American Science Fiction: Four Classic Novels 1953–1956: The Space Merchants / More Than Human / The Long Tomorrow / The Shrinking Man

by Gary K. Wolfe (Editor), Frederik Pohl, C.M. Kornbluth

Modern science fiction came of age in the 1950s, and it was in America that the genre broke most exuberantly free from convention. Moving beyond the pulp magazines, science fiction writers stretched their imaginations at novel length, ushering in an era of stylistic experiment and freewheeling speculation that responded in wildly inventive ways to the challenges and perplexities of an era of global threat and rapid technological change. Long unnoticed or dismissed by the literary establishment, these “outsider” novels are now recognized as American classics.

This, the first of two volumes surveying the decade’s peaks, presents four very different visions of uncertain futures and malleable selves. Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth’s The Space Merchants (1953), acclaimed in its day by Kingsley Amis as “the best science fiction novel so far,” brought a ferocious, satiric edge to its depiction of a future world dominated by multinational advertising agencies. In Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human (1953), a group of damaged individuals finds a strange new fulfillment in what may be the next stage of evolution.

Leigh Brackett was one of the first women to make her mark as a science fiction novelist. In The Long Tomorrow (1955), she pits anti-urban technophobes against the remnants of a civilization that destroyed itself through nuclear war. The hero of Richard Matheson’s fable-like The Shrinking Man (1956), condemned to grow ever smaller by a mysterious cloud, moves through humiliations and perils toward what Peter Straub calls “a real surprise . . . a fresh, wide-eyed step into a world both beautiful and new.”

Here are four classic novels that, each in a different way, open fresh territory, broaching untried possibilities and brimming with the energies of an age fearfully conscious of standing on the brink of the unknown.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

803 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2012

About the author

Gary K. Wolfe is Emeritus Professor of Humanities at Roosevelt University and the author, most recently, of Evaporating Genres: Essays on Fantastic Literature and Sightings: Reviews 2002–2006. He writes regular review columns for Locus magazine and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts with Jonathan Strahan the Hugo-nominated Coode Street Podcast.

Reviews

[ambyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sturgeon's More Than Human was the stand-out for me here, with Pohl and Kornbluth's The Space Merchants an entertaining second. Brackett's The Long Tomorrow started off well but began to drag halfway through and never recovered, and Matheson's The Shrinking Man was a portrait of toxic masculinity that I found excruciating to read (while still respecting some of the craft).

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is extremely satisfying. It captures a unique (and rather troubling as well as troubled) moment in time while showcasing both the depth and artistry of the best of classic U.S. science fiction novels.

In The Space Merchants, Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth deliver a witty, biting dystopia about issues that are as relevant today as in 1953, including advertising and commercialism, overpopulation, and limited natural resources. It's a compelling read that rewards revisiting. "Five words from you, and... half a million consumers will find their lives completely changed. That's power, Mitch, absolute power. And you know the old saying. Power ennobles. Absolute power ennobles absolutely."

Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human (1953) is a lyrical, poignant look at Homo Gestalt, the gifted "freaks" who together form a new organism, the next stage in human evolution. It's a fascinating (and often genuinely wrenching) thought experiment about prejudice, cruelty, love, empowerment, identity, and belonging. Sturgeon's work is deeply disturbing, with brutal and beautiful purpose.

Leigh Brackett's The Long Tomorrow (1955) is a bleak look at a U.S Dark Ages in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse. Young Len flees the suffocating anti-intellectualism of his New Mennonite home and fights against constitutional restrictions forbidding the reestablishment of cities before reaching his goal, secretive Bartorstown, where science is supposedly unfettered. Bartorstown's reality, however, doesn't quite fit its legend.

The Shrinking Man (1956) by Richard Matheson tells the story of Scott Carey who, because of exposure to a cloud of radioactive spray shortly after he had accidentally ingested insecticide, ends up shrinking at a rate of approximately 1/7 of an inch per day. He encounters all kinds of perils as he diminishes, from a drunken pedophile to sadistic street toughs, from the spider in the basement to the elements themselves, but this is first and foremost a psychological novel about the uncertainty of the individual in the 1950s and his/her place in the possibly futile, certainly alien post-war world. "What he wanted to know was this: Was he a separate, meaningful person; was he an individual? Did he matter? Was it enough just to survive? He didn't know; he didn't know. It might be that he was a man and trying to face reality. It might also be that he was a pathetic fraction of a shadow, living only out of habit, impulse-driven, moved but never moving, fought but never fighting."

