The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1: 1929-1964 [Paperback]

Robert Silverberg (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: January 13, 2005

The definitive collection of the best in science fiction stories between 1929-1964.

This book contains twenty-six of the greatest science fiction stories ever written. They represent the considered verdict of the Science Fiction Writers of America, those who have shaped the genre and who know, more intimately than anyone else, what the criteria for excellence in the field should be. The authors chosen for The Science Fiction Hall Fame are the men and women who have shaped the body and heart of modern science fiction; their brilliantly imaginative creations continue to inspire and astound new generations of writers and fans.

Robert Heinlein in "The Roads Must Roll" describes an industrial civilization of the future caught up in the deadly flaws of its own complexity. "Country of the Kind," by Damon Knight, is a frightening portrayal of biological mutation. "Nightfall," by Isaac Asimov, one of the greatest stories in the science fiction field, is the story of a planet where the sun sets only once every millennium and is a chilling study in mass psychology.

Originally published in 1970 to honor those writers and their stories that had come before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall Of Fame, Volume One, was the book that introduced tens of thousands of young readers to the wonders of science fiction. Too long unavailable, this new edition will treasured by all science fiction fans everywhere.

The Science Fiction Hall Of Fame, Volume One, includes the following stories:

Introduction by Robert Silverberg
"A Martian Odyssey" by Stanley G. Weinbaum
"Twilight" by John W. Campbell
"Helen O'Loy" by Lester del Rey
"The Roads Must Roll" by Robert A. Heinlein
"Microcosmic God" by Theodore Sturgeon
"Nightfall" by Isaac Asimov
"The Weapon Shop" by A. E. van Vogt
"Mimsy Were the Borogoves" by Lewis Padgett
"Huddling Place" by Clifford D. Simak
"Arena" by Frederic Brown
"First Contact" by Murray Leinster
"That Only a Mother" by Judith Merril
"Scanners Live in Vain" by Cordwainer Smith
"Mars is Heaven!" by Ray Bradbury
"The Little Black Bag" by C. M. Kornbluth
"Born of Man and Woman" by Richard Matheson
"Coming Attraction" by Fritz Leiber
"The Quest for Saint Aquin" by Anthony Boucher
"Surface Tension" by James Blish
"The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke
"It's a Good Life" by Jerome Bixby
"The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin
"Fondly Fahrenheit" by Alfred Bester
"The Country of the Kind," Damon Knight
"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
"A Rose for Ecclesiastes" by Roger Zelazny

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you own only one anthology of classic science fiction, it should be The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964. Selected by a vote of the membership of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA), these 26 reprints represent the best, most important, and most influential stories and authors in the field. The contributors are a Who's Who of classic SF, with every Golden Age giant included: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, John W. Campbell, Robert A. Heinlein, Fritz Leiber, Cordwainer Smith, Theodore Sturgeon, and Roger Zelazny. Other contributors are less well known outside the core SF readership. Three of the contributors are famous for one story--but what stories!--Tom Godwin's pivotal hard-SF tale, "The Cold Equations"; Jerome Bixby's "It's a Good Life" (made only more infamous by the chilling Twilight Zone adaptation); and Daniel Keyes's "Flowers for Algernon" (brought to mainstream fame by the movie adaptation, Charly).

The collection has some minor but frustrating flaws. There are no contributor biographies, which is bad enough when the author is a giant; but it's especially sad for contributors who have become unjustly obscure. Each story's original publication date is in small print at the bottom of the first page. And neither this fine print nor the copyright page identifies the magazines in which the stories first appeared.

Prefaced by editor Robert Silverberg's introduction, which describes SFWA and details the selection process, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964 is a wonderful book for the budding SF fan. Experienced SF readers should compare the table of contents to their library before making a purchase decision. Fans who contemplate giving this book to non-SF readers should bear in mind that, while several of the collected stories can measure up to classic mainstream literary stories, the less literarily-acceptable stories are weighted toward the front of the collection; adult mainstream-literature fans may not get very far into The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964. --Cynthia Ward --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A basic one-volume library of the short science fiction story."--Kirkus on The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One

"Quibbling about the choice of the prize winners would be like arguing with the pros who vote on the Academy Awards."--Publishers Weekly on The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One

"The first definitive modern anthology of top science fiction stories."--Newark Sunday News on The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One

"Libraries can toss out worn collections of partly good/partly poor and buy this volume of the creme de la creme."--Library Journal on The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One

"Not for years has there appeared a collection of stories so remarkable, so profoundly enjoyable, so full of that marvelous 'remember when' quality, and, for the absolute beginner, so rewarding and informative a reading experience."--Theodore Sturgeon in the National Review on The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One

"A basic one-volume library of the short science fiction story." (Kirkus )

"Quibbling about the choice of the prize winners would be like arguing with the pros who vote on the Academy Awards." (Publishers Weekly )

"The first definitive modern anthology of top science fiction stories." (Newark Sunday News )

"Libraries can toss out worn collections of partly good/partly poor and buy this volume of the creme de la creme." (Library Journal )

"Not for years has there appeared a collection of stories so remarkable, so profoundly enjoyable, so full of that marvelous 'remember when' quality." (Theodore Sturgeon National Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Orb Books; Reprint edition (January 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780765305374
• ISBN-13: 978-0765305374
• ASIN: 0765305372
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

114 of 116 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for your permanent collection August 26, 2006

By Ken

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The stories in this book were voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America as the best short science fiction written between 1929 and 1964 and every one is a gem. Some of these stories are reasonably well known and often reprinted, but most of them are difficult to find anywhere else, making this an essential collection for a true fan of the genre. In response to an earlier request for a list of its contents, here are the story titles and authors. I was going to indulge myself by placing an asterisk next to my personal favorites, but I found myself marking almost all of them. The collection is that good.

