''Fifty Short Science Fiction Tales'' is an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of
science fiction short stories and poems edited by
Isaac Asimov
yi, יצחק אזימאװ
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
, spouse =
, relatives =
, children = 2
, death_date =
, death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
, nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
and
Groff Conklin. It was first published in paperback by
Collier Books in 1963 and reprinted in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, and 1978; a later reprint was issued by Scribner Paperback Fiction in August 1997. The book has been translated into Italian.
The book collects fifty short stories and two poems by various science fiction authors, together with two introductions, one by each editor. The pieces were previously published from 1941 to 1962 in various magazines, not only of science fiction.
Contents
*"Introduction No. 1" (
Isaac Asimov
yi, יצחק אזימאװ
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
, spouse =
, relatives =
, children = 2
, death_date =
, death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
, nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
)
*"Introduction No. 2" (
Groff Conklin)
Ballade of an Artificial Satellite (poem) (
Poul Anderson)
*"
The Fun They Had" (
Isaac Asimov
yi, יצחק אזימאװ
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
, spouse =
, relatives =
, children = 2
, death_date =
, death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
, nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
)
*"Men Are Different" (
Alan Bloch)
*"The Ambassadors" (
Anthony Boucher)
*"The Weapon" (
Fredric Brown)
*"Random Sample" (
T. P. Caravan)
*"Oscar" (
Cleve Cartmill
Cleve Cartmill (June 21, 1908 in Platteville, Wisconsin – February 11, 1964 in Orange County, California) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy short stories. He is best remembered for what is sometimes referred to as "the Cle ...
)
*"The Mist" (
Peter Cartur)
*"Teething Ring" (
James Causey)
*"The Haunted Space Suit" (
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.
He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...
)
*"Stair Trick" (
Mildred Clingerman
Mildred McElroy Clingerman (March 14, 1918 – February 26, 1997) was an American science fiction author.
Clingerman was born Mildred McElroy in Allen, Oklahoma, and her family moved to Tucson, Arizona, in 1929. She graduated from Tucson High Sc ...
)
*"Unwelcome Tenant" (
Roger Dee
Roger D. Aycock ( 6 December 1914 – 5 April 2004) was an American author who wrote under the pseudonym Roger Dee. He primarily wrote science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction ...
)
*"The Mathematicians" (
Arthur Feldman)
*"The Third Level" (
Jack Finney)
*"Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!" (
Stuart Friedman)
*"The Figure" (
Edward Grendon)
*"The Rag Thing" (
David Grinnell)
*"The Good Provider" (
Marion Gross)
*"
Columbus Was a Dope
"Columbus Was a Dope" is a science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. It was first published in the May 1947 issue of ''Startling Stories''. It later appeared in two of Heinlein's collections, ''The Menace from Earth'' (19 ...
" (
Robert A. Heinlein)
*"Texas Week" (
Albert Hernhuter)
*"Hilda" (
H. B. Hickey)
*"The Choice" (
W. Hilton-Young)
*"
Not With a Bang
''Not with a Bang'' was a short-lived British television sitcom produced by LWT for ITV in 1990. It ran for seven episodes, each 30 minutes long. The show was a dark science fiction comedy, focusing on the end of the human race on Earth. The ...
" (
Damon Knight)
*"The Altar at Midnight" (
C. M. Kornbluth
Cyril M. Kornbluth (July 2, 1923 – March 21, 1958) was an American science fiction author and a member of the Futurians. He used a variety of pen-names, including Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, W ...
)
*"A Bad Day for Sales" (
Fritz Leiber)
*"Who's Cribbing?" (
Jack Lewis)
*"Spectator Sport" (
John D. MacDonald
John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers.
MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...
)
*"The Cricket " (
Avro Manhattan)
*"Double-Take" (
Winston K. Marks)
*"Prolog" (
John P. McKnight)
*"The Available Data on the Worp Reaction" (
Lion Miller)
*"Narapoia" (
Alan Nelson)
*"Tiger by the Tail" (
Alan E. Nourse
Alan Edward Nourse (August 11, 1928 – July 19, 1992) was an American science fiction writer and physician. He wrote both juvenile and adult science fiction, as well as nonfiction works about medicine and science. His SF works sometimes focused ...
)
*"Counter Charm" (
Peter Phillips)
*"The Fly" (
Arthur Porges
Arthur Porges (; 20 August 1915 – 12 May 2006) was an American writer of numerous short stories, most notably during the 1950s and 1960s, though he continued to write and publish stories until his death.
Life
Arthur Porges was born in Chica ...
)
*"The Business, As Usual" (
Mack Reynolds)
*"Two Weeks in August" (
Frank M. Robinson
Frank Malcolm Robinson (August 9, 1926 – June 30, 2014) was an American science fiction and techno-thriller writer. He was a speechwriter for gay politician Harvey Milk and Milk's designated successor in the event of his death but decline ...
)
*"See?" (
Edward G. Robles, Jr.)
*"Appointment at Noon" (
Eric Frank Russell)
*"We Don't Want Any Trouble" (
James H. Schmitz
James Henry Schmitz (October 15, 1911 – April 18, 1981) was an American science fiction writer born in Hamburg, Germany of American parents.
Life
Schmitz was educated at a ''Realgymnasium'' in Hamburg, and grew up speaking both English ...
)
*"Built Down Logically" (
Howard Schoenfeld)
*"An Egg a Month from All Over" (
Idris Seabright)
*"The Perfect Woman" (
Robert Sheckley)
*"The Hunters" (
Walt Sheldon
Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include:
People Given name
* Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer
* Walt Be ...
)
*"The Martian and the Magician" (
Evelyn E. Smith)
*"Barney" (
Will Stanton)
*"Talent" (
Theodore Sturgeon)
*"Project Hush" (
William Tenn)
*"The Great Judge" (
A. E. van Vogt)
*"Emergency Landing" (
Ralph Williams)
*"Obviously Suicide" (
S. Fowler Wright
Sydney Fowler Wright (6 January 1874 – 25 February 1965) was a British editor, poet, science fiction author, writer of screenplays, mystery fiction and works in other genres, as well as being an accountant and a conservative political activis ...
)
*"Six Haiku" (poem) (
Karen Anderson)
References
{{Reflist
1963 anthologies
Science fiction anthologies
Isaac Asimov anthologies
Groff Conklin anthologies