These novels were written to unsettle, to discomfort, to provoke thought, and they do so with admirable success. I highly recommend this volume to anyone who is a fan or student of science fiction.

[Martin Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para el primer tomo del recopilatorio doble sobre ciencia ficción estadounidense de la Librería de América, los editores seleccionaron 4 novelas de la década de los 1950's:

1) The Space Merchants (1953) de Frederik POHL y C. M. Kornbluth, es una ágil sátira del aspecto más mercenario del consumismo. Al personaje principal, un cínico ejecutivo de una poderosa agencia de publicidad, lo imagino perfecto en un capítulo de la serie de televisión "Mad Men", pero del futuro. (3 estrellas)

2) More Than Human (1953), es una obra maestra. Theodore STURGEON propone un texto complejo, desconcertante al principio; cuando uno entiende de qué se trata, se vuelve perturbador, y al final, termina siendo fascinante. A diferencia de lo que generalmente se piensa de los libros de SF, ésta no es una lectura fácil, al contrario, demanda atención y una mente abierta para disfrutar los complejos conceptos que cuestionan hasta dónde llega la identidad del ser humano, y la humanidad misma. Uno de los grandes clásicos de la ciencia ficción, ganadora del International Fantasy Award de 1954. (5 estrellas)

3) Leigh BRACKETT es una de las primeras mujeres que destacó en el campo de la CF. Su novela The Long Tomorrow (1955), nos presenta un giro al destino de la humanidad después de la catástrofe nuclear que me pareció original: ¿quiénes serían los mejor preparados para continuar su estilo de vida cuando desaparezcan el internet, la televisión, la electricidad, la producción industrial y todas las comodidades de la vida moderna? ... sin duda, los menonitas y los Amish!! (2 estrellas)

4) The Shrinking Man (1956) de Richard MATHESON estrena un tema bien conocido y bastante explotado en CF: la reducción de tamaño de un ser vivo hasta escalas diminutas. El autor no pierde mucho tiempo ideando la explicación "científica" de cómo el héroe se encoge (apenas se menciona brevemente: la exposición a una nube radioactiva poco después que el personaje recibe un baño accidental de insecticida). Lo que más me llamó la atención de esta novela fue la franqueza con la que, en 1956, expone temas que hoy en día son graves problemas de la sociedad: el bullying y la pedofilia, situaciones que sufre y al mismo tiempo realiza Scott (el encogido). (3 estrellas)

[Charlie Eckhaus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long familiar wiith the other 3 novels, so am just reading Brackett's The Long Tomorrow.
A strong start has young protagonists in a repressive post-apocalyptic society venture from home seeking freedom and knowledge.
This is by no means formulaic. I'm engrossed by the storytelling and wondering where it's headed.
Violence-induced changes of setting give the story a picturesque travelogue aspect, shared by the peculiar seemingly out-of-character but non-melodramatic conclusion. Call it a near-masterpiece.

You may find it interesting to view the Twilight Zone episode The Old Man in the Cave (with James Coburn) after reading this.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book three stars because two of the stories are great and two are lame.

The first story, The Space Merchants took a little while to get into because I was not sure where the story was going and the reader is subject to a bunch of boring meetings. As I continued to read however, the pace picked up and I also understood why the book began the way it did.

The story is one big whodunit chase scene, which makes it exciting. It takes place in a dystopian future which makes it science fiction.

The second story, More Than Human was simply a bore. It was hard to figure out what was going on, but basically a number of humans come together and are able to telepathically "mesh" and become one organism. This is supposed to be the next step in human evolution. The author fails to explain why this would be necessary for survival or desirable.

The writing was rather abstract, forcing the reader to imagine what was happening, but it did not compel. It was too vague and meandering.

The Long Tomorrow is a dystopian future where war has obliterated modern technology and everyone is living like the Amish who were the only group who could adapt since they never left a primitive lifestyle. Interesting concept but the development was not interesting, at least to me.

