsons</a></i> <a href="/wiki/Treehouse_of_Horror_(The_Simpsons_episode)#Hungry_are_the_Damned" title="Treehouse of Horror (The Simpsons episode)">season 2 episode 3</a> parodies the story as "Hungry Are the Damned", inverting the twist so the aliens are insulted at being suspected after genuinely altruistic intent.</li> <li>In <i><a href="/wiki/Married..._with_Children" title="Married... with Children">Married... with Children</a></i> episode "Sofa so good", Al Bundy, off screen, yells to his wife Peggy "Peg, <i>To serve man</i>? It's a cookbook!"</li> <li>In the first <i><a href="/wiki/Madagascar_(2005_film)" title="Madagascar (2005 film)">Madagascar</a></i> movie, when discussing the "<a href="/wiki/Fossa_(animal)" title="Fossa (animal)">Fossa</a>", one of the lemurs holds up a book titled <i>To Serve Lemur</i> and proclaims "It's a cookbook!"</li> <li>In <i><a href="/wiki/Cataclysm:_Dark_Days_Ahead" title="Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead">Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead</a></i>, there is a book entitled <i>To Serve Man</i> which contains crafting recipes of food requiring human flesh. The book's description is "It's... it's a cookbook!"<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>A season two episode of the supernatural crime drama <i><a href="/wiki/Grimm_(TV_series)" title="Grimm (TV series)">Grimm</a></i> is entitled "<a href="/wiki/To_Protect_and_Serve_Man" title="To Protect and Serve Man">To Protect and Serve Man</a>".</li> <li>In <a href="/wiki/Matthew_Costello" title="Matthew Costello">Matthew Costello</a>'s <i><a href="/wiki/Doom_3:_Worlds_on_Fire" title="Doom 3: Worlds on Fire">Doom 3: Worlds on Fire</a></i>, Swann tells his superior about <i>To Serve Man</i> as being a real book discovered in the 1950s.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=To_Serve_Man_(short_story)&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Under_the_Skin_(novel)" title="Under the Skin (novel)">Under the Skin</a></i> a novel by <a href="/wiki/Michel_Faber" title="Michel Faber">Michel Faber</a>, which shares the theme of animalistic aliens farming humans for food.</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/From_Gustible%27s_Planet" class="mw-redirect" title="From Gustible's Planet">From Gustible's Planet</a>", a short story by <a href="/wiki/Cordwainer_Smith" title="Cordwainer Smith">Cordwainer Smith</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Bad_Taste" title="Bad Taste">Bad Taste</a></i> by <a href="/wiki/Peter_Jackson" title="Peter Jackson">Peter Jackson</a>, a scifi <a href="/wiki/Comedy_horror" title="Comedy horror">comedy horror</a> film where aliens intend to turn humanity into <a href="/wiki/Fast_food" title="Fast food">fast food</a>.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=To_Serve_Man_(short_story)&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.philsp.com/homeville/ISFAC/s141.htm">"Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Index+to+Science+Fiction+Anthologies+and+Collections&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philsp.com%2Fhomeville%2FISFAC%2Fs141.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATo+Serve+Man+%28short+story%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100118111317/http://locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/RetroHugo2001.html">"2001 Retro Hugo Awards"</a>. 31 August 2001. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/RetroHugo2001.html">the original</a> on January 18, 2010.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=2001+Retro+Hugo+Awards&rft.date=2001-08-31&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.locusmag.com%2FSFAwards%2FDb%2FRetroHugo2001.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATo+Serve+Man+%28short+story%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBelasco2006" class="citation book cs1">Belasco, Warren James (2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=fL0HvQ-HcxYC&q=%22to+serve+man%22+%22twilight+zone%22+%22damon+knight%22&pg=RA1-PA130"><i>Meals to come: a history of the future of food</i></a>. University of California Press. p. 130. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-520-24151-7" title="Special:BookSources/0-520-24151-7"><bdi>0-520-24151-7</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2010-05-03</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Meals+to+come%3A+a+history+of+the+future+of+food&rft.pages=130&rft.pub=University+of+California+Press&rft.date=2006&rft.isbn=0-520-24151-7&rft.aulast=Belasco&rft.aufirst=Warren+James&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DfL0HvQ-HcxYC%26q%3D%2522to%2Bserve%2Bman%2522%2B%2522twilight%2Bzone%2522%2B%2522damon%2Bknight%2522%26pg%3DRA1-PA130&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATo+Serve+Man+%28short+story%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRingo2000" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/John_Ringo" title="John Ringo">Ringo, John</a> (2000). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/hymnbeforebattle00ring"><i>A Hymn Before Battle</i></a></span>. Riverdale: Baen Books. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-671-31941-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-671-31941-8"><bdi>0-671-31941-8</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=A+Hymn+Before+Battle&rft.place=Riverdale&rft.pub=Baen+Books&rft.date=2000&rft.isbn=0-671-31941-8&rft.aulast=Ringo&rft.aufirst=John&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fhymnbeforebattle00ring&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATo+Serve+Man+%28short+story%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=mm7DL0g1PK4C">To Serve Man: A Cookbook for People</a></i> at <a href="/wiki/Google_Books" title="Google Books">Google Books</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160118195002/http://cdda.estilofusion.com/cookbook_human">"To Serve Man"</a>. <i>Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://cdda.estilofusion.com/cookbook_human">the original</a> on 18 January 2016<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">8 September</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Cataclysm%3A+Dark+Days+Ahead&rft.atitle=To+Serve+Man&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fcdda.estilofusion.com%2Fcookbook_human&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATo+Serve+Man+%28short+story%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=To_Serve_Man_(short_story)&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?55219"><i>To Serve Man</i></a> title listing at the <a href="/wiki/Internet_Speculative_Fiction_Database" title="Internet Speculative Fiction Database">Internet Speculative Fiction Database</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/stream/galaxymagazine-1950-11/Galaxy_1950_11#page/n91/mode/2up">"To Serve Man"</a> at the <a href="/wiki/Internet_Archive" title="Internet Archive">Internet Archive</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul 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aria-labelledby="Retro_Hugo_Award_for_Best_Short_Story" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Retro_Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story" title="Template:Retro Hugo Award Best Short Story"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Retro_Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story" title="Template talk:Retro Hugo Award Best Short Story"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Retro_Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Retro Hugo Award Best Short Story"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Retro_Hugo_Award_for_Best_Short_Story" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Short_Story#Retro_Hugos" title="Hugo Award for Best Short Story">Retro Hugo Award</a> for <a href="/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Short_Story" title="Hugo Award for Best Short Story">Best Short Story</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div>These Hugo awards were retroactively awarded for short stories published 50, 75, or 100 years prior</div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/How_We_Went_to_Mars" title="How We Went to Mars">How We Went to Mars</a>" by <a href="/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke" title="Arthur C. Clarke">Arthur C. Clarke</a> (1939)</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Robbie_(short_story)" title="Robbie (short story)">Robbie</a>" by <a href="/wiki/Isaac_Asimov" title="Isaac Asimov">Isaac Asimov</a> (1941)</li> <li>"The Twonky" by <a href="/wiki/Lewis_Padgett" title="Lewis Padgett">Lewis Padgett</a> (1943)</li> <li>"King of the Gray Spaces" <small>or: "R is for Rocket"</small> by <a href="/wiki/Ray_Bradbury" title="Ray Bradbury">Ray Bradbury</a> (1944)</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/I,_Rocket" title="I, Rocket">I, Rocket</a>" by <a href="/wiki/Ray_Bradbury" title="Ray Bradbury">Ray Bradbury</a> (1945)</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Uncommon_Sense" title="Uncommon Sense">Uncommon Sense</a>" by <a href="/wiki/Hal_Clement" title="Hal Clement">Hal Clement</a> (1946)</li> <li>"<a class="mw-selflink selflink">To Serve Man</a>" by <a href="/wiki/Damon_Knight" title="Damon Knight">Damon Knight</a> (1951)</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Nine_Billion_Names_of_God" title="The Nine Billion Names of God">The Nine Billion Names of God</a>" by <a href="/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke" title="Arthur C. Clarke">Arthur C. Clarke</a> (1954)</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Short_Story" title="Hugo Award for Best Short Story">Complete list</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Retro_Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story" title="Template:Retro Hugo Award Best Short Story">Retro</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story_1955%E2%80%931960" title="Template:Hugo Award Best Short Story 1955–1960">1955–1960</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story_1961%E2%80%931980" title="Template:Hugo Award Best Short Story 1961–1980">1961–1980</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story_1981%E2%80%932000" title="Template:Hugo Award Best Short Story 1981–2000">1981–2000</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story_2001%E2%80%932020" title="Template:Hugo Award Best Short Story 2001–2020">2001–2020</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story_2021%E2%80%932040" title="Template:Hugo Award Best Short Story 2021–2040">2021–present</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <!-- NewPP limit report Parsed by mw‐api‐ext.codfw.main‐67468f59cb‐zfx8l Cached time: 20241127121611 Cache expiry: 2592000 Reduced expiry: false Complications: [vary‐revision‐sha1, show‐toc] CPU time usage: 0.350 seconds Real time usage: 0.435 seconds Preprocessor visited node count: 1028/1000000 Post‐expand include size: 27047/2097152 bytes Template argument size: 1069/2097152 bytes Highest expansion depth: 11/100 Expensive parser function count: 4/500 Unstrip recursion depth: 1/20 Unstrip post‐expand size: 29833/5000000 bytes Lua time usage: 0.227/10.000 seconds Lua memory usage: 6707003/52428800 bytes Number of Wikibase entities loaded: 0/400 --> <!-- Transclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template) 100.00% 382.665 1 -total 26.91% 102.975 1 Template:Reflist 24.29% 92.959 1 Template:Retro_Hugo_Award_Best_Short_Story 23.49% 89.897 1 Template:Navbox 18.52% 70.880 3 Template:Cite_web 14.10% 53.948 1 Template:Short_description 11.97% 45.786 1 Template:Trivia 10.40% 39.810 1 Template:Ambox 9.85% 37.674 1 Template:Infobox_short_story 8.15% 31.196 2 Template:Pagetype --> <!-- Saved in parser cache with key enwiki:pcache:idhash:2989195-0!canonical and timestamp 20241127121636 and revision id 1259851339. 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