short stories – Page 2 – Auxiliary Memory

A History of the Annual Science Fiction Best-of-the-Year Anthology

by James Wallace Harris, Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Best_science_fiction_stories_1949 Back in 1949 editors Everett F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty came out with The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949 from Fredrick Fell publishers that collected the best science fiction stories that appeared in magazines during 1948. They were following the tradition of The Best American Short Stories anthology that first appeared in 1915. Science fiction has had one or more annual best-of-the-year anthologies ever since. I’ve counted 9 scheduled for 2018, with two already released (The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 3 edited by Neil Clarke and The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Twelve edited by Jonathan Strahan). By the way, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Eleven is currently available for the Kindle for 99 cents. It has two of my favorite recent reads: “Touring with the Alien” by Carolyn Ives Gilman (try the audio) and “Mika Model” by Paolo Bacigalupi (author of The Windup Girl.)

Few people read short stories. The audience for them is greater than poetry readers, but probably not by much. The three top print magazines, Analog, Asimov’s SF, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction all have roughly 10,000-20,000 buyers each. There’s no telling how many readers there are for the many online magazines. 1% of the U.S. population would be 3.257 million people, so even if there were 50,000 science fiction short story fans, that would only be less than 1/65th of 1% of the population. If you’re a fan of SF short stories, the odds of knowing someone else who is also a fan is very small indeed.

However, I would claim the science fiction short story has always been the heart and soul of the genre. Even before Amazing Stories in April 1926, the first pulp magazine devoted to science fiction, short science fiction appeared regularly in periodicals decades before that. Most science fiction writers, especially the Golden Age writers, got their start writing short stories. And if you love to read science fiction for the far-out ideas, the magazines are the place to go.

In an age where most novels are part of trilogies or never-ending series, a short work of fiction that jumps in, gets the job done and wraps up satisfyingly is to be highly prized. I get more science fictional bangs for my galactic credit by reading one annual anthology than I do reading a dozen SF novels. That’s why I’ve switched to mostly reading SF short stories.

Bleiler and Dikty might have begun the tradition of best-short-stories-of-the-year anthologies, but Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg created a series in the late 1970s that jumped back to 1939 and continued for 25 volumes until 1963. Robert Silverberg added one more volume for 1964 after they stopped.

I’ve started a reading project to read all these anthologies from 1939 to the present, assuming the present will be the year I die. That’s about 200 books as of 2018. I’m currently reading stories from 1942, the 1950s, and 2017.

Here are the annual anthologies I know about that ran for at least three years minimum. There have been other editors and publishers starting annual series that didn’t succeed that I’m ignoring in my collecting and reading. Follow the links to ISFDB to read more about each series, their volumes, and their content. I’m using the series title decided on my ISFDB, but individual volume titles will vary.

The Great SF Stories (1939-1964) – Asimov, Greenberg, Silverberg
Best SF Stories (1949-1954) – Bleiler & Dikty
The Year’s Best SF Novels (1952-1954) – Bleiler & Dikty
The Year’s Best S-F (1956-1968) – Judith Merril
World’s Best SF (1965-1990) – Wollheim, Carr, Saha
Nebula Awards (1965-present) – various editors
Best SF (1968-1976) – Aldiss & Harrison
Best SF of the Year (1972-1987) – Terry Carr
Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year (1972-1981) – del Rey & Dozois
The Year’s Best Science Fiction (1984-present) – Gardner Dozois
The Orbit Science Fiction Yearbook (1988-1990) – David Garnett
Year’s Best SF (1996-2013) – Hartwell & Cramer
Science Fiction: The Best of (2001-2005) – Silverberg, Haber, Strahan
Best Short Novels (2004-2007) – Jonathan Strahan
Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year (2007-present) – Jonathan Strahan
Science Fiction: The Best of the Year (2006-2008) – Rich Horton
Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year (2007-present) – Jonathan Strahan
Wilde Stories (2008-present) – Steve Berman
The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy (2009-present) – Rich Horton
The Year’s Top Ten Tales of Science Fiction (2010-present) – Allan Kaster
The Year’s Top Short SF Novels (2011-present) – Allan Kaster
Heiresses of Russ (2011-2016) – Steve Berman and others
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy (2015-present) – John Joseph Adams
The Long List Anthology Series (2015-present) – David Steffen
The Year’s Best Military SF, Space Opera and Adventure SF (2015-present) – David Afsharirad
The Best Science Fiction of the Year (2016-present) – Neil Clarke

If you count series with the bolded “present” above, you should tally eleven. Maybe my assumption that few people read short stories is wrong because this seems like a boom time for best-of-the-year anthologies.

Bleiler & Dikty began their series two years before I was born. Evidently, their publisher Frederick Fell didn’t have a wide distribution because I don’t remember seeing any of these volumes at the library when I was growing up. I began reading the annual anthologies in the mid-sixties with Judith Merril and then the Wollheim books from Ace Books. After that, I started reading the Terry Carr collections. I bought every annual from Dozois when he started with Bluejay Books, but I didn’t keep them. Damn! Today I follow Dozois, Strahan, Horton, Kaster, and Clarke.

My current reading project is The Great SF Stories edited by Asimov/Greenberg. I’m reading them straight through. I’m now in 1942. I seldom read the annual anthologies from cover-to-cover. My goal is to do that this time as I progress through the years. It’s becoming quite an education in the history and evolution of science fiction. I sometimes write about the stories that intrigue me over at Worlds Without End.

If you’re interested in discussing SF short stories I have an online email group, The Great SF Stories at Groups.io. You’re welcome to join.

Update:

A few weeks ago I wrote “9 ‘Best SFF of the Year’ Anthologies” for Book Riot that just got published (4/13/18). At the time I only knew about 9 current best-of-the-year anthologies. Now it’s up to 11. There might be more.

JWH

Where to Read the 1943 Retro Hugo Short Fiction Nominees?

by James Wallace Harris, Sunday, April 1, 2018

Worldcon 76 just announced the 1943 Retrospective Hugo Award finalists, which selects works published in 1942. Because I’ve been systematically reading old science fiction short stories I thought it would be fun to see where and how often these stories have been reprinted. In the list below, I’m linking each story to its Internet Science Fiction Database (ISFDB) entry. Following that link will show where the story has been reprinted. If you right-click the link and select open the page in a new window you won’t lose your place here.

Following the list, I’ll discuss which anthologies have best remembered these stories from 1942.

