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Losing the Head of Philip K. Dick

A Bizarre But True Tale of Androids, Kill Switches, and Left Luggage

Published by Oneworld Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Stranger than science fiction

The incredible story of Philip K. Dick’s robotic resurrection – and the android’s utterly Dickian ‘escape’

“This compelling tale of androids, paranoid authors, and research into AI has… an ending that could have been written by Dick himself.” The Guardian

“This story is touching, absorbing, and, ultimately, an exploration of what it means to be human.” The Spectator

“An instant classic of weird science.” Alex Boese

About The Author

David Dufty was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Memphis at the time the Philip K. Dick android was being developed; he was a confidant to the team of scientists and had access to the android itself. He has a PhD in psychology and currently lives in Canberra, Australia.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Oneworld Publications (March 1, 2012)
  • Length: 272 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781780740799

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Raves and Reviews

“The best kind of popular science… Leaves you hungry to know more, and wondering at the possibilities that may lie ahead.”

– Australian Bookseller & Publisher

“A fascinating read.”

– The Specusphere

“Literally incredible.”

– The Age

"A fascinating dive into the world of robotics, and worthy of Dick himself, wherever he may be."

– The Bookseller

"This story is touching, absorbing and, ultimately, an exploration of what it means to be human. … Highly engaging."

– The Spectator

"This compelling tale of androids, paranoid authors, and research into AI has a suitably strange twist at the end… an ending that could have been written by Dick himself."

– The Guardian

"The story of the head of Philip K. Dick couldn’t be a more apt metaphor for the state of humanoid robotics."

– New Scientist

"You've got to love a book that includes physics-lecturing fish, android Einsteins, and researchers intent on building robot replicas of their wives and girlfriends. Not to mention Philip K. Dick himself. This is an instant classic of weird science."

– Alex Boese - bestselling author of Elephants on Acid and Electric Sheep

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