Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Moved from Isaac Asimov Presents Great SF Stories 1939
Added DiffLines:
First published in 1979 by editors Creator/IsaacAsimov and Creator/MartinHGreenberg, under the title ''Isaac Asimov Presents the Great Science Fiction Stories, Volume 1 (1939)''. This GenreAnthology contains twenty ScienceFiction stories that were first published in 1939, ranging in length from ShortStory to {{Novelette}}. The introduction describes "the world outside reality" first, marking significant historical events, sports trivia, and literary publications. The "real world" is the science fiction and fantasy pop culture, the birth of what many in the 1970s were calling the Golden Age of Science Fiction.
----
!!Works in this anthology:
[[index]]
* "[[Literature/AdamLink I, Robot]]", by Creator/EandoBinder
* "Literature/TheStrangeFlightOfRichardClayton", by Creator/RobertBloch
* "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold
* "Literature/CloakOfAesir", by Creator/DonAStuart
* "Literature/TheDayIsDone", by Creator/LesterDelRey
* "Literature/TheUltimateCatalyst", by Creator/JohnTaine
* "Literature/TheGnarlyMan", by Creator/LSpragueDeCamp
* "Literature/BlackDestroyer", by Creator/AEVanVogt
* "Literature/GreaterThanGods", by Creator/CLMoore
* "{{Literature/Trends}}", by Creator/IsaacAsimov
* "Literature/TheBlueGiraffe", by Creator/LSpragueDeCamp
* "Literature/TheMisguidedHalo", by Creator/HenryKuttner
* "Literature/HeavyPlanet", by Creator/MiltonARothman
* "Literature/LifeLine", by Creator/RobertAHeinlein
* "Literature/EtherBreather", by Creator/TheodoreSturgeon
* "{{Literature/Pilgrimage}}", by Creator/NelsoSBond
* "{{Literature/Rust}}", by Creator/JosephEKelleam
* "Literature/TheFourSidedTriangle", by Creator/WilliamFTemple
* "Literature/StarBright", by Creator/JackWilliamson
* "{{Literature/Misfit}}", by Creator/RobertAHeinlein
[[/index]]
----
!!''Isaac Asimov Presents: Great Science Fiction Stories of 1939'' provides examples of:
* TheAgeless: In "Literature/CloakOfAesir", by Creator/DonAStuart, the Sarn Mother is an immortal from before the [[ApocalypseHow destruction of the Sarn homeworld]], six thousand years ago. While most Sarns [[LongLived live for hundreds of years]], she has lived ten times as long.
* AllJustADream: In "Literature/TheStrangeFlightOfRichardClayton", by Creator/RobertBloch, several times Clayton lands on {{UsefulNotes/Mars}}, only to die and realize that the ship hadn't landed yet. [[spoiler:Clayton didn't even leave Earth; the rocket's engines failed in a way that made it too dangerous to approach for a week and the constant shaking was driving Clayton insane.]]
* ApocalypseHow: In the background of "Literature/CloakOfAesir", by Creator/DonAStuart, the Sarn homeworld was destroyed in a cosmic catastrophe, causing the race to migrate to Earth, where they subjugated the human race into slavery.
* {{Biography}}: Each story is prefaced by a short description of why this story (from this author) was chosen to represent one of the twenty best stories of the year along with a paragraph from Creator/IsaacAsimov's perspective.
* {{Curse}}: In "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold, Greenberg annoys [[TheFairFolk a water gnome]], who punishes him by keeping water away from him.
* DatedHistory: "Literature/TheDayIsDone", by Creator/LesterDelRey, portrays the main character, a neanderthal, as hunched and with limited speaking ability. Later discoveries would show that their spines and hyoid bones would be the equivalent of a human.
* ExactWords: In "Literature/TheUltimateCatalyst", by Creator/JohnTaine, the scientist Doctor Beetle had told his daughter that chlorophyll couldn't be turned into haemoglobin. At the climax, he reveals that the reverse, haemoglobin to chlorophyll, is possible.
* ExplosiveInstrumentation: (DownplayedTrope) In "Literature/TheStrangeFlightOfRichardClayton", by Creator/RobertBloch, the instrument panel of ''Future'' was broken under the stress of launch. Without the instruments, Clayton doesn't have access to the radio, to the external cameras, or even to simple measuring devices, so for ten years he'll be unable to do anything more than eat, drink, and sleep.