Best Short Story

“Etaoin Shrdlu” by Fredric Brown (Unknown Worlds, February 1942)
“Mimic” by Martin Pearson (Donald A. Wollheim) (Astonishing Stories, December 1942)
“Proof” by Hal Clement (Astounding Science Fiction, June 1942)
“Runaround” by Isaac Asimov (Astounding Science Fiction, March 1942)
“The Sunken Land” by Fritz Leiber (Unknown Worlds, February 1942)
“The Twonky” by C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner (Astounding Science Fiction, September 1942)

Best Novelette

“Bridle and Saddle” by Isaac Asimov (Astounding Science Fiction, June 1942)
“Foundation” by Isaac Asimov (Astounding Science Fiction, May 1942)
“Goldfish Bowl” by Anson MacDonald (Robert A. Heinlein) (Astounding Science Fiction, March 1942)
“The Star Mouse” by Fredric Brown (Planet Stories, Spring 1942)
“There Shall Be Darkness” by C.L. Moore (Astounding Science Fiction, February 1942)
“The Weapon Shop” by A.E. van Vogt (Astounding Science Fiction, December 1942)

Best Novella

“Asylum” by A.E. van Vogt (Astounding Science Fiction, May 1942)
“The Compleat Werewolf” by Anthony Boucher (Unknown Worlds, April 1942)
“Hell is Forever” by Alfred Bester (Unknown Worlds, August 1942)
“Nerves” by Lester del Rey (Astounding Science Fiction, September 1942)
“The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag” by John Riverside (Robert A. Heinlein) (Unknown Worlds, October 1942)
“Waldo” by Anson MacDonald (Robert A. Heinlein) (Astounding Science Fiction, August 1942)

The Great SF Stories 4 (1942) edited by Asimov and Greenberg

Some of these stories have been anthologized extensively, and some very little. That’s kind of surprising since you’d think the most remembered stories would get nominated. If you own a copy of The Great SF Stories 4 (1942) edited by Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg you’ll already have 7 of 18 of these stories:

“Mimic”
“Proof”
“The Twonky”
“Foundation”
“The Star Mouse”
“The Weapon Shop”
“Nerves”

Unfortunately, that anthology is out of print, and used copies can be expensive. It’s actually cheaper to find copies of Isaac Asimov Presents The Golden Years of Science Fiction: 2nd Series in hardback, that reprints both 1941 and 1942.

If you own another out-of-print anthology, Adventures in Time and Space edited by Raymond J. Healy and J. Francis McComas you can read five of the stories:

“Nerves”
“Asylum”
“The Twonky”
“The Weapon Shop”
“The Star Mouse”

Notice the overlap. I wonder if that’s an indication of which stories will win this summer.

“Runaround” can be found in I, Robot and other repackagings of Asimov’s robot stories, and the “Foundation” and “Bride and Saddle” of course, are part of Foundation (it was a fix-up novel).

“Etaoin Shrdlu” can be read in several Fredric Brown anthologies. Both of his nominated stories can be bought in the 99 cent ebook, The Fredric Brown Megapack.

“The Sunken Land” by Fritz Leiber can be found in the many editions of Swords Against Death, the second volume of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series.

The most common way to find Heinlein’s “Goldfish Bowl” is from his collection, The Menace From Earth. The best way to find Heinlein’s other two nominations, “Waldo” and “The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag” is in The Fantasies of Robert A. Heinlein. However, it’s out of print. I find it rather annoying how Heinlein’s short stories are constantly being repackaged in new collections.

One of the hardest stories to find will be “There Shall Be Darkness” by C. L. Moore. The latest reprint, which is still in print is Miracle in Three Dimensions, is a collection of her lost pulp stories. But at $16.95, is kind of steep for reading one story.

Almost as hard to track down will be “Hell is Forever” by Alfred Bester. I’d look for a used copy of Starlight: The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester. They’s way you’d get his other great stories.

“The Compleat Werewolf” by Anthony Boucher has been reprinted fairly often, but not in easy to acquire anthologies. Probably the best place to find it is in Boucher’s collection, The Complete Werewolf and Other Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

I’m surprised that many of these stories weren’t anthologized more often. Before I started this research, I thought they’d all be in a handful of famous retrospective anthologies. That wasn’t the case. The stories least anthologized seem to be fantasy stories.

Won’t fans vote for Asimov because his nominees are from his most famous series? And does Heinlein still have enough fans to guarantee him a win? Heinlein was very popular in 1942 among science fiction fans, but what about the fans voting today?

Update:

Just for fun, I decided to try to find some of the other SF stories from 1942 that have been remembered.

My first idea was to check the Groff Conklin anthologies. Conklin assembled a number of retrospective anthologies that are well-remembered by older fans today. I check seven of these and found these 1942 stories:

“Goldfish Bowl” by Robert A. Heinlein
“Jackdaw” by Ross Rocklynne
“With Flaming Swords” by Cleve Cartmill
“The Embassy” by Donald Wollheim
“Tools” by Clifford Simak
“The Wings of Night” by Lester del Rey
“Proof” by Hal Clement
“Recruitment Station” by A. E. van Vogt
“Heritage” by Robert Abernathy
“The Flight that Failed” by Hull/van Vogt
“To Follow Knowledge” by Frank Belnap Long

I’m guessing Conklin didn’t use any stories that Healy & McComas used in Adventures in Time and Space. I also assumed Conklin didn’t get to use the Asimov and Heinlein stories because they weren’t available, or were used elsewhere, or were already too famous.

Besides the five stories picked by Healy & McComas that got nominated, they had one other 1942 story, “The Link” by Cleve Cartmill.

The other stories in the Asimov/Greenberg anthology that weren’t nominated for retro Hugos were:

“The Wings of Night” by Lester del Rey
“Barrier” by Anthony Boucher
“QRM-Interplanetary” by George O. Smith

If I get time, I’m going to check other anthologies.

JWH

Why Wasn’t Philip K. Dick in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame Anthologies?

by James Wallace Harris, Wednesday, March 14, 2018

I’ve been listening to the new audiobook editions of The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One and Volume 2A. Volume 2B is due out in April. Today, my friend Mike asked me why there were no stories by Philip K. Dick in these anthologies. I had not noticed that before, and now I’m wondering, “Why the hell not?” Mike and I are big PKD fans.

Read “SFWA and the ‘Science Fiction Hall of Fame’ Anthologies” by Andrew Liptak for a history of these books and a listing of the stories included. The first three volumes collected stories voted on by the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) for works that were published before the Nebula Awards were created. The final two volumes collected stories that won the award. Since PKD never won a Nebula it’s understandable he wasn’t included in those volumes. So we’re really talking about missing in action from v. 1, 2A and 2B.

Was Philip K. Dick unpopular with SFWA members? 132 stories by 76 authors were nominated for the first volume which was limited to stories under 15,000 words published before 1965. PKD had dozens and dozens of stories that met that requirement, many of which were exceptional, and several of which have inspired movies and television shows. I would love to see that list of total nominated stories but I can’t find it on the web. I have to assume PKD had a few stories on it.

The Internet Science Fiction Database (ISFDB) has a listing “Most Viewed Stories Since 2005.” PKD has 5 in the Top 20, and many more in the overall list.

“We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” (1966)
“Adjustment Team” (1954)
“The Minority Report” (1956)
“Imposter” (1953)
“The Golden Man” (1954)

Of course, this list has been heavily influenced by fans of the television shows and movies looking up the stories. Strangely, there are no PKD stories in ISFDB’s older “Top 100 Short Stories – Balanced List.” Does this mean PKD has only recently gained popularity as a science fiction writer?

