Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology

I wanted to have a collection of what is considered "best of" in sci-fi literature and this anthology offers exactly that: it is a collection of sci-fi short stories ranging from the 17th century (with extracts from classics, like Gulliver's Travels or Frankenstein) until the modern times (1960s). As the name itself suggests, this is a historical anthology. So its aim is to present just a few classic samples of sci-fi literature through time. Don't buy this book if you're more interested in reading modern sci-fi stories, since the "modern period" section features just four stories (written in the 1960s); the other sections feature four to six short stories each, starting with the 17th century, and then exploring the nineteenth century, the early twentieth century and the "golden years" of sci-fi (1940s to 1960s). The anthology begins with a general introduction as well as a short intro before each time period, explaining the different influences the authors underwent and the prevalent trends of the society they lived in (technological advances, social changes, and so on). It also features a short paragraph just before each story as a quick presentation of the subject-matter it deals with. All in all, I found this a comprehensive historical collection of sci-fi short stories, and a very useful read for someone who is interested in having a taste of some typical examples of this genre through time.

It's generally known to those that read science fiction that there are two awards called the Hugo and Nebula Awards given per year to the best sf novels and stories for that year. Historically these awards go back to 1965 for the Nebula and to the 50's for the Hugo. That means for someone trying to catch up on sf, there are decades of works to read through, which can be overwhelming, and personally some of it has not held up to well with the passage of time. Awards may have been given due to political or cultural events of that year. And to catch up on these works, one has to read through such books as Nebula Award Winners for year xx or Compilation of the Best of the Best Hugo Award Winners, etc. What this anthology does is go back and include stories that perhaps should have won and is the best compilation I have seen out there. Many of the stories from the later half of the anthology are not dated (mostly) and are as relevant today as when written. Personally I groaned when I saw the inclusion of stories going back to 1657 and I got the book for the later, more modern half, but I perused the earlier stories and could appreciate them as the early beginnings of science fiction. My knowledge of science fiction before the start of the Hugo and Nebula awards is a bit sketchy and without a guide and limited time I haven't had a chance to locate some of the best. This book does that. The editor has done an excellent job and the footwork to put together great stories from 1911 up to the 50's and past. He's included stories from the giants in the field and one can read how they became famous. Stories from the household names of Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein are included as well as stories from authors that contributed heavily and significantly to the field: Clifford D. Simak, Robert Zelazny, Robert Ellison, Frederick Pohl, Ursula K. LeGuin and works from other authors I didn't appreciate but wrote good stories. Included as well is the classic original novelette version of Flowers for Algernon. The later expanded novel version is better, but the shorter novelette allows one to appreciate this absolute classic. The Hugo awards are named after an early pulp magazine editor called Hugo Gernsback. For a long time it was bizarre to me to see such a prestigious award named after someone I hadn't heard of before. Apparently his role in early science fiction is significant and he wrote himself. And in his included story from 1911 he "invents" radar 30 years before it became reality because he needs it for his story line. Heinlein's story "All You Zombies --" must be the ultimate in time travel paradoxes and I'm amazed (and a little incensed) I've never heard of it before. The only thing I can say against the book is that the last story is from 1971 while the anthology was compiled in 1983. I suppose this could be purposeful in that the editor wants to include stories that survive the passage of time and mor

I have been checking out various Science Fiction anthologies looking for something to use in a college course, and I ended up selecting this historical anthology edited by Eric S. Rabkin. My initial reason for selecting this collection was that it included both a short story by Harlan Ellison, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," and the Daniel Keyes classic, "Flowers for Algernon." But the more I looked over this book the more I was impressed. There are excerpts from "Gulliver's Travels," "Frankenstein," and "Looking Backward," which serve to give readers an idea of the roots of science fiction. There are also stories by acknowledged masters in the field from H. G. Wells and Isaac Asimov to Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein. Granted, these are not the best short stories by these writers, but at least they are all together in one volume. Finally, Rabkin includes short introductory essays to each part that explains what people were writing about in the field of science fiction and explores some of the reasons why they were doing so. Consequently, I will be using "Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology" to provide the basic framework for the class, supplemented by some classic novels ("A Handmaid's Tale," "Red Mars," "Stranger in a Strange Land," "Dune," and "Neuromancer," this year at least).One of the problems in making my decision is that you cannot always find out exactly what is included in a given anthology. To rectify that problem in this case, here is what you will find in "Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology":Part 1: The Emergence of Modern Science. Cyrano de Bergerac, from "Other Worlds" (1657); Jonathan Swift, from "Gulliver's Travels" (1726); Francois Marie Arouet (Voltaire), "Micromegas" (1752).Part 2: Nineteenth Century. E. T. A. Hoffmann, "The Sand-Man" (1816); Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, from "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus" (1818); Edgar Allan Poe, "A Descent into the Maelstrom" (1841) and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" (1845); Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Rappaccini's Daughter" (1844); Edward Bellamy, from "Looking Backwards '2000-1887'" (1888); Jack London, "A Curious Fragment" (1908).Part 3: Early Twentieth Century: H. G. Wells, "The Star" (1899); Hugo Gernsback, from "Ralph 124C 41+" (1911); Abraham Merritt, "The Last Poet and the Robots" (1934); John W. Campbell, "Twilight" (1934); Olaf Stapledon, from "Star Maker" (1937).Part 4: The Golden Years (1940-1955). Isaac Asimov, "Reason (1941); Clifford D. Simak, "Desertion" (1944); Ray Bradbury, "The City" (1950); Jack Finney, "The Third Level" (1952); Arthur C. Clarke, "The Star" (1955); Daniel Keyes, "Flowers for Algernon" (1959); Robert A. Heinlein, "All You Zombies--" (1960); Frederick Pohl, "Earth Eighteen" (1966).Part 5: The Modern Period. Roger Zelazny, "For a Breath I Tarry (1966); Harlan Ellison, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" (1967); Robert Sheckly, "Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?" (1969); Ursula K. Le Guin, "Vaster Than Empires and M

This anthology inculdes many of the science-fiction "greats," and even some authors who may not usually be lumped in the SF genre. Authors range from Voltaire, Mary Shelley, Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Jack London to the more recent writers like H.G. Wells, Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, Zelazny, and Le Guin. A lot of really excellent stories; well worth the price. Educational as well as entertaining.