A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, Volume One

by Anthony Boucher (Editor)

Contents:
Re-Birth by John Wyndham (novel).
The Shape of Things That Came by Richard Deming.
Pillar of Fire by Ray Bradbury.
Waldo by Robert A. Heinlein.
The Father-Thing by Philip K. Dick.
The Children's Hour by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore.
Gomez by C. M. Kornbluth.
The [Widget], The [Wadget], and Boff by Theodore Sturgeon.
Sandra by George P. Elliott.
Beyond Space and Time by Joel Townsley Rogers.
The Martian Crown Jewels by Poul Anderson.
The Weapon Shops of Isher by A. E. van Vogt (novel).

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections, Classics

527 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

William Anthony Parker White, 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 dramas. Between 1942 and 1947, he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to "Anthony Boucher", White also employed the pseudonym "H. H. Holmes", which was the pseudonym of a late-19th-century American serial killer; Boucher would also write light verse and sign it " Herman W. Mudgett" (the murderer's real name).
In a 1981 poll of 17 detective story writers and reviewers, his novel Nine Times Nine was voted as the ninth best locked room mystery of all time.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, man!!! I am soooo excited that I found this here. I have searched everywhere for this compilation!! I got a coverless copy of this book a long time ago and have read and reread it. I just love it, but I had no idea who had compiled it or if there were any others. I have searched everywhere and never turned up anything. And guess what?!?! There is another one that goes along with it!!! YAY!!! I am so excited! Thank you Good Reads! You ROCK!!

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on the side of the road while traveling through Connecticut and I am so glad I saved it. This is one of my favorite collections of science fiction works and it just saddens me the second volume wasn't with it. I read a lot of sci-fi and this is definitely a must read for anyone that enjoys the genre, I can't say enough about it.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Contains the stories

Re-Birth (novel) by John Wyndham -
The Shape of Things That Came by Richard Deming -
Pillar of Fire by Ray Bradbury -
Waldo by Robert A. Heinlein-
The Father-Thing by Philip K. Dick -
The Children's Hour by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore -
Gomez by C.M. Kornbluth -
The [Widget, The [Wadget] And Boff|141158432] by Theodore Sturgeon -
Sandra by George P Elliott -
Beyond Space and Time by Joel Townsley Rogers-
The Martian Crown Jewels by Poul Anderson -
The Weapon Shops of Isher (novel) by A.E. van Vogt -

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the two volumes of this classic anthology several times as a boy. What a great collection from one of SF's greatest editors! I remember with particular fondness A. E. van Vogt's "The Weapon Shops of Isher," Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination," and "Re-Birth" by John Wyndham, the story that lent the line "life is change, that's how it differs from the rocks" to a certain little ditty by Paul Kantner. Oh, and I mustn't forget to mention "The Father-Thing," which is probably the very first thing I ever read by my number one favorite sci-fi writer of all time, Philip K. Dick. If you never read any other science fiction in your life, you could do a lot worse than to limit yourself to this treasure-trove of wonders.

[Steve LaForest]

I read the collection / anthology "A Treasury of Great Science Fiction", volume 1, edited by Anthony Boucher.

Both volume 1 and 2 are amazing - as certified by the long list of reviewers with glowing comments on Goodreads. I got to read them as a teenager because my wonderful neighbour Marilyn belonged to the Doubleday Science Fiction book club. Changed my life!

Date read and rating slightly approximate - probably took a bit longer to read the entire collection.

My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.

[Christopher Chiesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the good fortune to find this pair of books as soon as I could read -- in my case, around age 3 - on the shelves in my very own bedroom which had been my parents' before I was born. So I have been able to enjoy these books for over fifty years now. I can clearly remember being horrified by "The Father-Thing" and enthralled by "The Stars My Destination," right from the start. It took me a while to be able to appreciate some of the other stories, as there was a lot of subtext, context, and such, in most "grown-up" books, that escaped me in those early years, and which slowly got filled in by repeated rereadings over the years. It's fascinating to be able to look back on that process and actually remember it.

I will be rereading these again soon, as I just recently ran into them while unpacking books from a household move.

