The Best of Frederik Pohl [Mass Market Paperback]

Frederik Pohl (Author), Lester Del Rey (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 1975

Best short fiction by one of science fiction's Grand Masters. Includes essays by Pohl and Lester del Rey, plus the following stories: The Day the Icicle Works Closed (1960); Day Million (1966); The Midas Plague (1954); The Tunnel Under the World (1955); Grandy Devil (1955); The Hated (1958); We Never Mention Aunt Nora (1958); The Martian in the Attic (1960); The Census Takers (1956); The Children of Night (1964); The Day After the Day the Martians Came (1967); Father of the Stars (1964); Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus (1956); Punch (1961); The Richest Man in Levittown (1959); The Snowmen (1959); Speed Trap (1967); Three Portraits and a Prayer (1962); How to Count on Your Fingers (1956) (essay) by Frederik Pohl.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 363 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Del Rey; 1st edition (May 12, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345245075
• ISBN-13: 978-0345245076
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,391,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent stories, August 17, 2008

By 

bujoldfan "bujoldfan" (USA) - See all my reviews

The Best of Frederik Pohl, which came out in 1975, was issued in hardcover by the Science Fiction Book Club under their Nelson Doubleday imprint, then in mass paperback by Ballantine. I have been collecting the SFBC/Ballantine series for years, and every volume has been a gem.

This book collects 19 of Pohl's best stories, as judged in 1975. Astonishingly, he is still writing today, but if this book were issued today it would still include most if not all of these stories. They are that good (and, Pohl mostly writes at novel length these days).

Contents:
Introduction, "A Variety of Excellence," by Lester del Rey
Stories by Pohl:
The Tunnel Under the World
Punch
Three Portraits and a Prayer
Day Million
Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus
We Never Mention Aunt Nora
Father of the Stars
The Day the Martians Came
The Midas Plague
The Snowmen
How to Count on Your Fingers
Grandy Devil
Speed Trap
The Richest Man in Levittown
The Day the Icicle Works Closed
The Hated
The Martian in the Attic
The Census Takers
The Children of the Night

Afterword: What the Author Has to Say about All This, by Frederik Pohl

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to a classic SF writer, May 25, 2001

By 

M. Konczewski (Havertown, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of Frederik Pohl (Hardcover)

Due to Pohl's other careers as both a literary agent and a SF magazine editor, Pohl didn't achieve the same amount of output as his contemporaries Asimov, Heinlein, and Clarke. This is our loss, since Pohl really excelled in the short form (not that he is any slouch at novel length). This "best of" collection is an excellent starter for anyone unfamiliar with Pohl's short stories. There's not a clinker in the bunch.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great quick fun stories, December 10, 2011

By 

J. Nagy (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best of Frederik Pohl (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm having a blast reading through the stories in this book. If you're looking for quick and easy to read sci-fi stories then this is THE book. Right now I don't have the time to delve into a full novel, so these short stories are perfect.