The Last Dangerous Visions
Encyclopedia
The Last Dangerous Visions was a planned sequel to the science fiction
short story
anthologies
Dangerous Visions
and Again, Dangerous Visions
, originally published in 1967 and 1972 respectively. It is edited by Harlan Ellison
.
The projected third collection was started but controversially never finished. It has become something of a legend in science fiction as the genre's most famous unpublished book. It was originally announced for publication in 1973, but other work demanded Ellison's attention and the anthology has not seen print to date. He has come under criticism for his treatment of some writers who submitted their stories to him, whom some estimate to number nearly 150 (and many of whom have died in the ensuing four decades since the anthology was first announced).
Various difficulties delayed publication many times. As recently as May 2007, Ellison said he still wants to get the book out .
British
author Christopher Priest, whose story "An Infinite Summer" had been accepted for the collection, wrote a lengthy critique of Ellison's failure to complete the LDV project. It was first published by Priest as a one-shot fanzine
called The Last Deadloss Visions, a take-off of Priest's own fanzine title Deadloss. It proved so popular that it had a total of three printings in the UK and later, in book form, as the 1995 Hugo Award
nominated The Book on the Edge of Forever (an allusion to the Ellison-written Star Trek
episode The City on the Edge of Forever) by American publisher Fantagraphics Books
. The essay was once available online, but Priest has since requested the lengthy essay be withdrawn from the Internet
.
that the anthology had been sold to Berkley, who would publish the 700,000 words of fiction in three volumes. These tables of contents were published in the June 1979 issue of Locus
. Story titles are followed by an approximate word count. Also note that the totals given for each book do not exactly match the published list.
Authors marked with a '†' are known to have died since submitting their work to Ellison. (As of 8/2011 38% of the authors are known to be dead, but the actual number could be much higher.)
Michael Bishop
's story "Dogs' Lives" was published in the Spring 1984 issue of The Missouri Review
. It was subsequently reprinted in the 1985 edition of Best American Short Stories
.
"Himself in Anachron" by Cordwainer Smith
(died 1966), was published in the 1993 collection of Smith's short fiction, The Rediscovery of Man. Ellison threatened to sue New England Science Fiction Association
(NESFA) for publishing Himself in Anachron, sold to Ellison for the book by his widow, but later reached an amicable settlement.
Nelson Bond's contribution, "Pipeline to Paradise," saw publication in 1995 in the anthology Wheel of Fortune, edited by Roger Zelazny
. It was reprinted in 2002 in Bond's second Arkham House
collection, The Far Side of Nowhere
. Ellison has publicly acknowledged soliciting the story from Bond, who at the time had retired from writing.
In 1999, DAW Books published an original anthology entitled "Prom Night," edited by Nancy Springer (and Martin H. Greenberg, uncredited), which contains Fred Saberhagen
's LDV story, "The Senior Prom." And in 2004, Haffner Press published a coffee-table retrospective of the works of Jack Williamson
, Seventy-Five: The Diamond Anniversary of a Science Fiction Pioneer, which contains his LDV story, "Previews of Hell."
John Varley's
"The Bellman", which was published in Asimov's Science Fiction
magazine in 2003 and has since been reprinted; and Joe Haldeman
's "Fantasy for Six Electrodes and One Adrenaline Drip", which Haldeman had believed lost until finding an old carbon copy of the manuscript and which was finally published in his 2006 collection A Separate War and Other Stories.
In 2005 Haffner Press published a large reprint collection of Edmond Hamilton
's two "Star Kings" novels and Leigh Brackett
's three stories starring Eric Stark, called Stark and the Star Kings. The title story is the long-lost tale by both writers which should have been published in Last Dangerous Visions.
Steven Bryan Bieler's story "Where Are They Now?" appeared in the Spring 2008 (Volume VII, Issue 4) online magazine "Slow Trains" .
In 2008, Orson Scott Card
published "Geriatric Ward" in his collection of short fiction, Keeper of Dreams
. He wanted to see the story published in The Last Dangerous Visions, as Dangerous Visions
and Again, Dangerous Visions
had essentially taught him the art of writing speculative fiction, but he felt that, after so many decades, it would never happen.
