The Best of Frederik Pohl


The Best of Frederik Pohl is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author Frederik Pohl, edited by Lester del Rey. It was first published in hardcover by Nelson Doubleday in March 1975 as a selection of its Science Fiction Book Club, and in paperback by Ballantine Books in June of the same year as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction, and reprinted in April 1976. The book was reissued in hardcover by Taplinger in 1977. The first British edition was issued in Hardcover in January 1977 by Sidgwick & Jackson, which later gathered it together with The Best of Harry Harrison into the omnibus volume Science Fiction Special 29. It has also been translated into Italian and German.

Summary

The book contains nineteen short works of fiction and an afterword by the author, together with an introduction by editor Lester Del Rey.

Contents

  • "A Variety of Excellence"
  • "The Tunnel Under the World"
  • "Punch"
  • "Three Portraits and a Prayer"
  • "Day Million"
  • "Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus"
  • "We Never Mention Aunt Nora"
  • "Father of the Stars"
  • "The Day the Martians Came"
  • "The Midas Plague"
  • "The Snowmen"
  • "How to Count on Your Fingers"
  • "Grandy Devil"
  • "Speed Trap"
  • "The Richest Man in Levittown"
  • "The Day the Icicle Works Closed"
  • "The Hated"
  • "The Martian in the Attic"
  • "The Census Takers"
  • "The Children of Night"
  • "What the Author Has to Say About All This"

Reception

The book was reviewed by James K. Burk in Delap's F & SF Review, August 1975, L. J. Knapp in The Science Fiction Review, August 1975, Philip Stephensen-Payne in Paperback Parlour, February 1977, and anonymously in Reclams Science Fiction Führer, 1982.

Awards

The book placed fourteenth in the 1976 Locus Poll Award for Best Single Author Collection.