I only have volume three of the Gunn series, 'From Heinlein to Here', covering the period 1940 to 1977. Good selection of stories, lots of crossover with other the Hall of Fame anthologies as you might expect; don't remember the surrounding editorial matter being that compelling, but would need to revisit to confirm.
Have recently worked my way through a couple of volumes of Hugo Award winning stories edited by Asimov, covering the periods 1955 to 1967. Again, some crossover with these anthologies. With your indulgence (or without), here are my rankings:
The Darfstellar - Walter M Miller 6/10Allamagoosa - Eric Frank Russell 7/10Exploration Team - Murray Leinster 7/10 (not the best story in these collections, but the one that most seemed like it would most make a great movie - giant mutated bears! hordes of horrible alien creatures!)The Star - Arthur C Clarke 8/10Or All the Seas With Oysters - Avram Davidson 6/10The Big Front Yard - Clifford D Simak 7/10The Hell-Bound Train - Robert Bloch 5/10Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes 8/10 (the ideas about intelligence and stupidity expressed here are obviously much more problematic nowadays, but as a piece of storytelling this is still pretty fine)The Longest Voyage - Poul Anderson 5/10The Dragon Masters - Jack Vance 7/10No Truce With Kings - Poul Anderson 2/10 (an unbelievably tedious sci-fi retelling of the American Civil War. Kinda hate Poul Anderson now.)Soldier, Ask Not - Gordon R Dickson 6/10'Repent Harlequin', said the Ticktockman - Harlan Ellison 7/10 (yes the author is a terrible arse, and the hepcat writing style has dated badly, but after the stodge of Anderson this definitely felt like a leap into modernity and you can still see why it had such an impact at the time)The Last Castle - Jack Vance 9/10 (Vance at his best - a baroque melding of fantasy, historical and classic SF ficion tropes)Neutron Star - Larry Niven 6/10 (reminded me a little of Delany's Nova, which is less hard science than the Niven, and therefore much more to my taste)
― Ward Fowler, Tuesday, 1 May 2018 11:33 (six years ago) link
The Big Front Yard - Clifford D Simak
this is the one where the hoverbike riding aliens are impressed by paint, yeah?
― lana del boy (ledge), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 11:59 (six years ago) link
oh look there they are:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3c/The_Big_Front_Yard.jpg/220px-The_Big_Front_Yard.jpg
― lana del boy (ledge), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 12:04 (six years ago) link
LOL yep, that's a fantastically literal cover painting that gives away the ending. There's a lot of folksy yarn-spinning before that.
― Ward Fowler, Tuesday, 1 May 2018 12:06 (six years ago) link
Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novelette, 1959
― Ward Fowler, Tuesday, 1 May 2018 12:07 (six years ago) link
Thanks, Ward. I remember reading those two Poul Anderson stories in that book, liking the first one well enough and hating the other one, so much I did not finish it
― Abbatari Teenage Riot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 2 May 2018 00:10 (six years ago) link
Simak? Folksy yarn-spinning? No way.
― Mince Pramthwart (James Morrison), Wednesday, 2 May 2018 02:38 (six years ago) link
Never happened
― Abbatari Teenage Riot (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 2 May 2018 10:31 (six years ago) link
This anthology series I have never seen or heard of until today, edited by guess-who, looks pretty interesting: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_(anthology_series)?wprov=sfti1
― And Nobody POLLS Like Me (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 17 June 2018 23:26 (six years ago) link
Amazing looking stuff.
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Sunday, 17 June 2018 23:43 (six years ago) link
For real! A bunch of great stuff i know plus a bunch of stuff I’ve been looking for, like Wilhelm’s “Baby, You Were Great”
― Οὖτις, Monday, 18 June 2018 05:07 (five years ago) link
'Baby, You Were Great' also included in Pamela Sargent's first Women of Wonder anthology.
At the same time as the Alpha series, Silverbob was also editing the all-original New Dimensions series too. Dude was just insanely productive in the late 60s/early 70s.
― Ward Fowler, Monday, 18 June 2018 08:21 (five years ago) link
Yeah, edited a lot of one-off anthologies as well, I think
― And Nobody POLLS Like Me (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 18 June 2018 10:38 (five years ago) link
Of course, those Alphas are not originals, like the New Dimensions were, I think, but still. “Baby, You Were Great” is from Orbit, for instance.
― And Nobody POLLS Like Me (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 18 June 2018 10:46 (five years ago) link
And can also be found in The Best From Orbit.
― And Nobody POLLS Like Me (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 18 June 2018 10:56 (five years ago) link
I have this nice UK paperback edition of Orbit 2, where the Wilhelm made its first appearance:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/413FfkCenfL.SX316.SY316.jpg
I only have a battered copy of the UK Orbit 1 paperback, but I love the cover:
https://pictures.abebooks.com/ELLEPOTTER/md/md20882515571.jpg
― Ward Fowler, Monday, 18 June 2018 11:02 (five years ago) link