* TheFairFolk: In "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold, Greenberg is fishing and caught a hat. Soon after, a gnome appears, a small man with large ears used to swim deftly in the water. His arms are crossed for dignity and feet are used to hold and manipulate things.
* HenpeckedHusband: In "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold, Greenberg is constantly harranged and berated by his wife, who bullies him into creating a dowry for their daughter rather than preparing her for becoming an old maid.
* ImpossibleTask: In "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold, Greenberg must find a way to deliver sugar that will not dissolve in water so that the [[TheFairFolk water gnome]] will remove his {{Curse}}. He figures out that cellophane will protect the sugar from dissolving and takes it to the gnome.
* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: Dr Asimov's name is used to sell this GenreAnthology, providing a bit of [[{{Biography}} commentary as a preface to each story]]. He left story selection and anthology introduction to the other editor, Creator/MartinHGreenberg.
* ICommaNoun: "[[Literature/AdamLink I, Robot]]", a ShortStory by Creator/EandoBinder, from the perspective of the robot Adam Link.
* LastOfHisKind: In "Literature/TheDayIsDone", by Creator/LesterDelRey, Hwoogh is the last known survivor of the neanderthal race. Two Cro-Magnon people still care for him, but the rest pity him at best, beat and attempt to murder him at worst. They steal the prey from his land, travel further, and talk incessantly.
* LongLived: In "Literature/CloakOfAesir", by Creator/DonAStuart, the alien Sarns live for hundreds of years, in contrast to humans barely living a century. One Sarn, however, is older than the rest. The [[{{Immortality}} immortal]] Sarn Mother has lived for [[TheAgeless over six thousand years]].
* TheNamesake: "Literature/TheDayIsDone", by Creator/LesterDelRey, is about the last Neanderthal Man. Hwoogh is the LastOfHisKind, and only two of the Cro-Magnon people even care as the day of Neanderthal Man is done.
* OneWordTitle:
** "{{Literature/Misfit}}", by Creator/RobertAHeinlein
** "{{Literature/Pilgrimage}}", by Creator/NelsoSBond
** "{{Literature/Rust}}", by Creator/JosephEKelleam
* PenName:
** "Literature/CloakOfAesir" is credited to Creator/DonAStuart, a persona used by Creator/JohnWCampbell for some of his ScienceFiction. This story was the last one Campbell credited to Don Stuart.
** "[[Literature/AdamLink I, Robot]]" is credited to Creator/EandoBinder, a name that means Earl Binder and Otto Binder.
** "Literature/TheUltimateCatalyst" is credited to Creator/JohnTaine because Creator/EricTempleBell never used his legal name for writing.
* ShoutOut: In the introduction, multiple works are mentioned as being first published or becoming hits in 1939:
** "Literature/TheBrokenAxiom" by Creator/AlfredBester
** Creator/MelBrooks is singled out as still using the name Melvin Kaminsky.
** ''Literature/CultureAndFreedom'' by Creator/JohnDewey
** ''Magazine/FamousFantasticMysteries''
** ''Magazine/FantasticAdventures''
** ''Magazine/FutureFiction''
** ''Literature/TheGrapesOfWrath'' by Creator/JohnSteinbeck
** "Literature/GreyLensman" by Creator/EEDocSmith
** "Music/HangOutTheWashingOnTheSiegfeidLine"
** "Music/TheLastTimeISawParis"
** "Literature/LestDarknessFall" by Creator/LSpragueDeCamp
** ''Literature/TheLongWeekend'' by Creator/RobertGraves
** ''Theatre/TheManWhoCameToDinner'' by Creator/GeorgeKaufman and Creator/MossHart
** "Literature/MaroonedOffVesta" by Creator/IsaacAsimov
** ''Literature/TheNewAdam'' by Creator/StanleyWeinbaum
** "Art/NightFishingAtAntibes" by Creator/Piccasso
** "Literature/OneAgainstTheLegion" by Creator/JackWilliamson
** ''Literature/TheOutsiderAndTheOthers'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
** ''Magazine/PlanetStories''
** "Music/RollOutTheBarrel"
** "Literature/SinisterBarrier" by Creator/EricFrankRussell
** ''Magazine/StartlingStories''
** ''Theatre/TheTimeOfYourLife'' by Creator/WilliamSaroyan
** "Literature/TwoSoughtAdventure" by Creator/FritzLeiber
** ''{{Magazine/Unknown}}''
** ''Music/ViolinConcerto'' by Creator/WilliamWalton
** ''Literature/WarWithTheNewts'' by Creator/KarelCapek
* Title1: The first volume in a long series by Creator/IsaacAsimov and Creator/MartinHGreenberg.
