Literature / Isaac Asimov Presents: Great Science Fiction Stories of 1939

First published in 1979 by editors Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg, under the title Isaac Asimov Presents the Great Science Fiction Stories, Volume 1 (1939). This Genre Anthology contains twenty Science Fiction stories that were first published in 1939, ranging in length from Short Story 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.

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Works in this anthology:

• "I, Robot", by Eando Binder
• "The Strange Flight Of Richard Clayton", by Robert Bloch
• "Trouble With Water", by HL Gold
• "Cloak Of Aesir", by Don A. Stuart
• "The Day Is Done", by Lester del Rey
• "The Ultimate Catalyst", by John Taine
• "The Gnarly Man", by L. Sprague de Camp
• "Black Destroyer", by A.E. van Vogt
• "Greater Than Gods", by C. L. Moore
• "Trends", by Isaac Asimov
• "The Blue Giraffe", by L. Sprague de Camp
• "The Misguided Halo", by Henry Kuttner
• "Heavy Planet", by Milton A Rothman
• "Life Line", by Robert A. Heinlein
• "Ether Breather", by Theodore Sturgeon
• "Pilgrimage", by Nelso S Bond
• "Rust", by Joseph E Kelleam
• "The Four Sided Triangle", by William F Temple
• "Star Bright", by Jack Williamson
• "Misfit", by Robert A. Heinlein

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Isaac Asimov Presents: Great Science Fiction Stories of 1939 provides examples of:

• The Ageless: In "Cloak Of Aesir", by Don A. Stuart, the Sarn Mother is an immortal from before the destruction of the Sarn homeworld, six thousand years ago. While most Sarns live for hundreds of years, she has lived ten times as long.
• All Just a Dream: In "The Strange Flight Of Richard Clayton", by Robert Bloch, several times Clayton lands on Mars, only to die and realize that the ship hadn't landed yet. 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.
• Apocalypse How: In the background of "Cloak Of Aesir", by Don A. Stuart, 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 Isaac Asimov's perspective.
• Curse: In "Trouble With Water", by HL Gold, Greenberg annoys a water gnome, who punishes him by keeping water away from him.
• Dated History: "The Day Is Done", by Lester del Rey, 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.
• Exact Words: In "The Ultimate Catalyst", by John Taine, 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.
• Explosive Instrumentation: (Downplayed Trope) In "The Strange Flight Of Richard Clayton", by Robert Bloch, 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.
• The Fair Folk: In "Trouble With Water", by HL Gold, 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.
• Henpecked Husband: In "Trouble With Water", by HL Gold, 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.
• Impossible Task: In "Trouble With Water", by HL Gold, Greenberg must find a way to deliver sugar that will not dissolve in water so that the water gnome will remove his Curse. He figures out that cellophane will protect the sugar from dissolving and takes it to the gnome.
• In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: Dr Asimov's name is used to sell this Genre Anthology, providing a bit of commentary as a preface to each story. He left story selection and anthology introduction to the other editor, Martin H. Greenberg.
• I, Noun: "I, Robot", a Short Story by Eando Binder, from the perspective of the robot Adam Link.
• Last of His Kind: In "The Day Is Done", by Lester del Rey, 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.
• Long-Lived: In "Cloak Of Aesir", by Don A. Stuart, 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 immortal Sarn Mother has lived for over six thousand years.
• The Namesake: "The Day Is Done", by Lester del Rey, is about the last Neanderthal Man. Hwoogh is the Last of His Kind, and only two of the Cro-Magnon people even care as the day of Neanderthal Man is done.
• One-Word Title:
  • "Misfit", by Robert A. Heinlein
  • "Pilgrimage", by Nelso S Bond
  • "Rust", by Joseph E Kelleam
• Pen Name:
  • "Cloak Of Aesir" is credited to Don A. Stuart, a persona used by John W. Campbell for some of his Science Fiction. This story was the last one Campbell credited to Don Stuart.
  • "I, Robot" is credited to Eando Binder, a name that means Earl Binder and Otto Binder.
  • "The Ultimate Catalyst" is credited to John Taine because Eric Temple Bell never used his legal name for writing.
• Shout-Out: In the introduction, multiple works are mentioned as being first published or becoming hits in 1939:
  • "The Broken Axiom" by Alfred Bester
  • Mel Brooks is singled out as still using the name Melvin Kaminsky.
  • Culture And Freedom by John Dewey
  • Famous Fantastic Mysteries
  • Fantastic Adventures
  • Future Fiction
  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  • "Grey Lensman" by E. E. "Doc" Smith
  • "Hang Out The Washing On The Siegfeid Line"
  • "The Last Time I Saw Paris"
  • "Lest Darkness Fall" by L. Sprague de Camp
  • The Long Weekend by Robert Graves
  • The Man Who Came to Dinner by George Kaufman and Moss Hart
  • "Marooned Off Vesta" by Isaac Asimov
  • The New Adam by Stanley Weinbaum
  • "Night Fishing At Antibes" by Creator/Piccasso
  • "One Against The Legion" by Jack Williamson
  • The Outsider And The Others by H. P. Lovecraft
  • Planet Stories
  • "Roll Out The Barrel"
  • "Sinister Barrier" by Eric Frank Russell
  • Startling Stories
  • The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan
  • "Two Sought Adventure" by Fritz Leiber
  • Unknown
  • Violin Concerto by William Walton
  • War with the Newts by Karel Čapek
• Title 1: The first volume in a long series by Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg.

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