Reception
The collection was reviewed by Joe de Bolt in Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review, May 1979 (reprinted in Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review: The Complete Series, Vol. I, No. 1-Vol. II, No. 13, January 1979-February 1980), Charles N. Brown in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, August 1979, and (in French) by Pascal J. Thomas in Fiction #319, 1981. [1]
Avram Davidson was an American writer of fantasy fiction, science fiction, and crime fiction, as well as the author of many stories that do not fit into a genre niche. He won a Hugo Award and three World Fantasy Awards in the science fiction and fantasy genre, a World Fantasy Life Achievement award, and an Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine short story award and an Edgar Award in the mystery genre. Davidson edited The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1962 to 1964. His last novel The Boss in the Wall: A Treatise on the House Devil was completed by Grania Davis and was a Nebula Award finalist in 1998. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says "he is perhaps sf's most explicitly literary author".
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas had approached Spivak in the mid-1940s about creating a fantasy companion to Spivak's existing mystery title, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. The first issue was titled The Magazine of Fantasy, but the decision was quickly made to include science fiction as well as fantasy, and the title was changed correspondingly with the second issue. F&SF was quite different in presentation from the existing science fiction magazines of the day, most of which were in pulp format: it had no interior illustrations, no letter column, and text in a single-column format, which in the opinion of science fiction historian Mike Ashley "set F&SF apart, giving it the air and authority of a superior magazine".
Robert Park Mills (1920−1986) was an American crime- and science fiction magazine editor and literary agent.
Edgar Pangborn was an American writer of mystery, historical, and science fiction.
Banquets of the Black Widowers is a collection of mystery short stories by American writer Isaac Asimov featuring his fictional club of mystery solvers, the Black Widowers. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in September 1984, and in paperback by the Fawcett Crest imprint of Ballantine Books in June 1986. The first British edition was issued by Grafton in August 1986.
The Union Club Mysteries is a collection of mystery short stories by American author Isaac Asimov featuring his fictional mystery solver Griswold. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1983 and in paperback by the Fawcett Crest imprint of Ballantine Books in 1985.
The Phoenix and the Mirror; or, The Enigmatic Speculum is a fantasy novel by American writer Avram Davidson, the first volume in his Vergil Magus series. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in February 1969, with the first paperback edition issued by Ace Books in the same year. The Ace edition was reprinted in January 1978 and February 1983. The first ebook edition was issued by Prologue Books in August 2012. The first British edition was published in paperback by Mayflower in April 1975. Gollancz issued British trade paperback and ebook editions in October 2013 and December 2013, respectively. The Gollancz edition adds an introduction by Adam Roberts.
Unicorns! is a themed anthology of fantasy short works edited by American writers Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois, first published in 1982. Their follow-up anthology, Unicorns II, debuted ten years later in 1992.
Nebula Awards 29 is an anthology of award-winning science fiction short works edited by Pamela Sargent, the first of three successive volumes under her editorship. It was first published in hardcover and trade paperback by Harcourt Brace in April 1995.
The Adventures of Doctor Eszterhazy is a collection of historical mystery fantasy short stories by Avram Davidson featuring his scholarly detective character Doctor Eszterhazy and set in an imaginary European country. It was first published in hardcover by Owlswick Press in January 1991, with an ebook edition issued by Gateway/Orion in August 2013. The book is an expansion of the earlier collection The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy (1975), adding five more Eszterhazy stories written later but set earlier.
Strange Seas and Shores: a Collection of Short Stories is a collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories, written by Avram Davidson. It was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1971. A paperback edition was issued by Ace Books in August 1981, and an ebook edition by Gateway/Orion in September 2013.
Collected Fantasies is a collection of fantasy short stories, written by Avram Davidson and edited by John Silbersack. It was first published in paperback by Berkley Books in June 1982.
¡Limekiller! is a collection of fantasy short stories by Avram Davidson, edited by Grania Davis and Henry Wessells. It was first published in hardcover by Old Earth Books in November 2003. An ebook edition was issued by Gateway/Orion in July 2015.
The Best of Edmond Hamilton is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author Edmond Hamilton, edited by his wife and fellow science fiction writer Leigh Brackett. It was first published in hardback by Nelson Doubleday in April 1977 and in paperback by Ballantine Books in August of the same year as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction. The book was reissued in trade paperback and ebook editions by Phoenix Pick in November 2010. It has also been translated into German.
The Best of Hal Clement is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author Hal Clement, edited by Lester del Rey. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in June 1979 as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction. It was reissued in ebook by Gateway/Orion in May 2013, and in trade paperback and ebook by Phoenix Pick in December 2014.
The Best of Lester del Rey is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author Lester del Rey. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in September 1978 as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction, with a Science Fiction Book Club hardcover edition following in December of the same year. It was reprinted by Del Rey Books in March 1986, February 1995, and June 2000. The book has been translated into German.
The Best of James Blish is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author James Blish, edited by Robert A. W. Lowndes. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in August 1979 as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction.
The Best of Robert Bloch is a collection of speculative fiction short stories by American author Robert Bloch. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in November 1977 as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction. The book has been translated into German.
The Best of Fredric Brown is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author Fredric Brown, edited by Robert Bloch. It was first published in hardback by Nelson Doubleday in January 1977 and in paperback by Ballantine Books in May of the same year as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction. The book has been translated into German and Spanish.
