''Space Mail, Volume II'' is an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
of
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
short works edited by
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
,
Martin H. Greenberg
Martin Harry Greenberg (March 1, 1941 – June 25, 2011) was an American academic and anthologist in many genres, including mysteries and horror, but especially in speculative fiction. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned ...
,
Charles G. Waugh
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...
. It was first published in paperback by
Fawcett Crest
Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett (1885–1940).
It kicked off with the publication of the bawdy humor magazine ''Captain Billy's Whiz ...
in January 1982.
The book collects twenty-two short stories written in the form of a
letters
Letter, letters, or literature may refer to:
Characters typeface
* Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech or none in the case of a silent letter; any of the symbols of an alphabet
* Letterform, the g ...
,
diary
A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digita ...
entries, or
memorandums, together with an introduction by Asimov.
Contents
*"Introduction" (
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
)
*"
Extracts from Adam's Diary
"Extracts from Adam's Diary: Translated from the Original Ms." is a comic short story by the American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The story was first published in ''The Niagara Book'' (1893), and was collected in Twain's 1903 book ''My Debut ...
" (
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
)
*"Aspic's Mystery" (
Arsen Darnay)
*"Barney" (
Will Stanton)
*"Evening Primrose" (
John Collier John Collier may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* John Collier (caricaturist) (1708–1786), English caricaturist and satirical poet
*John Payne Collier (1789–1883), English Shakespearian critic and forger
*John Collier (painter) (1850–1934) ...
)
*"View from a Height" (
Joan D. Vinge)
*"First to Serve" (
Algis Budrys
Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, copy editing, editor and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome in collaboration with Jerome ...
)
*"The People's Choice" (
William Jon Watkins)
*"Expedition" (
Anthony Boucher
William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio dr ...
)
*"Polity and Custom of the Camiroi" (
R. A. Lafferty)
*"Primary Education of the Camiroi" (R. A. Lafferty)
*"The Shaker Revival" (
Gerald Jonas)
*"Loophole" (
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.
Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A ...
)
*"Niche on the Bull Run" (
Sharon Webb
Sharon Lynn Webb (born in Tampa, Florida on February 29, 1936; died in Blairsville, Georgia on April 29, 2010) was a science fiction writer and nurse.
Biography
Born on Tampa, Florida on February 29, 1936, Sharon Lynn Webb began her career as a p ...
)
*"Switch on the Bull Run" (Sharon Webb)
*"Publish and Perish" (
Paul J. Nahin
Paul J. Nahin (born November 26, 1940) is an American electrical engineer, author, and former college professor. He has written over 20 books on topics in physics and mathematics.
Biography
Born in California, Nahin graduated from Brea Olinda ...
)
*"Letters from Camp" (
Al Sarrantonio
Al Sarrantonio (May 25, 1952 – January 27, 2025) was an American horror and science fiction writer, editor, and publisher who authored more than 50 books and 90 short stories. He also edited numerous anthologies.
Background and education
Sar ...
)
*"The Several Murders of Roger Ackroyd" (
Barry N. Malzberg
Barry Nathaniel Malzberg (July 24, 1939 – December 19, 2024) was an American writer and editor, most often of science fiction and fantasy.
Life and career Early life and family
Malzberg originated from a Jewish family and graduated from Syra ...
)
*"A Delightful Comedic Premise" (Barry N. Malzberg)
*"The Man from Not-Yet" (
John Sladek
John Thomas Sladek (December 15, 1937 – March 10, 2000) was an American science fiction author, known for his satire, satirical and surrealism, surreal novels.
Life and work
Born in Waverly, Iowa, in 1937, Sladek was in England in the 1960s ...
)
*"The Leader" (
Murray Leinster
Murray Leinster () was a pen name of William Fitzgerald Jenkins (June 16, 1896 – June 8, 1975), an American writer of genre fiction, particularly of List of science fiction authors, science fiction. He wrote and published more than 1,500 ...
)
*"
Aristotle and the Gun" (
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American author of science fiction, Fantasy literature, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of ...
)
*"The Last Evolution" (
John W. Campbell, Jr.)
References
{{Reflist
1982 anthologies
Science fiction anthologies
Isaac Asimov anthologies
Martin H. Greenberg anthologies