The last one, The Shrinking Man, was quite intense as one witnesses the slow disappearance of a man who, due to some kind of radioactive exposure begins to shrink. The story describes his fight for survival and sanity as he slowly loses his reality.

The first and last story make the book worth reading.

[Terence · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of these classic novels are eye opening and help pinpoint a series of ideas and waves within the history of sci-fi. Each story was a revelation, some had other merits that I preferred but it was an education and a lot of fun to read.

"The Space Merchants" to me was like the seed that JG Ballard or even Philip K Dick maybe grabbed onto, it is a world of advertising and corporate espionage. Just really great, fast paced, sci-fi.

"More Than Human" is an exceptionally written novel that not only sets the tropes for everything from the X-Men to Heroes but also is beautiful and incredibly creative in how the story is being told. Sturgeon has some amazing descriptions and very sophisticated narrative devices at his disposal.

"The Long Tomorrow" blew me away, establishing the template of post-apocalyptic agrarian existence that isn't heavy handed (maybe at the end), but there's some special stuff here. Leigh Brackett is a great writer and folds in religion and science in a clever way that to me lays the foundations to everything from "Canticle for Leibowitz" to Wyndam's "The Chrysalids".

While I knew of quite a bit of Matheson before but had not read "The Shrinking Man" which was really good, a solid story, the most interesting thing for me is how he slips between the present and the past, and makes this neat non-linear patchwork. Plus the ending is great, you kind of realize he trapped himself in the story but he pushes to a place I didn't expect.

Anyway this series is brilliant, such a great selection of 8 novels, that show such an exciting time.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume, there were two writers (Pohl and Sturgeon) that I had heard of but never read, one writer I had never heard of (Leigh Brackett), and the one lone novel by a writer that I greatly admire that I had never read (Matheson). The end result was quite a pleasurable read.

My favorite of the four novels presented was "More Than Human" by Theodore Sturgeon, followed closely by Leigh Brackett's "The Long Tomorrow" (which has a dumb title , but a zowie wowie plot conceit). My least favorite was "The Shrinking Man" by Richard Matheson, but I would have liked it more had it not been filled with uncomfortable sexual content.

There are two things in this volume that LOA should be commended for: 1) including a woman author and 2) helping assist in the notion that not all science-fiction is space opera kill the aliens! There are four distinctly different subgenres on display here.

This is a very effective volume that was an immense pleasure to read. Total score of 4 stars is the average of the individual novels:

Pohl/Kornbluth -- 3 1/2
Sturgeon -- 5
Bracket -- 4 1/2
Matheson -- 3

All novels were intriguing enough to me to warrant reading more from each author (especially Sturgeon).

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since this is a collection of four novels, I should rate each one individually:
- I liked "The Space Merchants" and "Long Tomorrow".
- "More Than Human" was written in three parts; I enjoyed the middle third, but the first and last thirds were less interesting.
- "The Shrinking Man" was a slog. If not for a central plot point that I wanted the answer to, I might have abandoned it several times.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first three books in this collection are now three of my favorites. They're relevant and thought-provoking. I was in a sci-fi state of bliss reading them. Couldn't read the 4th because it had a big, human-sized spider in it. I'm sure it's also great, though.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing writing - didn't expect novels from almost 70 years ago to hold up so well. Especially, The Long Tomorrow, which resonated with themes that are relevant in Trump's America.

The only entry I didn't like was The Shrinking Man. It should have been a short story.

[Ingela]

’ The Space Merchants’ by Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Space Merchants - weak 3 stars
More Than Human - 1 star
The Long Tomorrow - mid-level 3 stars
The Shrinking Man - 2 stars

Started December 2020, completed November 2025

[Denise Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four classic novels in one convenient edition:
* The Space Merchants by Frederick Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth
* More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
* The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett
* The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson

I find it interesting to read science fiction from the 1950's and 1960's just to see what the authors thought the future might hold. As expected, there are some significant misses, especially regarding technology, but there are some accurate predictions.

In "The Space Merchants," the government is run by multinational advertising corporations. The "Consies" (for Conservationists) are fighting back, trying to get humans and Earth back to a more natural condition. The fight comes over the colonization of Venus. Should it be left natural or should it be exploited by one of the Agencies?

This particular edition includes three ending chapters written by Pohl to bring the word count of the novel up to its contracted length. These are found under Text Notes at the end of the book. The added chapters change the tone of the ending.