A Martian Odyssey -- Stanley G. Weinbaum

Twilight -- John W. Campbell

Helen O'Loy -- Lester del Rey

The Roads Must Roll -- Robert A. Heinlein

Microcosmic God -- Theodore Sturgeon

Nightfall -- Isaac Asimov

The Weapon Shop -- A. E. van Vogt

Mimsy Were the Borogoves -- Lewis Padgett

Huddling Place -- Clifford D. Simak

Arena -- Fredric Brown

First Contact -- Murray Leinster

That Only a Mother -- Judith Merril

Scanners Live in Vain -- Cordwainer Smith

Mars is Heaven -- Ray Bradbury

The Little Black Bag -- C. M. Kornbluth

Born of Man and Woman -- Richard Matheson

Coming Attraction -- Fritz Leiber

The Quest for Saint Aquin -- Anthony Boucher

Surface Tension -- James Blish

The Nine Billion Names of God -- Arthur C. Clarke

It's a Good Life -- Jerome Bixby

The Cold Equations -- Tom Godwin

Fondly Fahrenheit -- Alfred Bester

The Country of the Kind -- Damon Knight

Flowers for Algernon -- Daniel Keyes

A Rose for Ecclesiastes -- Roger Zelazny

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Many fine stories from Grandmasters of Science Fiction. April 7, 2005

By D. Knouse

Format:Paperback

I picked this collection up on a whim at my local used book store, mostly to get an idea of which other Sci-fi writers I might be interested in collecting from. This collection turned out to be a goldmine of Science Fiction. In fact, this is one of the only books I will not lend out to friends; and I own an old, ratty-looking paperback Copyright 1970! There are many great stories here, but there are a few I must mention as bona-fide masterpieces. "Microcosmic God" by Theodore Sturgeon is fantastic; the plotting for this story reminded me of the 1995 cable pilot episode for the film "The Outer Limits: Sandkings." Even the creators of South Park use similar ideas in one of their episodes. This collection also contains the sparkling jewel "Nightfall" from Issac Asimov. "Surface Tension" from James Blish is superb in every way. "The Nine Billion Names of God" finds Arthur C. Clarke is fine form. "The Cold Equations" from Tom Godwin is arguably the most intense and sad of all the stories here, packing an emotional wallop not ordinarily seen in Sci-fi. And of course, "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. I believe that last one is my favorite here, showing a retarded man's ascension to genius, 'childhood' to a wise and intellectual human being. This story was later expanded into a novel which, in fact, I am reading right now. However, I prefer the original short story version, if only slightly. There are so many stories here ranging from good to marvellous that I simply had to write a review praising this incredible collection. This book is easy to recommend.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Some great memories February 14, 2007

By Jonathan Tu

Format:Paperback

The old purple and blue version of this book - the purple was on the edge of the pages, the way some older books have velvety green sides - was my first introduction to the Golden Age of science fiction. The inventiveness and the creative audacity of these stories was always enough to overcome what I felt would have been a cripplingly antiquated "Gee golly" 1950s vernacular... except that the writing almost never has that black and white Leave it to Beaver sitcomish feel that, for some reason, was always attached to the Golden Age in my mind. Stylistically the collection is all over the place. The Connecticut Yankee anachronism of Roger Zelazny in "Lord of Light" is nowhere to be found in "A Rose for Ecclesiastices". Clarke's famous "The Nine Billion Names of God" isn't even a science fiction story until, basically, the last sentence. And describing anything written by Cordwainer Smith with "genre", "usual" or even "describable" is not applicable. I love this collection and, impossibly, every story in it - though some more than others.

I won't dwell on the weakest. Instead I'll highlight what I consider to be the best:

Sturgeon's "Microcosmic God" has the creepy, jealousy tinged atmosphere of nerds watching another nerd who is better at being a nerd than anyone else. This is what I would've been doing with my adolescent years if only mind and matter would've allowed, so reading it brings the distinct pleasure of reliving childhood fantasies. I'm also pretty sure it's the inspiration for a Simpsons Halloween episode involving Lisa and her tooth, which became a South Park nod to both the story and the Simpsons.

Asimov's "Nightfall" is rightly considered one of the best science fiction short stories ever. I've read the longer form and this is superior in pretty much every way: it's already one of the longer stories in this collection but it still benefits from the shorter form with its building stress and, yes, horror during the final pages. Many would disagree but I think "Nightfall" is one of the least creative stories in the collection in terms of sheer inventiveness. Despite that it's still incredible.

Cordwainer Smith is just amazing. As prosaic as that sounds it's about all I can say. "Scanners Live in Vain" is one of the weirdest stories in the collection and it might arguably be one of Smith's most "mundane". Reading a Smith story is like opening the pages of the Book of Revelations as interpreted by the grandson of cartoonist Gary Larson, the painter Francis Bacon, a very wise female clown and Joan of Arc - and you're on acid. This is all an endorsement, by the way.

James Blish's "Surface Tension" is as good an "adventure" story as you'll find here. It's got a fairly linear plot and isn't hard to follow. It isn't simplistic, per se, but it hasn't got the style of some of the other pieces in this collection. It's one of my sentimental favorites, though, for its ability to impart - at least somewhat - a finer sense of proportion than pretty much any description of the vastness of the universe, including Doug Adams'.

And, finally, my absolutely favorite: "Mimsy Were the Borogroves". I'm not doing to describe it. I'm going to simply agree with another commentator that purchasing this book is worth it if only for this one story.