[Robert L]

As I am now in my 'golden years' and wish I could go back to those years when the world was an easier place to live, one of the easiest ways to do it is to read science fiction from those earliest years when I was still going to school in the 1950s and 60s! Back then I was a member of the Doubleday Science Book Club, where I was a member for many years and one of the books I ordered, was this one (I have them both and am now rereading them for the first time in decades). Most of the stories in volume I do not remember except for three, WALDO, THE MARTIAN CROWN JEWELS, THE WEAPON SHOPS OF ISHER! Heinlein, Anderson and Vogt were 3 of my favorite SF writers, along with the others of THE GOLDEN AGE OF SF.

[A.L. Sirois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining, with several stories this widely read sf fan hasn't encountered -- including one by C.M. Kornbluth, "Gomez." (Which, oddly enough, I didn't really care for, for all that it is well-written; I generally enjoy Kornbluth's short fiction very much, but this one didn't grab me.) All in all, this is an excellent anthology of 40s and 50s sf. Anyone interested in the history of the genre could do far worse than to seek out and read this book. The creepiest tale is probably Phil Dick's "The Father Thing."

[Richard Pulfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun collection. As with any anthology, there are some hits and some that just didn't connect with me. I like "Re-Birth" and "The Weapon Shop of Isher" the best, though "The Father-Thing" by Phillip K. Dick was also suitably creepy. "Pillar of Fire" by Ray Bradbury was particularly prescient, as was "The Shape of Things to Come". All and all, it's a very good anthology - and given the caliber, it's not surprising that was more hits than misses.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great stories in here, though always keeping mind that they're "of their time" (expect casual sexism and a LOT of smoking), both in content and in writing style (the narration always had. a distant quality to it that I found slightly jarring). It was interesting to read some now-classic writers, in a collection put together at a time when they were contemporary.

[Chuck Emmer]

A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, Volume OneAnthony Boucher

[Valentyn Danylchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carefully picked rarely published sci-fi stories from the 50s. Most were new, and some were brilliant. Theodore Sturgeon stands out again. I think I should try reading his 13-volume complete stories anthology.

[Kathy (McDowell) Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waiting until 2021 to read this book was probably a mistake, as many of the stories were too outdated to even imagine them as science fiction. However, several of the stories were well worth the read. I especially liked "The Father-Thing" and "Rebirth."

[Timothy Crane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this book in my library for years, and occasionally pull it out to reacquaint myself with some masterful science fiction.
Favorites include Waldo by Heinlein, The Father-Thing by Dick, and The Weapon Shops of Isher by Vogt...but all the stories are enjoyable.

[David Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest collections of 20th century Science Fiction ever. Very influential to me. Every story is not only outstandingly written, but fun, engaging, original. I seem to re-read it every five years or so.

[David Wingert · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Treasury of Great Science Fiction Volume 1” was published in 1959 and many of the stories stand the test of time. I encourage you to read it.

[Daniel Suhajda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Weapon Shops of Isher. Have to read more of that series

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifty years later, the stories still are with me.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite sf anthologies--2 novels and 11 short stories. A Science Fiction Book Club selection.

[Tell Tale Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

-Gregory Kerkman

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains one of my all time favorite short stories, The Father-Thing, by Philip K. Dick

[Jaishree · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all fans of science fiction. Fantastic collection.
Waldo by Robert A. Heinlein and The Weapon Shops of Isher by A. E. van Vogt were outstanding.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the great old sf collections; it has classics from Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Theodore Sturgeon... there's not a bad story in the lot. The inclusion of two full-length classic novels made it unique, THE WEAPON SHOPS OF ISHER by A.E. Van Vogt and RE-BIRTH by John Wyndham. There's the bottom half of a launching rocket on the spine which matches up with the top half on volume two; I always thought that was a great touch.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 1 of a 2 volume set. Nicely edited by Antony Boucher--he has collected a nice set of works.

Some of my favorites here: Richard Deming, "The Shape of Things to Come," Robert Heinlein, "Waldo," A. E. Van Vogt (a hidden pleasure), "The Weapon Shops of Isher."

I read this many years ago, and revisiting the stories is pretty cool!

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of classic sci-fi from the 50s. A lot of interesting stuff here though those sensitive to gender issues will find the views expressed almost universally antiquated. I'm surprised PKD's "The Father-Thing" has never been made into a movie.

[Cws]

SF-Bou

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

these 2 volumes made a big impression on me as a young adolescent

[Kolya Matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

All good stories! Except "Beyond Space and Time" by J.T. Rogers. That one's crap.

[B. Scott Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

From when I first truly became aware of Science Fiction. Classic stories that are a must for anyone interested in this genre.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy fun to read!