"More Than Human" started as a short story: "And Baby Makes Three." The characters are odd, as is often the case with a Sturgeon novel. Their oddities are not explained, but just accepted. Sturgeon explores what it means to be Homo sapiens and what the next step in our evolution could be.

I originally checked this book out because of "The Long Tomorrow," which was mentioned in an editorial in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. Leigh Brackett is one of the first commercially successful women writers of science fiction. "The Long Tomorrow" is a post-Apocalyptic novel. After the cities were destroyed, the refugees discovered the Mennonites had the skills to survive. So technology was curtailed and cities were limited to populations of 10,000 or less. The old folks remembered things like "teevee" and dresses in bright colors, but they are humored because of their age. There is a mythical place called "Bartorstown," which has all the lost technology.

Two cousins, Len and Esau, find a radio and discover an underground network of folks who seem to know about Bartorstown. Facing punishment for hiding the radio, they run away from home, determined to find Bartorstown. Their quest isn't easy and what they find is not what they expect. This is a "coming of age" story, especially for Len, who has to reconcile his dreams with reality.

The final novel is "The Shrinking Man." The story is told in flashback, bouncing from the "here-and-now" to how Scott Carley began to shrink. Matheson deals with the psychological ramifications as Scott becomes smaller and smaller--how it affects his relationship with his wife and daughter and his view of himself. Scott alternates between abject despair and determination to continue living and fighting to the bitter end.

Trigger warning: a spider is involved!

This edition also had brief biographies of the five authors. Sturgeon and Brackett both wrote screenplays for the original "Star Trek." Brackett wrote screenplays for Westerns such as "Rio Lobo," "El Dorado," "Rio Bravo," as well as "The Empire Strikes Back." Matheson also wrote "I Am Legend," the screenplay for "The Incredible Shrinking Man," "What Dreams May Come," and fourteen episodes of "The Twilight Zone."

There's a companion volume, "American Science Fiction: Five Classic Novels 1956-1958" that will be next on my list from the library.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth

So many aspects of this book felt like such familiar tropes that I was constantly wondering if this was the book that spawned them all, or if it was borrowing as well from what had already been established in the genre.

At times the book is pretty stiff, but really, it takes unrestrained capitalism and a rigid class system to an extreme end and offers up a pretty disturbing dystopia. But then often undermines itself as a commentary with a protagonist who for most of the book doesn't really believe the critique (and in the end, may only be pretending to get the girl), and by implying this is still a meritocracy by how easily and quickly he gains mobility and reputation after being flung to the bottom of the ladder, based on his education and ability to write.

Also a bit disjointed (but with two authors and multiple editors, it's easy to see why). But there are memorable scenes and interesting concepts. Overall I enjoyed it quite a lot.

More than Human by Theodore Sturgeon

This was my least favorite book of the four. At times startlingly original, wickedly funny, or deeply touching, there were long stretches in between where I felt alienated from all of the characters, confused about what was going on, or totally bored. Each of the characters has special abilities, and though they develop strong bonds with each other, they struggle to find a morality that fits being in a world where none are their equals. For much of the book, this results in no discernible morality at all, which was off-putting. Though I was relieved that the ending attempted to rescue the book from being some Randian fantasy.

The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett

In a post-apocalyptic world, who would survive? In Brackett's book, it's the Amish and Mennonites who are least bothered by the sudden absence of a power grid, amongst all the other amenities provided by industrialization, and so it is no surprise that the narrative of the Destruction becomes that God passed judgement against our wicked, lay ways, and both technologies and cities (any settlement over a certain size), are not just forbidden, but outlawed.

But what technologies would be left behind, possibly preserved in secret enclaves? And what becomes of the basic human inclination to learn and to discover, when being interested in such secrets can provoke a lynching? And even if you intellectually reject the prejudices of your childhood, might some be programmed too deep to be conquered?

Very interesting. And I'm not just saying that because it's the only novel in the collection written by a woman.

