"August Heat" is a 1910 short story by W. F. Harvey, about two men, unknown to each other, whose look at the other's possible future suggests that one of them will be murdered and the other will be the murderer. It is often referred to as a ghost story (it appears in

The Folio Society The Folio Society is a London-based publisher, founded by Charles Ede in 1947 and incorporated in 1971. Formerly Private company limited by shares, privately owned, it operates as an employee ownership trust since 2021. It produces illustrate ...

's ''Book of Ghost Stories'', for example, and in

Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an American writer, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for books by other writers. Hi ...

's ghost story collection ''The Haunted Looking Glass'') even though no ghosts are featured.Horror Stories: Classic Tales from Hoffmann to Hodgson - Page 508 0199685436 Darryl Jones - 2014 - 'August Heat' was first published in Midnight House and Other Stories (London: Dent, 1910). This is the text used ...

Synopsis

On a scorching August day, artist James Clarence Withencroft draws a sketch of a criminal in the dock immediately after the judge has given him a sentence. That evening, Withencroft goes for a walk and wanders into the workshop of a stonemason, Charles Atkinson. To his surprise, Atkinson exactly resembles the criminal in the sketch he is carrying in his pocket. Both men are shocked to discover that the model headstone Atkinson has just finished carving bears Withencroft's full name, his date of birth, and that very day as the date of his death. The two men are unnerved and agree that, for the sake of safety, Withencroft should stay at Atkinson's place until midnight has passed and the date changed. The story ends with Withencroft writing the day's events as Atkinson sharpens some tools: "It is after eleven now. I shall be gone in less than an hour. But the heat is stifling. It is enough to send a man mad."*****

Adaptations

The story has been adapted for radio four times: twice for the radio series '' Suspense'' in an adaptation by

Mel Dinelli Amelio "Mel" Dinelli (6 October 1912, Albuquerque, New Mexico – 28 November 1991, Los Angeles, California) was an American writer for theatre, radio, film and magazines, usually in the suspense genre. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and ...

and produced/directed by

William Spier William Hannan Spier (October 16, 1906 – May 30, 1973) was an American writer, producer, and director for television and radio. He is best known for his radio work, notably ''Suspense'' and ''The Adventures of Sam Spade''. Early life Wil ...

on 31 May 1945, starring Ronald Colman as Withencroft and

Dennis Hoey Dennis Hoey (born Samuel David Hyams, 30 March 1893 – 25 July 1960) was a British film and stage actor, best known for playing Inspector Lestrade in six films of Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. Early life Hoey was born Samuel David ...

as Atkinson, and on 20 March 1948, with Barry Kroeger as Withencroft and Dennis Hoey again as Atkinson; for the ''

Hallmark Playhouse ''Hallmark Playhouse'' is an American old-time radio dramatic anthology series. It was broadcast on CBS from June 10, 1948 until February 1, 1953, and was described by one author as "a program that consistently produced the highest levels of prod ...

'' on 29 August 1949, adapted by

John Gay (screenwriter) John Gay (April 1, 1924 – February 4, 2017) was an American screenwriter, born in Whittier, California. Career Gay began his career writing episodes for television anthology series such as ''Lux Video Theatre'', ''Kraft Television Theatre'', and ...

, directed by Jack Rubin and starring Fred MacMurray as Withencroft and

Ed Begley Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) and ...

as Atkinson; and for ''Sleep No More'' on 28 November 1956, (with Nelson Olmsted reading an abridged version of the story). A comic book adaptation of "August Heat" appeared in '' Secrets of Sinister House'' #12 (July 1973), published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

with E. Nelson Bridwell adapting the story and Alfredo Alcala illustrating; this was reprinted in the 2010 trade paperback collection.

References

External links

August Heat
Full text online

* ttps://archive.org/details/suspenseAugustHeatStarringRonaldColman Listen to the 1945 ''Suspense'' version with Ronald Colmanbr>Listen to the 1948 ''Suspense'' version with Dennis Hoey and Barry KroegerListen to the ''Hallmark Playhouse'' version with Fred MacMurrayInformation about ''Secrets of Sinister House'' #12 comic book
* 1910 short stories British short stories Horror short stories Mystery short stories {{1910s-mystery-story-stub