Books

Tales of the Unexpected

Information   Description   Teacher Resources   Cover Illustrations

Information

• First editions:
  • Penguin, 1979, Great Britain.
    • Paperback
    • Value (circa 1994) in Very Good condition
      • $3-$4
  • Michael Joseph Ltd., 1979, Great Britain.
    • Value (circa 1994) in Very Good condition
      • Without dustjacket: $3-$7
      • With dustjacket: $11-$17
  • Vintage, 1979, U.S.A.
    • Value (circa 1994) in Very Good condition
      • Without dustjacket: $3-$7
      • With dustjacket: $11-$17
• Contains:
  • "Dip in the Pool"
  • "Edward the Conqueror"
  • "Galloping Foxley"
  • "Lamb to the Slaughter"
  • "Man From the South"
  • "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat"
  • "My Lady Love, My Dove"
  • "Neck"
  • "Nunc Dimittis"
  • "Parson's Pleasure"
  • "Royal Jelly"
  • "Skin"
  • "Taste"
  • "The Landlady"
  • "The Way Up to Heaven"
  • "William and Mary"

Description

This collection showcases sixteen of Roald Dahl's finest tales, taken from "Kiss Kiss" and "Someone Like You". There are tales of the risk-takers, such as the man who wagers his daughter's hand in marriage to a wine connoisseur, or the traveller who throws himself overboard on a cruise liner to win a bet. Here too is the understated cruelty of "Edward the Conqueror," in which a mysterious cat seems to threaten domestic life, or the innocuous-seeming "Landlady," whose guests stay for longer than they intend. Not forgetting the satisfyingly shocking tales of revenge, such as "Nunc Dimittis" or "Lamb to the Slaughter." [from roalddahl.com]

Teacher Resources

• "Dip in the Pool"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
  • Additional Classroom Question
    • Suggested question to tack on the end of Jocelyn Allen's Classroom Activities
• "Galloping Foxley"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• "Lamb to the Slaughter"
  • Wide Reading Coursework
    • Various activities that involve comparing this story to Thomas Hardy's "The Withered Arm", Charles Dickens's "The Signalman", and Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Speckled Band"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a reading jigsaw, ranking features of the perfect murder, and vocabulary matching task
• "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• "My Lady Love, My Dove"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• "Parson's Pleasure"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• "Taste"
  • Classroom Ideas
    • Includes some ideas for teaching grammar
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• "The Landlady"
  • Writing Letters-to-the-Editor
    • Includes ideas for learning to write letters based on the story
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a making your own story exercise (using extracts from Dahl's story) and questions
  • Exploring Foreshadowing Through Letter Writing
    • A letter writing activity exploring foreshadowing based on the story
  • Online Crossword Puzzle
    • Online puzzle focussing on word definitions, synonyms, and antonyms
  • Foreshadowing and Dramatic Irony
    • Includes several activities, links, and handouts
• "The Way Up to Heaven"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story

Cover Illustrations

Click on any thumbnail to see the full–size version...

Vintage, 1979

Vintage, 1990 [Buy this Book]

Folio Society, 2001