The Shrinking Man y Richard Matheson

Sometimes familiar, often bitter, generally an adept metaphor for male anxiety in an impersonal, often uncaring world, it is the story of a man who shrinks one-seventh of an inch a day. Progressively alienated from a world not designed for him, unable to take even himself seriously as a man, it seems sure to be a long slide to a desperate end. Yet the ending is shockingly hopeful! I probably never would have read this book had it not been included here, and I'm glad that I did.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Space Merchants *** -- A science fiction novel isn’t so much about the future, but the time it was written. In Space Merchants (1953) the concerns of the authors were:

- Pollution – Although water and air overall are probably cleaner today than they were in 1953, global warming will alter the Earth’s future.
- Over population – Unemployment and under employment are more consistently a problem of the modern world. There’s enough room and food in the world for all the people, but not enough meaningful employment.
- The power and corruption of advertising (and capitalism) – As one who works on the fringes of the advertising field, I found the power (as well as compensation and prestige) of the copysmith to be rather amusing. Imagine being one of the most highly compensated people in the nation solely for your writing abilities! You know this has to be sci-fi.

As a satire on the modern world of advertising, Space Merchants is entertaining. The novel is full of twists and turns, but the ultimate ending is predictable and the characters a little stiff. Oddly, key plot events are not described such as Courtney’s murder of his torturer. (06/13)


More than Human *** – Sturgeon has a playful though somewhat difficult style that is simultaneously refreshing and frustrating. That said, I think one’s opinion of this work depends on what one thinks of Gestalt (group) psychology, and whether homo gestalt is the next step in human evolution.

The book certainly has a theme, and it is at times laboriously explored (particularly at the end). I have no problem with a story of five people with extraordinary (and imaginative) skills coming together to form a homo gestalt. But the discussion gets rather philosophical and the novel no longer features Gestalt psychology, but instead becomes about it.

Personally, I don’t think homo gestalt can or will ever be a thing. So, the novel had a kind of wishful naivety that I couldn’t buy into. Again, if homo gestalt was a feature of the novel and its characters, that wouldn’t necessarily ruin the book for me. (I’ve read many comic books about people with super powers.) But when the book becomes about homo gestalt, my ability to suspend disbelief is stretched to the breaking point.

The fragmented, indirect storytelling and playful style makes the novel challenging to read. There are probably only about 10 sentences in the first 70 pages that mention the unusual abilities of Lone, Janie and the twins. The rest is prose about everyday life. As a result, I wasn’t sure if I was to read these few references to super powers literally or figuratively.

The novel tries to be more than just another Sci Fi story, but the I think the focus/theme of the book undermines the intelligence of the writing. So I’d say if you love Sci Fi, you’ll probably like this. If you're just someone looking for something good to read, I would skip More Than Human. (07/17)

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an excellent collection of classic science fiction that it has made me fall (back?) in love with the genre and all that it encompasses. In terms of these specific stories included in this volume (of which I am looking forward to the second), let me begin below.

The Space Merchants was a wonderful story and offered the reader a great many opportunities for a multi-decades old tale to shine a bright skeptical light on today's world. While Frederik Pohl likely meant overreaching power of corporations in the book as a dour and negative view of big business while leaving government (mostly) unscathed, I see it as the perfect critique of what has occurred in modern times - crony capitalism - while still offering an exciting tale of intrigue set in a world that doesn't always make much sense.

{skipped More Than Human due to a lack of interest 10 pages in}

The Long Tomorrow is such an interesting and gripping post-apocalyptic tale, set in a world that I've never run across before: instead of the most primitive resemblance of civilization left after a nuclear holocaust such as occurs, Leigh Brackett creates a world of religious fundamentalism based on the Amish, going so far as to have the contemporaneous Amish be the models for the surviving civilization. To be taken along on the emotional roller coaster that is Len and Esau's trip to find that magical city called Bartorstown, only to realize that the idealized dreams they (we) set for themselves don't always turn out in the same manner.

The Shrinking Man is such a complicated story for the reader's emotions: Scott's tales in the cellar are harrowing and fun, while his psyche and emotions while shrinking cause the reader to be both sympathetic and angry at him (all due to the writer's great skill). While it would be one thing to have Scott only be afraid of spiders or big shoes and the like, Richard Matheson creates the horror of losing your loved-ones and family, the loss of one's manhood and base humanity, and the like while climbing up the back of a lawn chair at 1" tall!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four novels in this volume, all of them are at least interesting, two are singularly amazing. The Space Merchants is what I expected from golden age sci-fi. It’s that tumble of sci-fi tropes and ideas that sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. Here, the future is run by advertising agencies. It’s like Mad Men in Space. Frederick Pohl doesn’t get too much into satire, thankfully. The sci-fi tropes included here are: an oppressed working-class, a sentient organic computer thing, ray guns, and moon colonies. It all passes in a blur and the protagonist is a real jerk, but I accept this novel as Library of America’s ambassador of pulp sci-fi.

