''The Best of Fredric Brown'' is a

collection Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collectio ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

short stories by American author Fredric Brown, edited 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 ...

. It was first published in hardback by Nelson Doubleday in January 1977 and in paperback by

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

in May of the same year as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction. The book has been translated into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and Spanish.

Summary

The book contains thirty-one short works of fiction by the author, together with an introduction by editor

*"Introduction" (

) *"

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

" (from ''

Astounding Science Fiction ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...

'', Jun. 1944) *"Imagine" (poem) (from ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...

'', May 1955) *"It Didn't Happen" (from ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'', Oct. 1963) *"Recessional" (from '' The Dude'', Mar. 1960) *"Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (with Carl Onspaugh) (from ''

'', Jun. 1965) *"Puppet Show" (from ''

'', Nov. 1962) *"Nightmare in Yellow" (from ''

Nightmares and Geezenstacks ''Nightmares and Geezenstacks'' is a short story collection consisting of 47 horror, science fiction and crime stories by American writer Fredric Brown. It was first published in 1961 by Bantam Books and most recently republished by Valancourt Boo ...

'', Jul. 1961) *"Earthmen Bearing Gifts" (from ''

Galaxy Magazine ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...

'', Jun. 1960) *"Jaycee" (from ''

'', Oct. 1958) *"Pi in the Sky" (from ''

Thrilling Wonder Stories ''Wonder Stories'' was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, ''Amazing Stor ...

'', Win. 1945) *"Answer" (from '' Angels and Spaceships'', Sep. 1954) *"The Geezenstacks" (from '' Weird Tales'', Sep. 1943) *"Hall of Mirrors" (from ''

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...

'', Dec. 1953) *" Knock" (from ''

'', Dec. 1948) *"Rebound" (from ''

'', Apr. 1960) *"Star Mouse" (from '' Planet Stories'', Spr. 1942) *"Abominable" (from '' The Dude'', Mar. 1960) *"Letter to a Phoenix" (from ''

'', Aug. 1949) *"Not Yet the End" (from ''

Captain Future Captain Future is a pulp science fiction hero — a space-traveling scientist and adventurer —originally published in his namesake pulp magazine from 1940 to 1944. The character was created by editors Mort Weisinger and Leo Margulies. The maj ...

'', Win. 1941) *"Etaoin Shrdlu" (from ''

Unknown Worlds ''Unknown'' (also known as ''Unknown Worlds'') was an American pulp fantasy fiction magazine, published from 1939 to 1943 by Street & Smith, and edited by John W. Campbell. ''Unknown'' was a companion to Street & Smith's science fiction pulp, '' ...

'', Feb. 1942) *"Armageddon" (from '' Unknown Fantasy Fiction'', Aug. 1941) *"Experiment" (from ''

'', Feb. 1954) *"The Short Happy Lives of Eustace Weaver I" (from '' Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', Jun. 1961) *"The Short Happy Lives of Eustace Weaver II" (from '' Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', Jun. 1961) *"The Short Happy Lives of Eustace Weaver III" (from '' Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', Jun. 1961) *"Reconciliation" (from '' Angels and Spaceships'', Sep. 1954) *"Nothing Sirius" (from ''

'', Spr. 1944) *"Pattern" (from '' Angels and Spaceships'', Sep. 1954) *"The Yehudi Principle" (from ''

'', May 1944) *"Come and Go Mad" (from '' Weird Tales'', Jul. 1949) *"The End" (from ''

Dude ''Dude'' is American slang for an individual, typically male. From the 1870s to the 1960s, dude primarily meant a male person who dressed in an extremely fashionable manner (a dandy) or a conspicuous citified person who was visiting a rural lo ...

'', May 1961)

Reception

The book was reviewed by

Everett F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" ...

in ''The Guide to Supernatural Fiction'', 1983, and Juan Manuel Santiago in ''Las 100 mejores novelas de ciencia ficción del siglo XX'', 2001.

Awards

The book placed fourteenth in the 1977 Locus Poll Award for Best Single Author Collection. "Star Mouse" was nominated for the 1943 Retro Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 2018. "Etaoin Shrdlu" was nominated for the 1943 Retro Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2018. "The Geezenstacks" was nominated for the 1944 Retro Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2019. "Arena" was nominated for the 1945 Retro Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 2020. "The Yehudi Principle" was nominated for the 1945 Retro Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2020. "Pi in the Sky" was nominated for the 1946 Retro Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 1996.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best of Fredric Brown, The 1977 short story collections Science fiction short story collections Doubleday (publisher) books

Summary

Contents

Reception

Awards

Notes