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

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

Review
"Not for years has there appeared a collection of stories so remarkable, so proffoundly enjoyable, so full of that marvelous 'remember when' quality."

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

Review
"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


Book Description
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, contains stories by such great masters of the form and includes the following authors:

Isaac Asimov
Alfred Bester
Jerome Bixby
James Blish
Anthony Boucher
Ray Bradbury
Fredric Brown
John W. Campbell
Arthur C. Clarke
Lester del Rey
Tom Godwin
Robert A. Heinlein
Daniel Keyes
Damon Knight
C.M. Kornbluth
Fritz Leiber
Murray Leinster
Richard Matheson
Judith Merril
Lewis Padgett
Clifford D. Simak
Cordwainer Smith
Theodore Sturgeon
A.E. van Vogt
Stanley G. Weinbaum
Roger Zelazny


About the Author
Robert Silverberg is a past president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, has published stories in all of the major science fiction magazines, written numerous science fiction novels, and is considered one of the greatest authors in the field. He is an award-winning author and has edited the New York Times bestselling anthology Legends.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The definitive collection of the best in science fiction stories between 1929 and 1964 The book you now hold 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 of 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, imagines 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 I, 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 science fiction fans everywhere. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume I, contains stories by the great masters of the form, including the following authors: Isaac Asimov Alfred Bester Jerome Bixby James Blish Anthony Boucher Ray Bradbury Fredric Brown John W. Campbell, Jr. Arthur C. Clarke Lester del Rey Tom Godwin Robert A. Heinlein Daniel Keyes Damon Knight C. M. Kornbluth Fritz Leiber Murray Leinster Richard Matheson Judith Merril Lewis Padgett Clifford D. Simak Cordwainer Smith Theodore Sturgeon A. E. van Vogt Stanley G. Weinbaum Roger Zelazny

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964, edited by Robert Silverberg, features 26 stories selected as the best of their era by members of the SFWA. It's an all-star roster, including such greats as Stanley G. Weinbaum, John W. Campbell, Fritz Leiber, Richard Matheson, Arthur C. Clarke and Roger Zelazny. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal