Sometimes, you get lucky.
Case in point, Martin Greenberg’s 1952 anthology Five Science Fiction Novels, one of the 86 titles published by Gnome Press between 1948 and 1961, which I had the good fortune of discovering at a used bookstore just a few years ago. Alas, the cover of my copy is flaky, fragged, and frayed around the edges. But, Frank Kelly Freas’ simple yet effective cover design, featuring five rockets in formation, is still quite intact.
Here’s a closer view…
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The same motif – perhaps inspired by images of fleets of Army Air Force Flying Fortress and Liberator bombers during the Second World War – is not difficult to find as an element of other illustrations, such as Ric Binkley’s composition for C.L. Moore’s 1953 Shambleau and Others, also published by Gnome Press.
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The book is comprised of five stories, all published from the late 1930s through the mid-1940s; four drawn from Astounding, and another from Astounding’s sister publication, Unknown. They are:
“But Without Horns“, by Norvell W. Page, from Unknown Fantasy Fiction, June, 1940
“Destiny Times Three“, by Fritz Leiber, Jr., from Astounding Science Fiction, March, 1945 (Later published as Galaxy Science Fiction Novel #28)
“Crisis in Utopia“, by Norman L. Knight, from Astounding Science Fiction, July, 1940
“The Chronicler“, by A.E. van Vogt (variant of “Siege of the Unseen”), from Astounding Science Fiction, October and November, 1946
“The Crucible of Power“, by Jack Williamson, from Astounding Science Fiction, February, 1939
Having read all five stories, by far the best – in terms of literary quality and originality – is Fritz Leiber’s “Destiny Times Three”. This is a truly wonderful tale of the intersection between and origin of parallel universes, and, the dramatic and not necessarily benign (!) interaction between not-so-identical versions of the same protagonist from these universes. The other four stories are not at all mediocre; not at all bad; not at all lacking … by any means, but they’re much more straightforward in concept, and don’t manifest the same level of “What-happens-next-ness?”, as Leiber’s story.
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The book’s rear cover features a list of contemporary Gnome Press titles, all selling for between $2.50 and $3.95. (“Alas!… A time machine, a time machine, my book collecting kingdom for a time machine!”)
Here are contemporary – August, 2022, that is! – prices for a few of these books, via ABE Books:
Cosmic Engineers: $100 to $225
The Fairy Chessmen and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: $250
Foundation: $4,500
I, Robot: $15,000
Renaissance: $45 to $100
The Sword of Conan: $110 to $850
And, the rear cover bears Gnome Press’s book-propelled-astronaut emblem, designed by Edd Cartier. You can view a more elaborate version of this little fellow below…
For Your Further Distraction!…
Five Science Fiction Novels, at…
… The Great Gnome Press Science Fiction Odyssey
… John W. Knott, Jr., Bookseller
Martin Greenberg, at…
… Internet Speculative Fiction Database
… The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
David A. Kyle, at…
… Internet Speculative Fiction Database
Gnome Press, at…
… Classics of Science Fiction (“Remembering Fantasy Press, Arkham House, Prime Press, Gnome Press, Shasta Publishers, and Others“)
… Kirkus Reviews (“The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Gnome Press“)
… GnomePressMe (“For Gnome Press Collectors“)
… Flying Cards and Food Pills (“Gnome Press“)
… Hydraxia Books (“A Complete Collection of Gnome Press Publications“)
“The Chronicler”, by A.E. van Vogt, at…
“Destiny Times Three”, by Fritz Leiber, at…
… Wikipedia (not much!)
“The Crucible of Power”, by Jack Williamson, at…
“But Without Horns,” by Norvell W. Page, at…
“Crisis in Utopia”, by Norman L. Knight, at…
Martin Greenberg of Gnome Press and Martin H(arry) Greenberg, well-known anthologist, are two different people.
This is important because the Gnome Press Greenberg was notorious for failing to pay authors in a timely manner (Isaac Asimov explicitly called him a “crook”). Martin Harry Greenberg, by contrast, had an excellent reputation.
Hello Tony,
Thanks for this important clarification.
I’ve updated the blog post to present the name of the “correct” Martin Greenberg. That is, the co-founder – with David Kyle – of Gnome Press, as described in Andrew Liptak’s 2014 Kirkus Reviews essay, “The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Gnome Press”.
I note that Isaac Asimov’s co-anthologist, for the great series “Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories”, was Martin Harry Greenberg.
Sincerely,
Michael