Dick only has two stories on the “Top 100 SF Short Stories” at Sci-Fi Lists (“We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” and “Second Variety” (1953)). This list is based on internet voters, from recent years.

He does have two stories (“Faith of Our Fathers” (1967) and “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”) at the Anthology & Collect References list that tells which stories have been most anthologized in these anthologies. These are older works.

Evidently, Philip K. Dick’s most popular story, “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” which came out in 1966 didn’t qualify. Neither does “Faith in Our Fathers.” But the others do. Mike and I wondered why “Survey Team” (1954) didn’t make it since we like it better than many of the stories that did get into the original Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One.

Dick’s stories were often published in less famous science fiction magazines of the day. Reading them in his five-volume collected stories, I’m often very impressed. I wonder if there were other writers who appeared in the lesser mags that also wrote good stories that need to be remembered.

This also makes me ask, “What other great SF authors and stories were left out of The Science Fiction Hall of Fame books?” The obvious next question is where are the women writers? And when I think about it, there were many popular writers from the 1930s and 1940s that would have been included twenty-five years earlier. Time is not kind to science fiction.

Update 3/17/18:

What about Robert Sheckley?

JWH

The Great SF Stories #1-25 (1939-1963)

by James Wallace Harris, Wednesday, February 7, 2018

I’m not the only one having BIG fun reading The Great SF Stories #1-25 (1939-1963), so I’ve created an online discussion group for us. So far seven of us have joined. If you’re interested go here. You’ll have to join Groups.io first, but it’s free and easy to do so.

I’m constantly using Internet Science Fiction Database (ISFDB) to look up these stories to see where they have been anthologized and first appeared in magazines. So I thought I’d copy their table of content links to one page. If you click on a story title it will take you to ISFDB’s page showing it’s publication history. If you click on an author it will take you to the author’s bibliography. ISFDB is a wonderful site!

I’ve annotated this list with some links to other annual best-SF-of-the-year anthologies. The easiest way to compare two Table of Contents is to right-click on the other anthology link and select “Open in New Window.”

This will be our reading list.

8 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories 1 (1939)) • (1979) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
11 • I, Robot • [Adam Link] • (1939) • short story by Otto Binder (variant of “I, Robot”) [as by Eando Binder]
25 • The Strange Flight of Richard Clayton • (1939) • short story by Robert Bloch
35 • Trouble with Water • (1939) • short story by H. L. Gold
56 • Cloak of Aesir • [Sarn] • (1939) • novella by John W. Campbell, Jr. [as by Don A. Stuart]
103 • The Day Is Done • (1939) • short story by Lester del Rey
118 • The Ultimate Catalyst • (1939) • short story by John Taine
141 • The Gnarly Man • (1939) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
163 • Black Destroyer • [Space Beagle] • (1939) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt
194 • Greater Than Gods • (1939) • novelette by C. L. Moore
229 • Trends • (1939) • short story by Isaac Asimov
248 • The Blue Giraffe • (1939) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
272 • The Misguided Halo • (1939) • short story by Henry Kuttner
289 • Heavy Planet • (1939) • short story by Milton A. Rothman
299 • Life-Line • [Future History] • (1939) • short story by Robert A. Heinlein
318 • Ether Breather • [Ether Breather] • (1939) • short story by Theodore Sturgeon
332 • Pilgrimage • [Meg (Nelson S. Bond) • 4] • (1939) • novelette by Nelson S. Bond [as by Nelson Bond]
353 • Rust • (1939) • short story by Joseph E. Kelleam
363 • The Four-Sided Triangle • (1939) • novelette by William F. Temple (variant of The 4-Sided Triangle)
385 • Star Bright • (1939) • novelette by Jack Williamson
412 • Misfit • [Future History] • (1939) • novelette by Robert A. Heinlein

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories 2 (1940)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Dwindling Sphere • (1940) • short story by Willard Hawkins
30 • The Automatic Pistol • (1940) • short story by Fritz Leiber
46 • Hindsight • (1940) • short story by Jack Williamson
65 • Postpaid to Paradise • [Murchison Morks] • (1940) • short story by Robert Arthur
80 • Into the Darkness • [Darkness (Rocklynne)] • (1940) • novelette by Ross Rocklynne
108 • Dark Mission • (1940) • short story by Lester del Rey
125 • It • (1940) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
149 • Vault of the Beast • (1940) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt
176 • The Impossible Highway • (1940) • short story by Oscar J. Friend
191 • Quietus • (1940) • short story by Ross Rocklynne
206 • Strange Playfellow • (1940) • short story by Isaac Asimov
219 • The Warrior Race • (1940) • short story by L. Sprague de Camp
237 • Farewell to the Master • (1940) • novelette by Harry Bates
276 • Butyl and the Breather • [Ether Breather] • (1940) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
297 • The Exalted • [Johnny Black] • (1940) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
321 • Old Man Mulligan • (1940) • novelette by P. Schuyler Miller

The Retro Hugo Awards 1941 (for 1940 stories)

The voting statistics and nominations for the 1941 Retro Hugo

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories 3 (1941)) • (1980) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • Mechanical Mice • (1941) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell and Maurice G. Hugi (variant of The Mechanical Mice) [as by Maurice A. Hugi]
38 • Shottle Bop • (1941) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
66 • The Rocket of 1955 • (1939) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
70 • Evolution’s End • (1941) • short story by Robert Arthur
86 • Microcosmic God • (1941) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
113 • Jay Score • [Jay Score / Marathon • 1] • (1941) • short story by Eric Frank Russell
131 • Liar! • [Susan Calvin] • (1941) • short story by Isaac Asimov
149 • Time Wants A Skeleton • (1941) • novella by Ross Rocklynne
203 • The Words of Guru • (1941) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
211 • The Seesaw • [Weapon Shops of Isher] • (1941) • short story by A. E. van Vogt
231 • Armageddon • (1941) • short story by Fredric Brown
237 • Adam and No Eve • (1941) • short story by Alfred Bester
251 • Solar Plexus • (1941) • short story by James Blish
263 • Nightfall • (1941) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
298 • A Gnome There Was • (1941) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
324 • Snulbug • (1941) • short story by Anthony Boucher
339 • Hereafter, Inc. • (1941) • short story by Lester del Rey

7 • Introduction (The Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 4, 1942) • (1980) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
11 • The Star Mouse • [Mitkey • 1] • (1942) • novelette by Fredric Brown
32 • The Wings of Night • (1942) • short story by Lester del Rey
50 • Cooperate – Or Else! • [Rull] • novelette by A. E. van Vogt (variant of Co-Operate – Or Else! 1942)
77 • Foundation • [Foundation (Original Stories) • 1] • (1942) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
110 • The Push of a Finger • (1942) • novella by Alfred Bester
150 • Asylum • (1942) • novella by A. E. van Vogt
205 • Proof • (1942) • short story by Hal Clement
222 • Nerves • (1942) • novella by Lester del Rey
295 • Barrier • (1942) • novella by Anthony Boucher
347 • The Twonky • (1942) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
369 • QRM – Interplanetary • [Venus Equilateral] • (1942) • novelette by George O. Smith
403 • The Weapon Shop • [Weapon Shops of Isher] • (1942) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt
442 • Mimic • (1942) • short story by Donald A. Wollheim