At the time of this writing, these stories have also been published:
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
anthologies
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Dangerous Visions
Dangerous Visions
Dangerous Visions is a science fiction short story anthology edited by Harlan Ellison, published in 1967.A path-breaking collection, Dangerous Visions helped define the New Wave science fiction movement, particularly in its depiction of sex in science fiction...
and Again, Dangerous Visions
Again, Dangerous Visions
Again, Dangerous Visions is the sequel to the science fiction short story anthology Dangerous Visions, first published in 1972. It was edited by Harlan Ellison and illustrated by Ed Emshwiller....
, originally published in 1967 and 1972 respectively. It is edited by Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
.
The projected third collection was started but controversially never finished. It has become something of a legend in science fiction as the genre's most famous unpublished book. It was originally announced for publication in 1973, but other work demanded Ellison's attention and the anthology has not seen print to date. He has come under criticism for his treatment of some writers who submitted their stories to him, whom some estimate to number nearly 150 (and many of whom have died in the ensuing four decades since the anthology was first announced).
Various difficulties delayed publication many times. As recently as May 2007, Ellison said he still wants to get the book out .
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Christopher Priest, whose story "An Infinite Summer" had been accepted for the collection, wrote a lengthy critique of Ellison's failure to complete the LDV project. It was first published by Priest as a one-shot fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
called The Last Deadloss Visions, a take-off of Priest's own fanzine title Deadloss. It proved so popular that it had a total of three printings in the UK and later, in book form, as the 1995 Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
nominated The Book on the Edge of Forever (an allusion to the Ellison-written Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode The City on the Edge of Forever) by American publisher Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
. The essay was once available online, but Priest has since requested the lengthy essay be withdrawn from the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
1979 Contents List
It was announced in the April 1979 issue of LocusLocus (magazine)
Locus, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field", is published monthly in Oakland, California. It reports on the science fiction and fantasy publishing field, including comprehensive listings of all new books published in the genre. It is considered the news organ and trade...
that the anthology had been sold to Berkley, who would publish the 700,000 words of fiction in three volumes. These tables of contents were published in the June 1979 issue of Locus
Locus (magazine)
Locus, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field", is published monthly in Oakland, California. It reports on the science fiction and fantasy publishing field, including comprehensive listings of all new books published in the genre. It is considered the news organ and trade...
. Story titles are followed by an approximate word count. Also note that the totals given for each book do not exactly match the published list.
Authors marked with a '†' are known to have died since submitting their work to Ellison. (As of 8/2011 38% of the authors are known to be dead, but the actual number could be much higher.)
Book one
34 authors, 35 stories, 214,250 words.- "Among the Beautiful Bright Children" by James E. GunnJames Gunn (author)- Further reading :James E. Gunn The Listeners, BenBella Books, ISBN 1-932100-12-1 -External links:*...
(9100) - "Dark Night in Toyland" by Bob ShawBob ShawBob Shaw, born Robert Shaw, was a science fiction author and fan from Northern Ireland. He was noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980...
† (4000) (withdrawn by the author by their passing) - "Living Inside" by Bruce SterlingBruce SterlingMichael Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.-Writings:...
(2250) - "The Bing Bang Blues" by Delbert Casada (2000)
- "Ponce De Leon's Pants" by Mack ReynoldsMack ReynoldsDallas McCord "Mack" Reynolds was an American science fiction writer. His pen names included Clark Collins, Mark Mallory, Guy McCord, Dallas Ross and Maxine Reynolds. Many of his stories were published in Galaxy Magazine and Worlds of If Magazine...
† (1800) - "The True Believer" by A. Bertram ChandlerA. Bertram ChandlerArthur Bertram Chandler was a British-Australian science fiction author. He also wrote under the pseudonyms George Whitley, George Whitely, Andrew Dunstan, and S.H.M....
† (7000) - "The Bones Do Lie" by Anne McCaffreyAnne McCaffreyAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
(7000) - "Doug, Where Are We? I Don't Know. A Spaceship Maybe," by Grant Carrington (3800)
- "Child of Mind" by Lisa TuttleLisa TuttleLisa Tuttle is an American-born science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. She has published over a dozen novels, five short story collections, and several non-fiction titles, including a reference book on feminism. She has also edited several anthologies and reviewed books for various...
(6800) - "Dark Threshold" by P. C. HodgellP. C. HodgellPatricia "Pat" Christine Hodgell is an American fantasy writer, artist and professor.Dr. Hodgell holds a master's in English literature and a doctorate in 19th-century English literature, both of which were earned from the University of Minnesota...