Leigh Bracket’s The Long Tomorrow is sort of a YA Dystopia prototype. There’s a post-apocolyptic future, an adolescent protagonist, and some love triangles. It’s the dullest of the four, but the concept—-a future where large cities and technology have been abolished and religious groups like Menonites are the dominant culture—-is unique enough to be interesting.

Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human is one of the amazing ones. If the Long Tomorrow is prototype YA Dystopia, More Than Human is prototype Haruki Murakami. A mentally disabled man (basically Faulkner’s Benjy,) a telekinetic young girl, two teleporting toddlers, and a telepathic baby genius all come together and discover that they are the next step in human evolution. Together they are a single entity dubbed "homo gestalt." Like Murakami, the path the story will take is entirely unclear from the beginning, but you just kind of watch in amazement as the narrative threads unspool themselves.

And then Richard Matheson’s The Shrinking Man! Yes, this is the novel on which the movie The Incredible Shrinking Man was based. Unlike the film, in the novel you don’t have the visual ridiculousness of seeing a tiny man talking on a giant telephone. By taking the idea seriously-—a man shrinks 1 inch every week—-Matheson can explore all the horrors of the concept. As Scott Carey shrinks, he loses his job, his child, and his wife. (The sexual connotation of the title is acknowledged as well.) The book jumps back and forth in time filling in the details of his shrinking journey. It opens with Carey at 1” tall with only seven days until disappearing into nothingness. He is fending off a black widow spider, and despite constantly questioning himself why he bothers, he continues to flee and fight for his life. The novel is a study in what it means to be human and how much can be taken away while still retaining one’s humanity. It is simply an amazing novel.

In this volume, The Library of America presents golden age scifi not as a quirky museum piece but as essential literature that still resonates with us. Vol 2. is on its way in the mail to me right now.

[Jessica Strider · Rating 3 out of 5]

The American Science Fiction collection, volume one, consists of 4 classic novels written from 1953 to 1956:

The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth
More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett
The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson

Pros: original book versions of the stories; biographical information, note on the texts and end notes for each story, diverse sub-genres represented, influencial stories and authors

Cons: some of the novels contain parts that modern readers may find boring

This is the first of a two book American Science Fiction collection. It's a hard bound book set of books that match others in the series. The four novels reprinted here are all by authors who have greatly impacted science fiction as we know it today. The novels themselves represent different subgenres: dystopic, evolutionary, post-apocalyptic and fantastical. [OK, I'm making some of these categories up, but each novel here has a different feel and used science fiction in a different way.]

The back of the collection has a number of good, short resources. There are biographical notes on each author, a note on the texts (what versions are printed here (as most of them first appeared in magazines)), and end notes. In addition to textual notes, the end notes also print an additional 3 chapters of Gravy Planet (renamed The Space Merchants) for its syndication in Galaxy magazine. They come after the events of The Space Merchants as printed in book form. There is also an introduction to The Shrinking Man writen by Richard Matheson for a 2001 printing of the book that explains where he got the idea for the story, where he wrote it and how it was turned into a movie.

If you're interested in the history of science fiction, this is a good collection, even if parts of the stories may be boring to those with modern sensibilities.

Also, check out the collection's website: loa.org/sciencefiction for commentary on all of the stories by modern SF writers, a cover gallery, an explanation of SF in the 50s and more.

[Mad Russian the Traveller]

I'm beginning to read this collection. It starts with the novel "The Space Merchants" (1953), and with delight it opens with a prescient description of a USA with runaway corporatism and NSA style monitoring. Here is a quote from the opening scene at a board meeting of a huge multinational advertizing agency:

Fowler Schocken nodded. "Absolutely clean. Nothing but the usual State Department and House of Representatives spy-mikes. And of course we're feeding a canned playback into them."