7 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories 5 (1943)) • (1981) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
11 • The Cave • (1943) • novelette by P. Schuyler Miller
30 • The Halfling • [Earth (Brackett)] • (1943) • novelette by Leigh Brackett
57 • Mimsy Were the Borogoves • (1943) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
91 • Q. U. R. • (1943) • short story by Anthony Boucher
113 • Clash by Night • [Keeps • 1] • (1943) • novella by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lawrence O’Donnell]
172 • Exile • (1943) • short story by Edmond Hamilton
178 • Daymare • (1943) • novelette by Fredric Brown
219 • Doorway Into Time • (1943) • short story by C. L. Moore
238 • The Storm • [Mixed Men] • (1943) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt
271 • The Proud Robot • [Gallegher (Henry Kuttner)] • (1943) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
306 • Symbiotica • [Jay Score / Marathon • 3] • (1943) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
352 • The Iron Standard • (1943) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]

9 • Introduction (The Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 7, 1945) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Waveries • (1945) • short story by Fredric Brown
37 • The Piper’s Son • [Baldy] • (1945) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
65 • Wanted – An Enemy • (1945) • short story by Fritz Leiber
80 • Blind Alley • (1945) • short story by Isaac Asimov
105 • Correspondence Course • (1945) • short story by Raymond F. Jones
126 • First Contact • (1945) • novelette by Murray Leinster
159 • The Vanishing Venusians • [Venus (Brackett)] • (1945) • novelette by Leigh Brackett
189 • Into Thy Hands • (1945) • short story by Lester del Rey
211 • Camouflage • (1945) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]
246 • The Power • (1945) • short story by Murray Leinster
264 • Giant Killer • (1945) • novella by A. Bertram Chandler
313 • What You Need • (1945) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]
329 • De Profundis • (1945) • short story by Murray Leinster
342 • Pi in the Sky • (1945) • novelette by Fredric Brown

Retro Hugo Awards 1946 (for 1945 stories)

9 • Introduction (The Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 7, 1945) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Waveries • (1945) • short story by Fredric Brown
37 • The Piper’s Son • [Baldy] • (1945) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
65 • Wanted – An Enemy • (1945) • short story by Fritz Leiber
80 • Blind Alley • (1945) • short story by Isaac Asimov
105 • Correspondence Course • (1945) • short story by Raymond F. Jones
126 • First Contact • (1945) • novelette by Murray Leinster
159 • The Vanishing Venusians • [Venus (Brackett)] • (1945) • novelette by Leigh Brackett
189 • Into Thy Hands • (1945) • short story by Lester del Rey
211 • Camouflage • (1945) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]
246 • The Power • (1945) • short story by Murray Leinster
264 • Giant Killer • (1945) • novella by A. Bertram Chandler
313 • What You Need • (1945) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]
329 • De Profundis • (1945) • short story by Murray Leinster
342 • Pi in the Sky • (1945) • novelette by Fredric Brown

9 • Introduction (The Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 8, 1946) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • A Logic Named Joe • (1946) • short story by Murray Leinster [as by Will F. Jenkins]
30 • Memorial • (1946) • short story by Theodore Sturgeon
45 • Loophole • (1946) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
53 • The Nightmare • (1946) • novelette by Chan Davis
74 • Rescue Party • (1946) • novelette by Arthur C. Clarke
101 • Placet Is a Crazy Place • (1946) • short story by Fredric Brown
116 • Conqueror’s Isle • (1946) • short story by Nelson S. Bond (variant of Conquerors’ Isle)
131 • Lorelei of the Red Mist • [Venus (Brackett)] • (1946) • novella by Leigh Brackett and Ray Bradbury
189 • The Million Year Picnic • [The Martian Chronicles] • (1946) • short story by Ray Bradbury
199 • The Last Objective • (1946) • novelette by Paul A. Carter
228 • Meihem in ce Klasrum • (1946) • essay by Dolton Edwards
232 • Vintage Season • (1946) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lawrence O’Donnell]
276 • Evidence • [Susan Calvin] • (1946) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
299 • Absalom • (1946) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Henry Kuttner]
315 • Mewhu’s Jet • (1946) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
351 • Technical Error • (1946) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke

11 • Introduction (The Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 9, 1947) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
15 • Little Lost Robot • [Susan Calvin] • (1947) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
42 • Tomorrow’s Children • [Tomorrow’s Children • 1] • (1947) • novelette by Poul Anderson and F. N. Waldrop [as by Poul Anderson]
71 • Child’s Play • (1947) • novelette by William Tenn
100 • Time and Time Again • (1947) • short story by H. Beam Piper
119 • Tiny and the Monster • (1947) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
155 • E for Effort • (1947) • novelette by T. L. Sherred
207 • Letter to Ellen • (1947) • short story by Chan Davis
220 • The Figure • (1947) • short story by Edward Grendon
226 • With Folded Hands … • [Humanoids] • (1947) • novelette by Jack Williamson
272 • The Fires Within • (1947) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
282 • Zero Hour • (1947) • short story by Ray Bradbury
293 • Hobbyist • (1947) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
327 • Exit the Professor • [Hogben • 2] • (1947) • short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
343 • Thunder and Roses • (1947) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon

9 • Introduction (The Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 10, 1948) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • Don’t Look Now • (1948) • short story by Henry Kuttner
27 • He Walked Around the Horses • [Paratime Police] • (1948) • novelette by H. Beam Piper
49 • The Strange Case of John Kingman • (1948) • short story by Murray Leinster
66 • That Only a Mother • (1948) • short story by Judith Merril
77 • The Monster • (1948) • short story by A. E. van Vogt (variant of Resurrection)
94 • Dreams Are Sacred • (1948) • novelette by Peter Phillips
117 • Mars Is Heaven! • [The Martian Chronicles] • (1948) • short story by Ray Bradbury
135 • Thang • (1948) • short story by Martin Gardner
138 • Brooklyn Project • (1948) • short story by William Tenn
149 • Ring Around the Redhead • (1948) • short story by John D. MacDonald
169 • Period Piece • (1948) • short story by John R. Pierce [as by J. J. Coupling]
178 • Dormant • (1948) • short story by A. E. van Vogt
195 • In Hiding • [Children of the Atom] • (1948) • novelette by Wilmar H. Shiras
229 • Knock • (1948) • short story by Fredric Brown
240 • A Child Is Crying • (1948) • short story by John D. MacDonald
253 • Late Night Final • (1948) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories 1949 edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty

