A Treasury of Science Fiction

Treasury of Science Fiction_ (1948) is Groff Conklin's second science fiction anthology; his first was _The Best of Science Fiction_ (1946). Thes two anthologies did much to shape how later sf anthologies were done. _Treasury_ is slightly smaller than the first book, but still very large-- 517 pages. The selections are more modern, come from less diverse sources (most are from _Astounding_), and are, I think, of a generally higher quality. A sampling of the thirty stories are "Tomorrow's Children" by Poul Anderson and F.N. Waldrop, "Rescue Party" by Arthur C. Clarke, "With Folded Hands..." by Jack Williamson, "No Woman Born" by C. L.Moore, "Child's Play" by William Tenn, "The Ethical Equations" by Murray Leinster, "It's Great To Be Back" by Robert A. Heinlein, and "Juggernaut" by A.E. van Vogt. All of the stories, not just those listed, are of good to excellent quality. If many of these stories seem a bit familiar to you, remember: This collection was where many of them were appearing in book form for the first time. And if they seem a bit old-fashioned in some ways, I would argue that quality tells; they still hold up remarkably well. The contents are divided up into seven categories: The Atom and After, The Wonders of the Earth, The Superscience of Man, Dangerous Inventions, Adventures in Dimension, From Outer Space, and Far Traveling. Categories such as these may have led to the development of Conklin's "theme anthologies" in the fifties.