My favorite story in the Year’s Best Science Fiction Stories: 1954 is Jack Vance’s “DP!” which directly addresses our current immigrant crisis. Richard Matheson writes about the end of the world in “The Last Day.” Bleiler and Dikty continue their practice of assessing the year’s science fiction in their informative introductory essay. There’s also a useful index to the Year’s Best Science Fiction Stories from 1949 to 1954. All in all, another solid 1950s SF anthology full of stories about World War III, mutant children, and time travel. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
• 9 • Editors’ Preface (The Best Science-Fiction Stories: 1954) • (1954) • essay by Everett F. Bleiler and T. E. Dikty
• 13 • Icon of the Imagination • (1954) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 19 • DP! • (1953) • short story by Jack Vance (Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader)
• 41 • The Big Holiday • (1953) • short story by Fritz Leiber (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1953)
• 50 • The Collectors • (1953) • short story by G. Gordon Dewey and Peter Grainger [as by G. Gordon Dewey and Max Dancey] (Amazing Stories, June-July 1953)
• 65 • One in Three Hundred • [One] • (1953) • novelette by J. T. McIntosh (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1953)
• 108 • Wonder Child • (1953) • novelette by Joseph Shallit (Fantastic, January-February 1953)
• 136 • Crucifixus Etiam • (1953) • short story by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (Astounding Science Fiction, February 1953)
• 159 • The Model of a Judge • (1953) • short story by William Morrison (Galaxy Science Fiction, October 1953)
• 172 • The Last Day • (1953) • short story by Richard Matheson (Amazing Stories, April-May 1953)
• 190 • Time Is the Traitor • (1953) • novelette by Alfred Bester (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September 1953)
• 217 • Lot • [David Jimmon] • (1953) • novelette by Ward Moore (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August 1953)
• 249 • Yankee Exodus • (1953) • short story by Ruth M. Goldsmith (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1953)
• 262 • What Thin Partitions • [Ralph Kennedy] • (1953) • novelette by Mark Clifton and Alex Apostolides (Astounding Science Fiction, July 1953)
• 298 • A Bad Day for Sales • (1953) • short story by Fritz Leiber (Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1953)
• 309 • About the Authors (The Best Science-Fiction Stories: 1954) • (1954) • essay by uncredited
• 313 • Index, the Best Science-Fiction Stories: 1949-1954 • (1954) • essay by uncredited
Remember liking the Miller, Moore Vance, Leiber and Bester stories which I’ve read elsewhere.. Couple writers I am not familiar with – Dewey & Grainger, Shalit and Goldsmith. Seems a bit skimpy at a little over 300 pages.
Steve, you’re right about obscure writers showing up in these YEAR’S BEST SF volumes. Compared to a Dozois volume (600+ pages!), the Bleiler & Dikty anthologies seem skimpy indeed!
Good list of authors, though.
Jeff, Bleiler & Dikty had high standards for their YEAR’S BEST SF anthologies. The quality is consistently good.
And it’s notable the degree to which their choices Didn’t all become chestnuts for other anthologies. Even the two Leiber stories aren’t Too widely anthologized, nor the McIntosh, despite it being perhaps his single best-known shorter work. Earl Kemp would’ve been doing the index by this volume, I believe.
“Lot” would be kind of a chestnut, and a “dangerous” one…
Todd, Bleiler & Dikty ferret out some obscure stories in these anthologies along with some classics.
Todd, Earl Kemp gets credit for his work on these anthologies starting in the next volume.
I see they continue their bias toward F&SF. The stories by the “name” authors in this one are B-level, I think. Not one of the better ones in the series, judging by what you’ve posted so far, though I’d certainly read it if it was in hand.
Rick, there may have been problems getting rights to certain stories. I know Heinlein was problematic when editors wanted to reprint his stories.
Shouldn’t P K Dick also be represented here?
I just looked through his bibliography on wiki:
Second Variety, the Variable Man and many more of his stories were published in 1953
Wolf, “Second Variety” showed up in one of the Bleiler & Dikty anthologies. I’m with you on “The Variable Man.” Classic!