9 • Introduction 1949 (The Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 11, 1949) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
12 • The Red Queen’s Race • (1949) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
36 • Flaw • (1949) • short story by John D. MacDonald
45 • Private Eye • (1949) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
73 • Manna • (1949) • novelette by Peter Phillips
98 • The Prisoner in the Skull • (1949) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
135 • Alien Earth • (1949) • novelette by Edmond Hamilton
160 • History Lesson • (1949) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
169 • Eternity Lost • (1949) • novelette by Clifford D. Simak
196 • The Only Thing We Learn • (1949) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
207 • Private – Keep Out! • (1949) • short story by Philip MacDonald
223 • The Hurkle Is a Happy Beast • (1949) • short story by Theodore Sturgeon
232 • Kaleidoscope • (1949) • short story by Ray Bradbury
242 • Defense Mechanism • (1949) • short story by Katherine MacLean
251 • Cold War • [Hogben • 5] • (1949) • novelette by C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner [as by Henry Kuttner]
276 • The Witches of Karres • [Karres] • (1949) • novelette by James H. Schmitz

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories 1950 edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty

9 • 1950 Introduction (The Great SF Stories 12) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • Not with a Bang • (1950) • short story by Damon Knight
19 • Spectator Sport • (1950) • short story by John D. MacDonald
26 • There Will Come Soft Rains • [The Martian Chronicles] • (1950) • short story by Ray Bradbury
34 • Dear Devil • (1950) • novelette by Eric Frank Russell
70 • Scanners Live in Vain • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1950) • novelette by Cordwainer Smith
105 • Born of Man and Woman • (1950) • short story by Richard Matheson
109 • The Little Black Bag • (1950) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
138 • Enchanted Village • (1950) • short story by A. E. van Vogt
154 • Oddy and Id • (1950) • short story by Alfred Bester
170 • The Sack • (1950) • short story by William Morrison
190 • The Silly Season • (1950) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
205 • Misbegotten Missionary • (1950) • short story by Isaac Asimov (variant of Green Patches)
221 • To Serve Man • (1950) • short story by Damon Knight
230 • Coming Attraction • (1950) • short story by Fritz Leiber
244 • A Subway Named Mobius • (1950) • short story by A. J. Deutsch
260 • Process • (1950) • short story by A. E. van Vogt
267 • The Mindworm • (1950) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
281 • The New Reality • (1950) • novelette by Charles L. Harness

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories 1951 edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty

1951 Retro Hugo Award (for 1950 stories)

ix • Introduction (The Great SF Stories #13 (1951)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
1 • Null-P • (1951) • short story by William Tenn
15 • The Sentinel • [A Space Odyssey] • (1951) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
27 • The Fire Balloons • [The Martian Chronicles] • (1951) • short story by Ray Bradbury
48 • The Marching Morons • (1951) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
83 • The Weapon • (1951) • short story by Fredric Brown
88 • Angel’s Egg • (1951) • novelette by Edgar Pangborn
130 • “Breeds There a Man—?” • (1951) • novelette by Isaac Asimov (variant of Breeds There a Man … ?)
171 • Pictures Don’t Lie • (1951) • short story by Katherine MacLean
193 • Superiority • (1951) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
206 • I’m Scared • (1951) • short story by Jack Finney
222 • The Quest for Saint Aquin • (1951) • novelette by Anthony Boucher
244 • Tiger by the Tail • (1951) • short story by Alan E. Nourse
253 • With These Hands • (1951) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
274 • A Pail of Air • (1951) • short story by Fritz Leiber
291 • Dune Roller • (1951) • novelette by Julian May

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories 1952 edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty

9 • 1952 Introduction (Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories #14 (1952)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Pedestrian • (1951) • short story by Ray Bradbury
19 • The Moon Is Green • (1952) • short story by Fritz Leiber
35 • Lost Memory • (1952) • short story by Peter Phillips
48 • What Have I Done? • (1952) • short story by Mark Clifton
67 • Fast Falls the Eventide • (1952) • short story by Eric Frank Russell
85 • The Business, As Usual • (1952) • short story by Mack Reynolds
90 • A Sound of Thunder • (1952) • short story by Ray Bradbury
103 • Hobson’s Choice • (1952) • short story by Alfred Bester
119 • Yesterday House • (1952) • novelette by Fritz Leiber
146 • The Snowball Effect • (1952) • short story by Katherine MacLean
160 • Delay in Transit • (1952) • novelette by F. L. Wallace
206 • Game for Blondes • (1952) • short story by John D. MacDonald
217 • The Altar at Midnight • (1952) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
225 • Command Performance • (1952) • novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
243 • The Martian Way • (1952) • novella by Isaac Asimov
289 • The Impacted Man • (1952) • novelette by Robert Sheckley
308 • What’s It Like Out There? • (1952) • novelette by Edmond Hamilton
331 • Sail On! Sail On! • (1952) • short story by Philip José Farmer
342 • Cost of Living • (1952) • short story by Robert Sheckley

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories 1953 edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories# 15 (1953)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Big Holiday • (1953) • short story by Fritz Leiber
24 • Crucifixus Etiam • (1953) • short story by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
48 • Four in One • (1953) • novelette by Damon Knight
86 • Saucer of Loneliness • (1953) • short story by Theodore Sturgeon (variant of A Saucer of Loneliness)
102 • The Liberation of Earth • (1953) • short story by William Tenn
123 • Lot • [David Jimmon] • (1953) • novelette by Ward Moore
155 • The Nine Billion Names of God • (1953) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
164 • Warm • (1953) • short story by Robert Sheckley
176 • Impostor • (1953) • short story by Philip K. Dick
194 • The World Well Lost • (1953) • short story by Theodore Sturgeon
216 • A Bad Day for Sales • (1953) • short story by Fritz Leiber
224 • Common Time • (1953) • short story by James Blish
250 • Time Is the Traitor • (1953) • novelette by Alfred Bester
277 • The Wall Around the World • (1953) • novelette by Theodore R. Cogswell
308 • The Model of a Judge • (1953) • short story by William Morrison
322 • Hall of Mirrors • (1953) • short story by Fredric Brown
331 • It’s a Good Life • (1953) • short story by Jerome Bixby

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories 1954 edited by Everett F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty

1954 Retro Hugo Awards (for 1953 stories)

9 • 1954 Introduction (The Great SF Stories 16) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Test • (1954) • short story by Richard Matheson
34 • Anachron • (1954) • short story by Damon Knight
54 • Black Charlie • (1954) • short story by Gordon R. Dickson
72 • Down Among the Dead Men • (1954) • novelette by William Tenn
100 • The Hunting Lodge • (1954) • novelette by Randall Garrett
138 • The Lysenko Maze • (1953) • short story by Donald A. Wollheim [as by David Grinnell]
151 • Fondly Fahrenheit • (1954) • novelette by Alfred Bester
174 • The Cold Equations • (1954) • novelette by Tom Godwin
203 • Letters from Laura • (1954) • short story by Mildred Clingerman
211 • Transformer • (1954) • short story by Chad Oliver
227 • The Music Master of Babylon • (1954) • novelette by Edgar Pangborn
258 • The End of Summer • (1954) • novelette by Algis Budrys
289 • The Father-Thing • (1954) • short story by Philip K. Dick
304 • The Deep Range • (1954) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
315 • Balaam • (1954) • short story by Anthony Boucher
332 • Man of Parts • (1954) • short story by H. L. Gold
349 • Answer • (1954) • short story by Fredric Brown

