Back in 1976, Donald Wollheim, who left ACE Books to start his own science fiction and fantasy publishing house, celebrated the 200th title his company published by collecting stories from some of the writers that made DAW Books a success. Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Gordon R. Dickson, Tanith Lee, Alan Burt Akers (aka, Kenneth Bulmer), Lin Carter, and Brian Stableford represent some of the most popular of the DAW Books stable of writers. Years later, DAW would publish a similar volume to celebrate 30 years of publishing. But this slim, unassuming volume captures the essence of the DAW reading experience. This is a book that’s worth finding and reading!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Andre Norton: FUR MAGIC
Gordon R. Dickson: WARRIOR
Tanith Lee: THE TRUCE
Alan Burt Akers: WIZARD OF SCORPIO
Lin Carter: THE MARTIAN EL DORADO OF PARKER WINTLEY
Marion Zimmer Bradley: THE DAY OF THE BUTTERFLIES
Brian M. Stableford: CAPTAIN EAGAN DIED ALONE
I’ve been reading a lot of science fiction stories I missed in years gone by recently. I even read that first Andre Norton thanks to your review (good one, by the way) and will be reading the rest of the Solar Queen series soon.
Jeff, I liked POSTMARKED THE STARS best in the Solar Queen series. I read a ton of Andre Norton in the Sixties. Now, I’m going back and rereading some of her classic works.
The early DAW books (much like the Ace SF books) were a mixed bag of pulpish adventure and literate SF. I loved them. Norton’s FUR MAGIC was a fun book and a good choice for the lead-off novvel for this collection.
Jerry, I loved the early DAW books. Now, DAW seems to have concentrated on fantasy novels.
It is the range of what Wollheim sought for Avon, Ace and DAW that made them so durable and important, and this antho definitely gave a sense of that…even to including one of Carter’s more deft adventure-pulp pastiches rather than his deadly-dull attempts at Conan continuation in one guise or another. Lee and Stableford, and Dickson, would’ve been my primary reasons for picking this up…
And, these days, fantasy novels are the most consistent market in speculative fiction, George…
Todd, DAW once published a variety of SF and tantasy genres but now they seem to solely put out massive fantasy novels.
Great pick. Reminds me of the good old days when the first DAW books appeared. Great stuff.
Bill, I had the first 200 DAW books. They now reside at SUNY at Buffalo.
I always took a look at those DAW books with the yellow spines and sometimes cool, sometimes bizarre, covers. The range of authors was solid, and like Todd, Stableford, and Dickson were a draw for me. Though I have read most of those, I still might pick this up.
Rick, THE DAW SCIENCE FICTION READER is a great nostalgia pick!
Oh my, luckily we’ll be returning to Germany soon (for a few weeks) where my library resides – I’m always tempted to reread those “ancient” books, but often I just look at the covers – wouldn’t have time to read any new stuff otherwise!
Btw I remember meeting some of Wollheim’s family at that Eurocon in Brighton 1984 – and there was this thing about them changing direction at DAW around this time or later – I don’t remember the details …
http://www.locusmag.com/2006/Issues/06Wollheim.html
PS:
I also found this earlier interview with Wollheim – also contains some of those fantastic covers.
Wolf, thanks for the link! Wollheim always seemed to offer a variety of SF and fantasy no matter which publisher he was working for.
Thanks for the thanks!
Just realised that the second link to that interview from 1975 was lost somehow:
http://www.tangentonline.com/interviews-columnsmenu-166/1221-classic-donald-a-wollheim-interview
Never heard of DAW Books before, George. Interesting publishing history, as is the line-up of the noted contributors.
Prashant, DAW was a leading SF and fantasy publisher in the 1970s and 1980s. With the death of Donald Wollheim, the DAW line concentrated on fantasy novels.
Yes, that was a shame that DAW stopped SF.
Btw, already at ACE Wollheim gave many good authors a chance, he published not only that typical pulp material. Some of those ACE Doubles are among my most cherished books!
Wolf, you’re quite right about those marvelous ACE Doubles! Wollheim published pulp and some great work together! Just think of all those Philip K. Dick classics ACE published!
While Signet and their other paperback lines still did a bit of fantasy/sf/horror, New American Library partnered with Wollheim and let DAW be their primary expression in those fields. Not the worst move, by any means. I think only the Ballantine/Del Rey line did notably better in the 1970s, and they had Tolkien.
Todd, good point on Ballantine/Del Rey line. Del Rey had a series of best selling titles.