''Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 1 (1939)'' is an American collection of short stories, 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

Martin H. Greenberg Martin Harry Greenberg (March 1, 1941 – June 25, 2011) was an American academic and anthologist in many genres, including mysteries and horror, but especially in speculative fiction. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned ov ...

, originally published by DAW books in March 1979. It contains science fiction stories selected by the editors that were published in the year 1939. The book is part of a 25 volume series. Each successive volume in the series contains stories from the next year, continuing through 1963. The series starts with 1939 because Asimov had previously published a three volume anthology series titled, "Before the Golden Age", covering years 1931 - 1938, which he considered to be definitive for those years. According to DAW, The Great SF Stories 1 (1939) "is the first in what Isaac Asimov plans to be a definitive series of sf anthologies, covering year by year the truly memorable stories that have progressively brought science fiction to its present prominence". The second volume of the series is '' Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 2 (1940)''. Each volume in the series begins with a two part introduction that describes the important events of 1939 "in the world outside reality" (normal historical events) and "in the real world" (event within the science fiction community). Each stories also features a short introduction by each editor.

* "

I, Robot ''I, Robot'' is a fixup (compilation) novel of science fiction short stories or essays by American writer Isaac Asimov. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines ''Super Science Stories'' and ''Astounding Science Fiction'' betw ...

" by

Eando Binder Eando Binder is a pen name used by two mid-20th-century science fiction authors, Earl Andrew Binder (1904–1965) and his brother Otto Binder (1911–1974). The name is derived from their first initials ''(E and O Binder).'' Under the Eando nam ...

* "The Strange Flight of Richard Clayton" by

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

* "Trouble With Water" by Horace L. Gold * "

Cloak of Aesir ''Cloak of Aesir'' is a collection of science fiction stories by American writer John W. Campbell, Jr. It was published in 1952 by Shasta Publishers Shasta Publishers was a science fiction and fantasy small press specialty publishing house fou ...

" by Don A. Stuart * " The Day is Done" by

Lester del Rey Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science ...

* "The Ultimate Catalyst" by

John Taine Eric Temple Bell (7 February 1883 – 21 December 1960) was a Scottish-born mathematician and science fiction writer who lived in the United States for most of his life. He published non-fiction using his given name and fiction as John Tai ...

* " The Gnarly Man" by

L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...

* "

Black Destroyer "Black Destroyer" is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in ''Astounding magazine, Astounding SF'' in July 1939. It has been marked as the story that represents the start of the Golden Age of ...

" by Alfred E. van Vogt * "Greater Than Gods" by Catherine L. Moore * " Trends" by

* " The Blue Giraffe" by L. Sprague De Camp * "The Misguided Halo" by

Henry Kuttner Henry Kuttner (April 7, 1915 – February 3, 1958) was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Early life Henry Kuttner was born in Los Angeles, California in 1915. Kuttner (1829–1903) and Amelia Bush (c. 1834–1911), the ...

* "Heavy Planet" by

Milton A. Rothman Milton A. Rothman (November 30, 1919 – October 6, 2001) was a United States nuclear physicist and college professor. He was also an active science fiction fan and a co-founder of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. An occasional aut ...

* "

Life-Line "Life-Line" is a short story by American author Robert A. Heinlein. Published in the August 1939 edition of ''Astounding'', it was Heinlein's first published short story. The protagonist, Professor Hugo Pinero, builds a machine that will predict ...

" by

Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

* "Ether Breather" by

Theodore Sturgeon Theodore Sturgeon (; born Edward Hamilton Waldo, February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American fiction author of primarily fantasy, science fiction and horror, as well as a critic. He wrote approximately 400 reviews and more than 120 sh ...

* "Pilgrimage" by Nelson Bond * "Rust" by Joseph E. Kelleam * "The Four-Sided Triangle" by

William F. Temple William Frederick Temple (9 March 1914 – 15 July 1989) was a British science fiction writer, best known for authoring the novel-turned-film '' Four Sided Triangle''. Early life and career Temple was born in Woolwich in 1914.Mike Ashley, "Intr ...

* "Star Bright" by

Jack Williamson John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006), who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American list of science fiction authors, science fiction writer, often called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of t ...

* " Misfit" by Robert A. Heinlein

Reception

Writing for ''

Strange Horizons ''Strange Horizons'' is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and nonfiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables. History and profile It was launched in September 2000, and ...

'' in 2010, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro described the series as essential read for modern SF fans, stating that "if we wish to fully understand today's work, we need to be at least somewhat familiar with its ancestry." He goes on to review the various stories individually, discussing how they have aged and their value to the modern reader. ''AsimovReviews.net'' describes this volume as "an excellent volume in an excellent series."Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 1, 1939
at ''AsimovReviews.net''

References

01 DAW Books books 1979 anthologies Martin H. Greenberg anthologies {{1930s-sf-story-collection-stub

Contents

Reception

References