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories and Novels edited by T. E. Dikty

9 • 1955 Introduction (The Great SF Stories 17) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Tunnel Under the World • (1955) • novelette by Frederik Pohl
46 • The Darfsteller • (1955) • novella by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
112 • The Cave of Night • [Station in Space Universe] • (1955) • short story by James E. Gunn
130 • Grandpa • [The Hub] • (1955) • novelette by James H. Schmitz
153 • Who? • (1955) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon (variant of Bulkhead)
187 • The Short Ones • (1955) • novelette by Raymond E. Banks
209 • Captive Market • (1955) • short story by Philip K. Dick
228 • Allamagoosa • (1955) • short story by Eric Frank Russell
243 • The Vanishing American • (1955) • short story by Charles Beaumont
254 • The Game of Rat and Dragon • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1955) • short story by Cordwainer Smith
270 • The Star • (1955) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
277 • Nobody Bothers Gus • [Gus] • (1955) • short story by Algis Budrys
292 • Delenda Est • [Time Patrol • 5] • (1955) • novelette by Poul Anderson
333 • Dreaming Is a Private Thing • (1955) • short story by Isaac Asimov

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories and Novels 1956 edited by T. E. Dikty and S-F: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy edited by Judith Merril

1956 Hugo Awards (for 1955 stories)

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories 18 (1956)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • Brightside Crossing • (1956) • novelette by Alan E. Nourse
35 • Clerical Error • (1956) • novelette by Mark Clifton
75 • Silent Brother • (1956) • short story by Algis Budrys
96 • The Country of the Kind • (1956) • short story by Damon Knight
111 • Exploration Team • [Colonial Survey] • (1956) • novelette by Murray Leinster
161 • Rite of Passage • (1956) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
203 • The Man Who Came Early • (1956) • novelette by Poul Anderson
230 • A Work of Art • (1956) • novelette by James Blish
248 • Horrer Howce • (1956) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
261 • Compounded Interest • (1956) • short story by Mack Reynolds
276 • The Doorstop • (1956) • short story by Reginald Bretnor
286 • The Last Question • [Multivac] • (1956) • short story by Isaac Asimov
300 • Stranger Station • (1956) • novelette by Damon Knight
327 • 2066: Election Day • (1956) • short story by Michael Shaara
344 • And Now the News … • (1956) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon

Compare to: SF: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy Second Annual Volume edited by Judith Merril

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories #19 (1957)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
15 • Strikebreaker • (1957) • short story by Isaac Asimov
33 • Omnilingual • [Federation • 1] • (1957) • novelette by H. Beam Piper
89 • The Mile-Long Spaceship • (1957) • short story by Kate Wilhelm
103 • Call Me Joe • (1957) • novelette by Poul Anderson
149 • You Know Willie • (1957) • short story by Theodore R. Cogswell
157 • Hunting Machine • (1957) • short story by Carol Emshwiller
167 • World of a Thousand Colors • (1957) • short story by Robert Silverberg
187 • Let’s Be Frank • (1957) • short story by Brian W. Aldiss
199 • The Cage • (1957) • short story by A. Bertram Chandler
215 • The Education of Tigress McCardle • (1957) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth (variant of The Education of Tigress Macardle)
229 • The Tunesmith • (1957) • novelette by Lloyd Biggle, Jr.
281 • A Loint of Paw • (1957) • short story by Isaac Asimov
285 • Game Preserve • (1957) • short story by Rog Phillips
305 • Soldier • (1957) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
335 • The Last Man Left in the Bar • (1957) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth

Compare to: The Best Science Fiction Stories and Novels Ninth Series edited by T. E. Dikty and SF:58: The Year’s Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Judith Merril

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories #20 (1958)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Last of the Deliverers • (1958) • short story by Poul Anderson
29 • The Feeling of Power • (1958) • short story by Isaac Asimov
41 • Poor Little Warrior! • (1958) • short story by Brian W. Aldiss
49 • The Iron Chancellor • (1958) • novelette by Robert Silverberg
77 • The Prize of Peril • (1958) • short story by Robert Sheckley
99 • Or All the Seas with Oysters • (1958) • short story by Avram Davidson
111 • Two Dooms • (1958) • novella by C. M. Kornbluth
167 • The Big Front Yard • (1958) • novella by Clifford D. Simak
229 • The Burning of the Brain • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1958) • short story by Cordwainer Smith
243 • The Yellow Pill • (1958) • short story by Rog Phillips
259 • Unhuman Sacrifice • (1958) • novelette by Katherine MacLean
297 • The Immortals • [Dr. Russell Pearce] • (1958) • novelette by James E. Gunn

Compare to: SF:59: The Year’s Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Judith Merril

1959 Hugo Awards (for 1958 stories)

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories #21 (1959)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
15 • Make a Prison • (1959) • short story by Lawrence Block
21 • The Wind People • (1959) • short story by Marion Zimmer Bradley
45 • No, No, Not Rogov! • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1959) • short story by Cordwainer Smith
69 • What Rough Beast? • (1959) • novelette by Damon Knight
101 • The Alley Man • (1959) • novella by Philip José Farmer
159 • Day at the Beach • (1959) • short story by Carol Emshwiller
173 • The Malted Milk Monster • (1959) • novelette by William Tenn
199 • The World of Heart’s Desire • (1959) • short story by Robert Sheckley (variant of The Store of the Worlds)
209 • The Man Who Lost the Sea • (1959) • short story by Theodore Sturgeon
225 • A Death in the House • (1959) • short story by Clifford D. Simak
251 • The Pi Man • (1959) • short story by Alfred Bester
273 • Multum in Parvo • (1959) • short story by Jack Sharkey
279 • What Now, Little Man? • (1959) • novelette by Mark Clifton
323 • Adrift on the Policy Level • (1959) • short story by Chan Davis [as by Chandler Davis]

Compare to: Fifth Annual of The Year’s Best SF edited by Judith Merril

1960 Hugo Awards (for 1959 stories)

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories #22 (1960)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
15 • Mariana • (1960) • short story by Fritz Leiber
23 • The Day the Icicle Works Closed • (1960) • novelette by Frederik Pohl
70 • The Fellow Who Married the Maxill Girl • (1960) • novelette by Ward Moore
108 • Mine Own Ways • (1960) • short story by Richard McKenna
132 • Make Mine Homogenized • (1960) • novelette by Rick Raphael
196 • The Lady Who Sailed The Soul • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1960) • novelette by Cordwainer Smith and Genevieve Linebarger(variant of The Lady Who Sailed the Soul) [as by Cordwainer Smith]
231 • I Remember Babylon • (1960) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
247 • Chief • (1960) • short story by Henry Slesar
250 • Mind Partner • (1960) • novelette by Christopher Anvil
297 • The Handler • (1960) • short story by Damon Knight
304 • The Voices of Time • (1960) • novelette by J. G. Ballard

