Men Against the Stars

New York: Gnome Press, 1950. First Edition . Cloth. Near Fine/Very Good Plus. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Cartier, Edd [jacket]. New York: Gnome Press, 1950. First Edition. Introduction by Willy Ley. Edited by Martin Greenberg, this copy signed, inscribed and presented by him to Arthur C. Clarke. Octavo, 351 pp. Purple cloth-backed gray cloth boards, with silver spine titling and blindstamped launching-spaceship and star motif on purple margin. Pictorial dustjacket by sci-fi illustration luminary Edd Cartier. A near fine book, with only minor page edge soiling and a trace of partial spine fade, in a Very Good + jacket, showing light perimeter wear. Singular copy, inscribed and presented to Arthur C. Clarke by Greenberg, with provenance of unimpeachable order accompanying the book. An increasingly classic collection of short stories by some of the now-timeless sci-fi names. Willy Ley: "Here is a different type of anthology. This book, taken in its entirety, tells a story: the conquest of space. Moving from man's first attempt to reach the moon to the exploration of the ends of the universe, these stories are among the finest ever published." - Willy Ley. Hailed by critics at the time of its publication as a quantum leap forward in both quality and concept for science fiction anthologies, Martin Greenberg's thematically edited Men Against the Stars is a collection of twelve lengthy stories whose authors read like a Who's Who of Golden Age sci-fi, including Isaac Asimov, Murray Leinster, A.E. Van Vogt, L. Ron Hubbard [Hubbard's "When Shadows Fall" is here], and E.M. Hull. Not a slap-dash aggregation to get to the printer quickly, Greenberg's collection was a thoroughly contemplated and planned project, a selection of the very finest available stories on theme, ranging back as far as 1939. Nicely complimented by a Cartier's funky pure genre period stylization jacket. A sci-fi presentation copy of the highest sort, that of a veteran and astute editor to a future superstar. Arthur C. Clarke's reputation at the time was already becoming established, and Greenberg shows the admiration in his skilled critical eye for Clarke's sci-fi talents in his presentation remark. As always, please feel free to ask questions or request additional scans. L53n