(1500) - "Falling From Grace" by Ward MooreWard MooreWard Moore was the working name of American author Joseph Ward Moore. Moore grew up in New York City, and later moved to Chicago, and then to California....
† (4000) - "The 100 Million Horses of Planet Dada" by Daniel Walther (both French and English versions) (4200)
- "None So Deaf" by Richard E. Peck (2000)
- "A Time for Praying" by G. C. EdmondsonG. C. EdmondsonG. C. Edmondson was the working name of science fiction author Garry Edmonson . During World War II he served in the U. S...
† (7700) - "The Amazonas Link" by James Sutherland (6000)
- "At the Sign of the Boar's Head Nebula" by Richard WilsonRichard Wilson (author)Richard Wilson was a Nebula Award winning American science fiction writer and fan. He was a member of the Futurians, and was married at one time to Leslie Perri....
† (47000) - "All Creatures Great and Small" by Howard FastHoward FastHoward Melvin Fast was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.-Early life:Fast was born in New York City...
† (1200) - "A Night at Madame Mephisto's" by Joseph F. Pumilia (1200)
- "What Used to be Called Dead" by Leslie A. Fiedler† (2800)
- "Not All a Dream" by Manly Wade WellmanManly Wade WellmanManly Wade Wellman was an American writer. He is best known for his fantasy and horror stories set in the Appalachian Mountains and for drawing on the native folklore of that region, but he wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, detective...
† (5400) - "A Day in the Life of A-420" by Felix C. GotschalkFelix C. GotschalkFelix C. Gotschalk was an American science fiction writer with a distinct, idiosyncratic style, his work marked by energetic exploration of social and sexual taboos...
† (Jacques Goudchaux) (2600) - "The Residents of Kingston" by Doris PiserchiaDoris PiserchiaDoris Piserchia is a science fiction writer who was born and raised in West Virginia. She served in the United States Navy from 1950 to 1954 and after that received her Master's in educational psychology. She did not begin publishing until 1966. Her stories have an interest in aliens and have been...
(5000) - "Free Enterprise" by Jerry PournelleJerry PournelleJerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
(11000) - "Rundown" by John MorressyJohn MorressyJohn Morressy was a science fiction and fantasy writer and a professor of English at Franklin Pierce College.-Del Whitby series:* Starbrat...
† (1200) - "Various Kinds of Conceit" by Arthur Byron CoverArthur Byron CoverArthur Byron Cover is a science fiction author.Cover attended the Clarion Writer's SF Workshop in New Orleans in 1971, and made his first professional short-story sale to Harlan Ellison's The Last Dangerous Visions...
(2000) - "Son of 'Wild in the Streets'" by Robert Thom (15800)
- "Dick and Jane Go to Mars" by Wilson TuckerWilson TuckerArthur Wilson "Bob" Tucker was an American mystery, action adventure, and science fiction writer, who wrote professionally as Wilson Tucker....
† (7500) - "On the Way to the Woman of Your Dreams" by Raul Judson (3800)
- "Blackstop" by Gerard ConwayGerry ConwayGerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
(5500) - "Ten Times Your Fingers and Double You Toes" by Craig StreteCraig StreteCraig Kee Strete is a Cherokee Indian and science fiction and children's book author. He is noted for his use of American Indian themes and has been nominated for the Nebula Award twice. Beginning in the early 1970s, while working in the Film and Television industry, he began writing emotional...
(3500) - "The Names of Yanils" by Chan DavisChan DavisHorace Chandler Davis is an American-Canadian mathematician, writer, and educator.He was born in Ithaca, New York, to parents Horace B. Davis and Marian R. Davis. In 1948 he married Natalie Zemon Davis; they have three children...
(9000) - "Return to Elf Hill" by Robert Lilly (900)
- "The Carbon Dream" by Jack DannJack DannJack Dann is an American writer best known for his science fiction, an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, in the majority of cases as editor or co-editor of story anthologies in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres...
(9500) - "Dogs' Lives" by Michael BishopMichael Bishop (author)Michael Lawson Bishop is an award-winning American writer. Over four decades and thirty books, he has created a body of work that stands among the most admired in modern science fiction and fantasy literature....
(6000) (since withdrawn by the author)
Book two
32 authors, 40 stories, 216,527 words.- "Universe on the Turn" by Ian WatsonIan Watson (author)Ian Watson is a British science fiction author. He currently lives in Northamptonshire, England.His first novel, The Embedding, winner of the Prix Apollo in 1975, is unusual for being based on ideas from generative grammar; the title refers to the process of center embedding...