Compare to: The Sixth Annual of The Year’s Best SF edited by Judith Merril

1961 Hugo Awards (for 1960 stories)

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories #23 (1961)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • The Highest Treason • (1961) • novella by Randall Garrett
75 • Hothouse • [Hothouse] • (1961) • novelette by Brian W. Aldiss
112 • Hiding Place • [Nicholas Van Rijn] • (1961) • novella by Poul Anderson
154 • What Is This Thing Called Love? • (1961) • short story by Isaac Asimov
168 • A Prize for Edie • (1961) • short story by J. F. Bone
174 • The Ship Who Sang • [The Ship Who …] • (1961) • novelette by Anne McCaffrey
195 • Death and the Senator • (1961) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
217 • The Quaker Cannon • (1961) • novelette by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth
243 • The Moon Moth • (1961) • novelette by Jack Vance
281 • A Planet Named Shayol • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1961) • novelette by Cordwainer Smith
320 • Rainbird • (1961) • short story by R. A. Lafferty
333 • Wall of Crystal, Eye of Night • (1961) • novelette by Algis Budrys
356 • Remember the Alamo! • (1961) • short story by T. R. Fehrenbach [as by R. R. Fehrenbach]

Compare to: The 7th Annual of The Year’s Best SF edited by Judith Merril

1962 Hugo Awards (for 1961 stories)

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories #24 (1962)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
15 • The Insane Ones • (1962) • short story by J. G. Ballard
29 • Christmas Treason • (1962) • novelette by James White
59 • Seven-Day Terror • (1962) • short story by R. A. Lafferty
69 • Kings Who Die • (1962) • novelette by Poul Anderson
109 • The Man Who Made Friends with Electricity • (1962) • short story by Fritz Leiber
121 • Hang Head, Vandal! • (1962) • short story by Mark Clifton
139 • The Weather Man • (1962) • novella by Theodore L. Thomas
185 • Earthlings Go Home! • (1962) • short story by Mack Reynolds
195 • The Streets of Ashkelon • (1962) • short story by Harry Harrison
215 • When You Care, When You Love • (1962) • novella by Theodore Sturgeon
267 • The Ballad of Lost C’mell • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1962) • novelette by Cordwainer Smith
295 • Gadget vs. Trend • (1962) • short story by Christopher Anvil
315 • Roofs of Silver • (1962) • novelette by Gordon R. Dickson

Compare to: The 8th Annual of the Year’s Best SF edited by Judith Merril

1963 Hugo Awards (for 1962 stories)

9 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories #25 (1963)) • essay by Martin H. Greenberg
13 • Fortress Ship • [Berserker (Fred Saberhagen)] • (1963) • short story by Fred Saberhagen
25 • Not in the Literature • (1963) • short story by Christopher Anvil
40 • The Totally Rich • (1963) • novelette by John Brunner
68 • No Truce With Kings • (1963) • novella by Poul Anderson
133 • New Folks’ Home • (1963) • novelette by Clifford D. Simak
160 • The Faces Outside • (1963) • short story by Bruce McAllister
170 • Hot Planet • (1963) • short story by Hal Clement
195 • The Pain Peddlers • (1963) • short story by Robert Silverberg
206 • Turn Off the Sky • (1963) • novelette by Ray Nelson
254 • They Don’t Make Life Like They Used To • (1963) • novelette by Alfred Bester
290 • Bernie the Faust • (1963) • novelette by William Tenn
319 • A Rose for Ecclesiastes • (1963) • novelette by Roger Zelazny
358 • If There Were No Benny Cemoli • (1963) • novelette by Philip K. Dick

Compare to: The 9th Annual Year’s Best SF edited by Judith Merril

1964 Hugo Awards (for 1963 stories)

13 • Foreword (The Great SF Stories: 1964) • essay by Robert Silverberg
15 • Introduction (The Great SF Stories: 1964) • essay by Robert Silverberg
19 • Outward Bound • (1964) • novelette by Norman Spinrad
47 • The Kragen • (1964) • novella by Jack Vance
103 • The Master Key • [Nicholas Van Rijn] • (1964) • novelette by Poul Anderson
135 • The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1964) • short story by Cordwainer Smith
151 • The Graveyard Heart • (1964) • novella by Roger Zelazny
201 • Purple Priestess of the Mad Moon • [Mars [2]] • (1964) • short story by Leigh Brackett
217 • The Last Lonely Man • (1964) • short story by John Brunner
231 • Soldier, Ask Not • [Childe Cycle] • (1964) • novella by Gordon R. Dickson
283 • A Man of the Renaissance • (1964) • novelette by Wyman Guin
319 • The Dowry of Angyar • [Hainish] • (1964) • short story by Ursula K. Le Guin
335 • When the Change-Winds Blow • (1964) • short story by Fritz Leiber
343 • The Fiend • (1964) • short story by Frederik Pohl
349 • The Life Hater • [Berserker (Fred Saberhagen)] • (1964) • short story by Fred Saberhagen
357 • Neighbor • (1964) • short story by Robert Silverberg
371 • Four Brands of Impossible • (1964) • novelette by Norman Kagan

Compare to: 10th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best SF edited by Judith Merril

1965 Hugo Awards (for 1964 stories)

Statistics on Popular Stories in Anthologies

Anthology & Collection References – Raw Count (SFADB)
Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections, Combined Editions

JWH

The Calculus of Collecting Science Fiction Short Stories

By James Wallace Harris, Sunday, October 2, 2016

My calculations all began when I wrote about the science fiction of 1966. Starting with ISFDB.org, and hyperlinking over to the World’s Best Science Fiction: 1967, (the 1967 volume covers stories from 1966), I researched each story on the internet. Reading about those stories made me want to read (or reread) the actual stories. So I checked ABEBooks.com for a copy World’s Best Science Fiction 1967. The cheapest edition was a paperback for $6.50, or $10 for a hardback without dust jacket (prices include shipping). Too much for me, considering their condition.

Here is the table of contents for World’s Best Science Fiction: 1967:

“We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick
“Light of Other Days” by Bob Shaw
“The Keys to December” by Roger Zelazny
“Nine Hundred Grandmothers” by R. A. Lafferty
“Bircher” by A. A. Walde
“Behold the Man” by Michael Moorcock
“Bumberboom” by Avram Davidson
“Day Million” by Frederik Pohl
“The Wings of a Bat” by Pauline Ashwell
“The Man from When” by Dannie Plachta
“Amen and Out” by Brian W. Aldiss
“For a Breath I Tarry” by Roger Zelazny

I remember owning this paperback back in the sixties as a teen, and I probably read it then. Only four of the stories have stuck in my memory though. Writing about 1966 made me want to seek a deeper understanding of that year. Yesterday, I read “The Keys of December” by Roger Zelazny. I was both impressed and moved. It’s a story about the ethics of geo-engineering a planet with emerging life. I don’t remember thinking about such topics when I was young, but I do now. I guess I wasn’t ready. I also loved how Zelazny told his story. It resonated with the genes that make me love science fiction.