----
----
!!Works in this anthology:
[[index]]
* "[[Literature/AdamLink I, Robot]]", by Creator/EandoBinder
* "Literature/TheStrangeFlightOfRichardClayton", by Creator/RobertBloch
* "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold
* "Literature/CloakOfAesir", by Creator/DonAStuart
* "Literature/TheDayIsDone", by Creator/LesterDelRey
* "Literature/TheUltimateCatalyst", by Creator/JohnTaine
* "Literature/TheGnarlyMan", by Creator/LSpragueDeCamp
* "Literature/BlackDestroyer", by Creator/AEVanVogt
* "Literature/GreaterThanGods", by Creator/CLMoore
* "{{Literature/Trends}}", by Creator/IsaacAsimov
* "Literature/TheBlueGiraffe", by Creator/LSpragueDeCamp
* "Literature/TheMisguidedHalo", by Creator/HenryKuttner
* "Literature/HeavyPlanet", by Creator/MiltonARothman
* "Literature/LifeLine", by Creator/RobertAHeinlein
* "Literature/EtherBreather", by Creator/TheodoreSturgeon
* "{{Literature/Pilgrimage}}", by Creator/NelsoSBond
* "{{Literature/Rust}}", by Creator/JosephEKelleam
* "Literature/TheFourSidedTriangle", by Creator/WilliamFTemple
* "Literature/StarBright", by Creator/JackWilliamson
* "{{Literature/Misfit}}", by Creator/RobertAHeinlein
[[/index]]
----
!!''Isaac Asimov Presents: Great Science Fiction Stories of 1939'' provides examples of:
* TheAgeless: In "Literature/CloakOfAesir", by Creator/DonAStuart, the Sarn Mother is an immortal from before the [[ApocalypseHow destruction of the Sarn homeworld]], six thousand years ago. While most Sarns [[LongLived live for hundreds of years]], she has lived ten times as long.
* AllJustADream: In "Literature/TheStrangeFlightOfRichardClayton", by Creator/RobertBloch, several times Clayton lands on {{UsefulNotes/Mars}}, only to die and realize that the ship hadn't landed yet. [[spoiler:Clayton didn't even leave Earth; the rocket's engines failed in a way that made it too dangerous to approach for a week and the constant shaking was driving Clayton insane.]]
* ApocalypseHow: In the background of "Literature/CloakOfAesir", by Creator/DonAStuart, the Sarn homeworld was destroyed in a cosmic catastrophe, causing the race to migrate to Earth, where they subjugated the human race into slavery.
* {{Biography}}: Each story is prefaced by a short description of why this story (from this author) was chosen to represent one of the twenty best stories of the year along with a paragraph from Creator/IsaacAsimov's perspective.
* {{Curse}}: In "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold, Greenberg annoys [[TheFairFolk a water gnome]], who punishes him by keeping water away from him.
* DatedHistory: "Literature/TheDayIsDone", by Creator/LesterDelRey, portrays the main character, a neanderthal, as hunched and with limited speaking ability. Later discoveries would show that their spines and hyoid bones would be the equivalent of a human.
* ExactWords: In "Literature/TheUltimateCatalyst", by Creator/JohnTaine, the scientist Doctor Beetle had told his daughter that chlorophyll couldn't be turned into haemoglobin. At the climax, he reveals that the reverse, haemoglobin to chlorophyll, is possible.
* ExplosiveInstrumentation: (DownplayedTrope) In "Literature/TheStrangeFlightOfRichardClayton", by Creator/RobertBloch, the instrument panel of ''Future'' was broken under the stress of launch. Without the instruments, Clayton doesn't have access to the radio, to the external cameras, or even to simple measuring devices, so for ten years he'll be unable to do anything more than eat, drink, and sleep.
* TheFairFolk: In "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold, Greenberg is fishing and caught a hat. Soon after, a gnome appears, a small man with large ears used to swim deftly in the water. His arms are crossed for dignity and feet are used to hold and manipulate things.
* HenpeckedHusband: In "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold, Greenberg is constantly harranged and berated by his wife, who bullies him into creating a dowry for their daughter rather than preparing her for becoming an old maid.
