First volume in the long-running series of anthologies. Introduction by Damon Knight; The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth (1965) by Roger Zelazny; Balanced Ecology (1965) by James H. Schmitz; "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman (1965) by Harlan Ellison; He Who Shapes (1965) by Roger Zelazny; Computers Don't Argue (1965) by Gordon R. Dickson; Becalmed in Hell [Known Space] (1965) by Larry Niven; The Saliva Tree (1965) by Brian W. Aldiss; The Drowned Giant (1964) by J. G. Ballard.
Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. Knight's first professional sale was a cartoon drawing to a science-fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. His first story, "Resilience", was published in 1941. He is best known as the author of "To Serve Man", which was adapted for The Twilight Zone. He was a recipient of the Hugo Award, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), cofounder of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, cofounder of the Milford Writer's Workshop, and cofounder of the Clarion Writers Workshop. Knight lived in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife Kate Wilhelm.