The 10th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S-F, features cover art having a “spacey” mood to it: An oblate spheroid with a banded, orange-brown atmosphere (A “brown dwarf” A gas giant?) hovers at lower left, while at upper center, is that a blue-dwarf sun that we see in the distance? Alas, given muted colors and dark greenish-gray background, it’s neither a vivid nor striking nor memorable image. But I suppose it nominally fulfills the role of cover art. Barely.
As for the content of this volume. Well. Ahem. Continuing the trend of prior, recent editions of the S-F (or if you prefer, SF) series, there’s nothing that memorable here. The singular exception is Roger Zelazny’s “A Rose for Ecclesiastes”, which is probably the best story in this volume.
What you’ll find inside…
“Automatic Tiger”, by Kit Reed,
from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, March, 1964
“The Carson Effect”, by Richard Wilson,
from Worlds of Tomorrow, November, 1964
“The Shining Ones”, by Arthur C. Clarke,
from Playboy, August, 1964
“Pacifist”, by Mack Reynolds,
from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January, 1964
“The New Encyclopaedist” (New Encyclopaedist series), by Stephen Becker,
from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, May, 1964
“The Legend of Joe Lee”, by John D. MacDonald,
from Cosmopolitan, October, 1964
“Gas Mask”, by James D. Houston,
specifically for this volume
“A Sinister Metamorphosis”, by Russell Baker,
specifically for this volume
“Sonny”, by Rick Raphael,
from Analog Science Fact -> Science Fiction, April 1963
“The Last Secret Weapon of the Third Reich” (Variant title of “Poslední tajná zbraň Třetí říše?”, 1962), by Josef Nesvabda,
from book Vampires Ltd., 1964
“Descending”, by Thomas M. Disch,
from Fantastic Stories of Imagination, July, 1964
“Decadence” (translation of Décadence unknown), by Romain Gary (Roman Kaczew),
from book Hissing Tales, March, 1964
“Be of Good Cheer”, by Fritz Leiber,
from Galaxy Magazine, October, 1964
“It Could Be You”, by Frank Roberts, from The Bulletin, March, 1962,
first publication in Hal Porter’s Coast to Coast Sydney : Angus et Robertson, 1962 (which credits “The Bulletin”)
“A Benefactor of Humanity”, by James T. Farrell,
specifically for this volume
“Synchromocracy”, by Hap Cawood,
specifically for this volume
“The Search”, by Bruce Simonds,
from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June, 1964
“The Pirokin Effect”, by Larry Eisenberg,
from Amazing Stories, June, 1964
“The Twerlik”, by Jack Sharkey,
from Worlds of Tomorrow, June, 1964
“A Rose for Ecclesiastes”, by Roger Zelazny,
from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, November, 1963
“The Terminal Beach”, by J.G. Ballard,
from New Worlds Science Fiction, March, 1964
“Problem Child”, by Arthur Porges,
from Analog Science Fact -> Science Fiction, April 1964
“The Wonderful Dog Suit”, by Donald Hall
specifically for this volume
“The Mathenauts”, by Norman Kagan,
from If, July, 1964
“Family Portrait”, by Morgan Kent,
from Fantastic Stories of Imagination, August, 1964
“The Red Egg”, by José María Gironella,
from book Phantoms and Fugitives, 1964
“The Power of Positive Thinking”, by M. E. White,
specifically for this volume
“A Living Doll”, by unknown (as by Robert Wallace),
from Harper’s Magazine, January, 1964
“Training Talk”, by David R. Bunch,
from Fantastic Stories of Imagination, March, 1964
“A Miracle Too Many”, by Alan E. Nourse and Philip H. Smith,
from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September, 1964
“The Last Lonely Man”, by John Brunner,
from New Worlds SF, May-June 1964
“The Man Who Found Proteus”, by Robert Rohrer,
from Fantastic Stories of Imagination, November, 1964
“Yachid and Yechida”, by Isaac Bashevis Singer (translation of Yahid un Yehidah),
from book Short Friday and Other Stories, 1964
Summation (10th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S-F), Essay by Judith Merril
And so on…?
Internet Speculative Fiction Database
Published Variants of This Book (Six by golly, potentially jolly!)