Various ketchup

[randy_byers]

There are always so many things I could write about, but I haven't been writing much lately. 'Tis the season? It's dark and dreary out there, but mostly I seem to be busy with other things. Or maybe just distracted

Comments

[kalimac]

The original editions of the Asimov/Greenberg Great SF Stories ran for 25 volumes, up through 1963. (The earliest Wollheim/Carr Best of volume covered 1964, you see, so now they've got a complete coverage from '39 on.) The last couple volumes were done by Greenberg alone after Asimov became too ill, but they still have his name on them.

Both right: Yes, Astounding was that dominant in the early 40s, and yes, it's also Asimov's (and Greenberg's) bias.

Favorite typo: Oregon Statue University.

[randy_byers]

Oops. Well, that's how OSU looked in that game. But I'll fix that.

Thanks so much for the background on the Asimov/Greenberg series. I had been wondering where one could look if one wanted to continue reading bests-of for the '60s and beyond. I was vaguely wondering about Judith Merrill. I don't think I've ever properly focused on the Wollheim/Carr collections.

Do you know of anything similar for the '30s? Asimov and Greenberg did a single volume of Asimov's favorites of the '30s, and damon knight also did one, but I haven't seen any series of best-of-each-year volumes. The pickings are no doubt slimmer.

[kalimac]

Judith Merril's was 12 volumes, of which the last covered 1966. Her selection criteria were, of course, very different from Asimov/Greenberg's or Wollheim/Carr's. It's good to have both.

I think Ted Dikty's, which I don't have, ended sooner, so that's all there is until Wollheim and Carr split up with their 1971 volumes; Ace also continued its own series for a couple of years. After that, the deluge.