Reading “The Keys of December” made me want to read more from World’s Best Science Fiction 1967. What’s driving my current interest in science fiction is akin to being a science fiction archaeologist. Every story is a clue to how we thought in 1966. Instead of reading science fiction to imagine the future, I’m reading science fiction to understand my past, and why we all grew up wanting and fearing the futures we do. Finding each story is like digging up another artifact. On some days I think having copies of all the science fiction magazines is the way to do my research. That’s possible with digitized pulps on the net. On other days, I think just collecting the annual best-of-the-year anthologies is all I need. Then I wonder if buying a couple dozen retrospective anthologies would provide all the historical evidence I should read.

Then it occurred to me to ask how many of these stories I already own. I found “The Keys of December,” “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale,” “Day Million,” and “Nine Hundred Grandmothers.” Four out of twelve is not bad.

That made me wonder about the mathematics of collecting short stories. How many anthologies would I need to buy to get all the stories I wanted to read from World’s Best Science Fiction: 1967? Would collecting retrospective anthologies be a better purchase than collecting annual anthologies – if my goal is to acquire all the very best science fiction short stories ever written? I’ve generally read novels. Now I’m thinking about the classics of short science fiction.

How many major annual anthologies have there been? If you start counting with The Great Science Fiction Stories Volume 1 (1939), edited by Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg, and assumed just one anthology a year, the minimum collection would be 77 volumes. (There are many years with several annual anthologies, especially 2016.) Let’s guestimate the average annual anthology has 15 stories, that would mean 1,155 stories. If I could find large retrospective anthologies with more than 25 stories per volume, I could cut down 77 to 46. The Big Book of Science Fiction edited by Jeff and And VanderMeer had over a hundred stories, two of which were from World’s Best Science Fiction: 1967. (“Nine Hundred Grandmothers” and “Day Million.”) I need just a dozen books that size.

So I went shopping on ABEbooks.com. I got “Light of Other Days,” and additional copies of “The Keys to December” and “Day Million” by ordering The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction edited by Robert Silverberg and Martin H. Greenberg ($4.20). The best way to get “Behold the Man” was by buying The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume III, edited by Arthur C. Clarke and George W. Proctor ($8.99). That got me three stories I mentioned in my essay from 1966 that wasn’t in the Wollheim/Carr annual. The cheapest way I found “For a Breath I Tarry” was by buying Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology, edited by Eric S. Rabkin ($3.48).

For $16.67 I got all the stories I wanted, plus several other great 1966 stories, and a huge number of SF stories from over the last two hundred years. Compared to spending $10 for the World’s Best Science Fiction: 1967 in hardback, $16.67 was a great bargain. I decided I didn’t need “Bircher,” “Bumberboom,” “The Wings of a Bat,” “Amen and Out,” and “The Man from When.” They aren’t often reprinted, and I’ve never heard of any of them since. Which suggests that not all stories in the annual collections are worth remembering. How many great shorter works are produced each year in science fiction? If we say 10, then that’s 900 stories since 1926. That’s not an impossibly large number to consume. Reading three a day, would let me finish in a year. Such a pursuit would be a fascinating education in science fiction evolution and history.

I’ve always believed the heart of science fiction is the short stories that appear in the science fiction magazines. That’s ninety years of stories. Theoretically, it would be possible to collect (especially with pulp scans on the internet) all those issues of Amazing Stories, Wonder Stories, Astounding Stories, Planet Stories, Unknown, F&SF, Galaxy, If, Analog, Fantastic, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and even read a good fraction. But that would also be more reading than I have time left in my life.

Then I wondered, would it be possible to collect all the annual anthologies and read them. Would reading the yearly best of the best be worth my time? The 77 volumes since 1939 is not a huge number of books. I wouldn’t want to read a steady diet of old science fiction, but I could finish that pile of 77 books in a decade.

Then I wondered about the mathematics of retrospective anthologies. I already own The Big Book of Science Fiction edited by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer. It has over one hundred stories. I could read it in a year. What if I read one large anthology a year that collects the best science fiction short stories ever written, how many years would it take before I felt I had read the greatest short works of the genre?

I’ve already read countless SF stories in my life, yet I don’t remember most of them. That’s because I consumed science fiction, like eating M&Ms. What if I studied science fiction like I used to study American and English literature in college? Could I create a taxonomy of science fictional themes? I’ve been reading science fiction long enough to see it evolve. For most readers, science fiction is merely entertainment. Exciting stories well told. But I’m starting to see that the science fiction writer has a unique job in society.

Their task is to speculate about possibilities that science has yet to thoroughly explore. Most of the time science squashes these speculations, but not always. Over the centuries many writers speculated about building flying machines. We don’t think airplanes are science fiction anymore because aircraft are mundane now. At one time, speculation about flying machines was science fiction. I wonder how many science fiction stories written fifty years ago have either been shot down by science, engineered into reality, or still a realistic speculation? I also wonder how many science fictional ideas we still want to come true? We’ve been wanting colonies on Mars for a very long time now. Ditto for intelligent robots. Will that change once we’ve been to Mars or lived with AI? What will science fiction writers write about once we’ve settled the galaxy?

That’s why I wonder about numbers. How many science fiction stories have been written? How many unique themes have been developed. How many variations on each theme have emerged? How long does an idea take to die once science has covered it’s territory?

Think about the story “A Rose for Ecclesiastes” by Roger Zelazny, first published in F&SF (Nov. 1963). It was one of the last great stories about life on Mars. On July 15, 1965, Mariner IV flew by Mars, and 21 grainy pictures of the red planet forever killed any hope of finding Barsoom. I remembered when that happened. I was so disappointed. Mars looked like the Moon. Yet, we still want to read stories about Mars like we imagined it before Mariner IV. People haven’t stopped reading The Martian Chronicles. Writers and publishers still put out books like Old Mars, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. Science fiction isn’t only about speculation, it’s also about the dreams we want to dream. When does science fiction become fantasy?

I wonder if I studied 19^th century science fiction thoroughly, and understood the hopes and fears of 19^th century people had for the 20^th century, would I better understand our hopes and fears for the 22nd century?

How many people will go to Mars if Elon Musk builds the rockets to take them to the red planet? Where did Elon Musk get his desire to go to Mars. Will there actually be a hundred people willing to go, even if they think they might die, or never return to Earth? It’s one thing to read science fiction, its another thing to actually live it. Is reading hundreds of old science fiction stories a way to understand why?

JWH