It gets better. In the following paragraph, one of the board members talks about putting a narcotic in one of their products to make sure the customers stay addicted to their product.

In our society today, we are living all the dystopias described in science fiction of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Another reason why you should read science fiction--the future is now. Cheers. :)

Edit(1):

Finished "Space Merchants". The story had a few twists and reality questioning aspects reminiscent of PKD. Enjoyable.

Edit(2):

Finished "More Than Human". This story was strange and I likely read it long ago as a youth. It may be where the X-Men stories got their ideas from. Interesting style--I'll have to check some more Theodore Sturgeon novels. Engaging story.

x

I'll be editing this review as I progress through the collection.

[Gary Land · Rating 4 out of 5]

Except for reading Jules Verne and H. G. Wells when I was young, I have previously read virtually no science fiction. This anthology helped me understand the genre a bit better, even if it did not make me a fan. Of the four books, I found THE SPACE MERCHANTS the least interesting. I had trouble following the story line, the characters did not engage me, and I did not really understand much of the invented technology. The other three books were far more interesting, for they had characters I could relate to and very human, if strange, situations to deal with. THE SHRINKING MAN really drew me into the main character's dilemma, as he struggles to maintain his humanity while his body gradually shrinks to nothingness. It reminded me of Kafka's "Metamorphosis" and some of the popular existentialism of the 1950s. For those like me who are not fans of the genre but who would like know more about it, this volume seems to be a good start.

[Kelly Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"More than Human" has long been one of my favorites, and it was a good re-read. Surprisingly, I had never read "The Long Tomorrow" and it was nice to get a chance to read it. "The Space Merchants" was still funny. Of course I didn't read these when they first came out - I didn't learn to read until 1957 and it was a few years after than before I was up to this level, but still, these stories were only 12-15 years old or so when I did read them, and SF hadn't changed that much in those years, so when I read them, they were still some of the best stuff around. Now, of course, they seem rather dated - but still, they're damn good writing, and there's a reason they're classics of the genre. Those of you who are somewhat younger than I, you really should read a bunch of these older novels - see what it is that spawned the writers of today.

[M. Fenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this collection outstanding. Not perfect, mind you, but quite wonderful. And it counts as 4 books in my bookreading count. (my count, my rules ;)

Favorite book would be The Shrinking Man (better than the movie, which is one of my favorites). Favorite writing would be Sturgeon's in More Than Human. I hadn't read any of his works before this. Which is also true about Frederick Pohl and Leigh Brackett. Really enjoyed their stories, too.

If you want to read some classic sf, that's not all rocket parts and physics and dry as dust, give this collection a spin.

[Michael Malver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed two of the four stories in this collection.
The shrinking man is a story about a person who loses 1/7 of an inch worth of height per day. I am not usually interested in character studies, but for some reason, this story grabbed me.
The second story I liked was"the long tomorrow. "I have always enjoyed stories taking place in postnuclear war societies.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grandma Bowman bought me this as part of a boxed set of 1950s sci-fi novels. Grandma Bowman nailed it! Not only is the book itself really nice and cozy, but the 4 stories were very different and good. I liked The Space Merchants best...it was the most typically science fiction of the bunch. I recommend to all my sci-fi friends out there.

[Brant · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, the fifties were a different time for science fiction. Today is a totally different perspective of sci-fi, and which is burdened by the format and plot lines of modern movies. Fifties sci-fi was as much philosophy as commentary, and More Than Human being a classic example.

[Rick sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The companion volume to "American Science Fiction 1956-1958.
This edition is even better than the 1956/1958 collection. Pohl/Kornbluth's "The Space Merchants", Sturgeon's "More than Human", Brackett's "The Long Tomorrow" and Matheson's "The Shrinking Man". Brilliant S.F.
A keeper of a book.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** The Space Merchants (1953) • C. M. Kornbluth and Frederik Pohl

**** More Than Human (1953) • Theodore Sturgeon

**** The Long Tomorrow (1955) • Leigh Brackett

* The Shrinking Man (1956) • Richard Matheson

[S.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

*review pending*

[Ned Stenger White · Rating 4 out of 5]

four great classics, though i wasn't as moved by 'The Shrinking Man'.

[Larry Benfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to science fiction writing of the 1950s. The standout novel in this collection is "The Shrinking Man."