Hardcover (Trade)
1st edition, 13th printing, January 2023
Weight: 2.97
ISBN-13: 978-0-915368-56-3
ISBN-10: 0-915368-56-0
Page count: 687
Book Size: 5-1/2" x 8-1/2"
The Rediscovery of Man
The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith
by Cordwainer Smith
“Scanners Live in Vain” was nominated for the 1951 Best Novellette RetroHugo!
The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith is the second book in the "NESFA's Choice" series. It brings back into print all of the short science fiction of Cordwainer Smith, and includes two never before published stories.
The Rediscovery of Man includes all of Smith's short science fiction, including:
- "Scanners Live in Vain" 1951 RetroHugo Nominee!
- "The Ballad of Lost C'mell"
- "The Dead Lady of Clown Town"
- "The Game of Rat and Dragon"
- "On the Storm Planet"
It also includes an in-depth introduction to the works of Cordwainer Smith by John J. Pierce, a noted authority on Smith's work.
NESFA Press also publishes Norstrilia, Smith's only SF novel, and Concordance to Cordwainer Smith.
Table of Contents
- Introduction by John J. Pierce
- Editor's Introduction
Stories of the Instrumentality of Mankind
- No, No, Not Rogov!
- War No. 8 1 -Q (rewritten version)
- Mark Elf
- The Queen of the Afternoon
- Scanners Live in Vain 1951 RetroHugo Nominee!
- The Lady Who Sailed The Soul
- When the People Fell
- Think Blue, Count Two
- The Colonel Came Back from the Nothing-at-All
- The Game of Rat and Dragon
- The Burning of the Brain
- From Gustible's Planet
- Himself in Anachron
- The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal
- Golden the Ship Was-Oh! Oh! Oh!
- The Dead Lady of Clown Town
- Under Old Earth
- Drunkboat
- Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons
- Alpha Ralpha Boulevard
- The Ballad of Lost C'mell
- A Planet Named Shayol
- On the Gem Planet
- On the Storm Planet
- On the Sand Planet
- Three to a Given Star
- Down to a Sunless Sea
Other Stories
- War No. 81-Q (original version)
- Western Science Is So Wonderful
- Nancy
- The Fife of Bodidharma
- Angerhelm
- The Good Friends
Cordwainer Smith
Cordwainer Smith was a pseudonym for Dr. Paul Linebarger. Linebarger was born in Milwaukee in 1913 but grew up in Japan, China, France, and Germany. He was the godson of Sun Yat-sen. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins when he was 23.
His first professional science fiction story, "Scanners Live in Vain," was published in Fantasy Book in 1950. It wasn't until the mid-fifties, though, that Frederik Pohl encouraged "Smith" to write more. Most of his science fiction was written between 1955 and 1966. He died in 1966.
In addition to the stories included in this book, Linebarger wrote one SF novel, Norstrilia, and (under other pen names) three mainstream novels—Ria, Corola, and Atomsk. He was also the author of Psychological Warfare, which is still regarded as the authoritative book in its field.
Cordwainer Smith's daughter has set up a web site about him and his work.
Printing History
Cover art by Jack Gaughan (originally used for the Pyramid collection of Cordwainer Smith stories Space Lords)
The book number 0-915368-56-0 was reserved for this collection because of the prevlaence of the number 56 in the writings of Cordwainer Smith.
Cover art by Jack Gaughan
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