* ImpossibleTask: In "Literature/TroubleWithWater", by Creator/HLGold, Greenberg must find a way to deliver sugar that will not dissolve in water so that the [[TheFairFolk water gnome]] will remove his {{Curse}}. He figures out that cellophane will protect the sugar from dissolving and takes it to the gnome.
* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: Dr Asimov's name is used to sell this GenreAnthology, providing a bit of [[{{Biography}} commentary as a preface to each story]]. He left story selection and anthology introduction to the other editor, Creator/MartinHGreenberg.
* ICommaNoun: "[[Literature/AdamLink I, Robot]]", a ShortStory by Creator/EandoBinder, from the perspective of the robot Adam Link.
* LastOfHisKind: In "Literature/TheDayIsDone", by Creator/LesterDelRey, Hwoogh is the last known survivor of the neanderthal race. Two Cro-Magnon people still care for him, but the rest pity him at best, beat and attempt to murder him at worst. They steal the prey from his land, travel further, and talk incessantly.
* LongLived: In "Literature/CloakOfAesir", by Creator/DonAStuart, the alien Sarns live for hundreds of years, in contrast to humans barely living a century. One Sarn, however, is older than the rest. The [[{{Immortality}} immortal]] Sarn Mother has lived for [[TheAgeless over six thousand years]].
* TheNamesake: "Literature/TheDayIsDone", by Creator/LesterDelRey, is about the last Neanderthal Man. Hwoogh is the LastOfHisKind, and only two of the Cro-Magnon people even care as the day of Neanderthal Man is done.
* OneWordTitle:
** "{{Literature/Misfit}}", by Creator/RobertAHeinlein
** "{{Literature/Pilgrimage}}", by Creator/NelsoSBond
** "{{Literature/Rust}}", by Creator/JosephEKelleam
* PenName:
** "Literature/CloakOfAesir" is credited to Creator/DonAStuart, a persona used by Creator/JohnWCampbell for some of his ScienceFiction. This story was the last one Campbell credited to Don Stuart.
** "[[Literature/AdamLink I, Robot]]" is credited to Creator/EandoBinder, a name that means Earl Binder and Otto Binder.
** "Literature/TheUltimateCatalyst" is credited to Creator/JohnTaine because Creator/EricTempleBell never used his legal name for writing.
* ShoutOut: In the introduction, multiple works are mentioned as being first published or becoming hits in 1939:
** "Literature/TheBrokenAxiom" by Creator/AlfredBester
** Creator/MelBrooks is singled out as still using the name Melvin Kaminsky.
** ''Literature/CultureAndFreedom'' by Creator/JohnDewey
** ''Magazine/FamousFantasticMysteries''
** ''Magazine/FantasticAdventures''
** ''Magazine/FutureFiction''
** ''Literature/TheGrapesOfWrath'' by Creator/JohnSteinbeck
** "Literature/GreyLensman" by Creator/EEDocSmith
** "Music/HangOutTheWashingOnTheSiegfeidLine"
** "Music/TheLastTimeISawParis"
** "Literature/LestDarknessFall" by Creator/LSpragueDeCamp
** ''Literature/TheLongWeekend'' by Creator/RobertGraves
** ''Theatre/TheManWhoCameToDinner'' by Creator/GeorgeKaufman and Creator/MossHart
** "Literature/MaroonedOffVesta" by Creator/IsaacAsimov
** ''Literature/TheNewAdam'' by Creator/StanleyWeinbaum
** "Art/NightFishingAtAntibes" by Creator/Piccasso
** "Literature/OneAgainstTheLegion" by Creator/JackWilliamson
** ''Literature/TheOutsiderAndTheOthers'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
** ''Magazine/PlanetStories''
** "Music/RollOutTheBarrel"
** "Literature/SinisterBarrier" by Creator/EricFrankRussell
** ''Magazine/StartlingStories''
** ''Theatre/TheTimeOfYourLife'' by Creator/WilliamSaroyan
** "Literature/TwoSoughtAdventure" by Creator/FritzLeiber
** ''{{Magazine/Unknown}}''
** ''Music/ViolinConcerto'' by Creator/WilliamWalton
** ''Literature/WarWithTheNewts'' by Creator/KarelCapek
* Title1: The first volume in a long series by Creator/IsaacAsimov and Creator/MartinHGreenberg.
----