(4200) (since withdrawn by the author) - "The Children of Bull Weed" by Gordon EklundGordon EklundGordon Eklund is a Nebula Award-winning, American science fiction author whose works include the "Lord Tedric" series and two of the earliest original novels based on the 1960s Star Trek TV series. He has written under the pen name Wendell Stewart, and in one instance under the name of the late E. E...
(17000) (some sources title this "The Children of Bull Wood") - "Precis of the Rappacini Report" by Anthony BoucherAnthony BoucherAnthony Boucher was an American science fiction editor and author of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle...
† (850) (with an Afterword by Richard Matheson) - "Grandma, What's the Sky Made Of?" by Susan C. Lette (1500)
- "A Rousing Explanation of the Events Surrounding My Sister's Death" by David WiseDavid Wise (writer)David Wise is a television and animation writer, tutored by writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Frank Herbert, Harlan Ellison and Theodore Sturgeon whilst attending the Clarion Workshop.-Early life:...
(1800) - "The Dawn Patrol" by P.J. Plauger (10000)
- "I Had No Head and My Eyes Were Floating Way Up in the Air" by Clifford D. SimakClifford D. SimakClifford Donald Simak was an American science fiction writer. He was honored by fans with three Hugo awards and by colleagues with one Nebula award and was named the third Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1977.-Biography:Clifford Donald Simak was born in...
† (6600) - "To Have and To Hold" by Langdon Jones (20000)
- "The Malibu Fault" by Jonathan FastJonathan FastJonathan Fast is an American author and social work teacher.Fast was born in New York City. He attended Princeton University, and earned graduate degrees at Columbia University and Yeshiva University...
(1750) - "û-1 Think, Therefore û-1 Am" by Leonard Isaacs† (1000)
- "The Taut Arc of Desire" by Philippe CurvalPhilippe CurvalPhilippe Curval is the pseudonym of Philippe Tronche , a French journalist and science fiction writer.He first became of interest in 1962 and in 1977 won the Prix Apollo for Cette chère humanité He is also known for his works of science fiction criticism and as an editor.-External links:...
(7200) (both French and English versions) - "A Journey South" by John Christopher (21500)
- "The Return of Agent Black" by Ron GoulartRon GoulartRon Goulart is an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy and science fiction author.The prolific Goulart wrote many novelizations and other routine work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson , Con Steffanson , Chad Calhoun, R.T...
(3800) - "The Stone Which the Builders Rejected" by Avram DavidsonAvram DavidsonAvram 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...
† (2000) - "Signals" by Charles L. HarnessCharles L. HarnessCharles Leonard Harness was an American science fiction writer. He was born in Colorado City, Texas and grew up just outside it, then later in Fort Worth. He earned degrees in chemistry and law, and worked as a patent attorney in Connecticut and Washington, DC from 1947 to 1981...
† (13125) - "Thumbing it on the Beam and Other Magic Melting Moments" by D. M. Rowles (2000)
- "End" by Raylyn Moore† (9250)
- "Uncle Tom's Time Machine" by John JakesJohn JakesJohn William Jakes is an American writer, best known for American historical fiction.-Early life and education:...
(3000) - "Adversaries" by Franklin Fisher (4700)
- "Copping Out" by Hank Davis (1000)
- "Stark and the Star Kings" by Edmond HamiltonEdmond HamiltonEdmond Moore Hamilton was an American author of science fiction stories and novels during the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania...
† and Leigh BrackettLeigh BrackettLeigh Douglass Brackett was an American author, particularly of science fiction. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on famous films such as The Big Sleep , Rio Bravo , The Long Goodbye and The Empire Strikes Back .-Life:Leigh Brackett was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California...
† (10000) - "The Danaan Children Laugh" by Mildred Downey Broxon (5300)
- "Play Sweetly, In Harmony" by Joseph Green (6300)
- "Primordial Follies" by Robert SheckleyRobert SheckleyRobert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...
† (4000) - "Cargo Run" by William E. Cochrane (18800)
- "Pipeline to Paradise" by Nelson S. BondNelson S. BondNelson Slade Bond was an American author who wrote extensively for books, magazines, radio, television and the stage....
† (5000) - "Geriatric Ward" by Orson Scott CardOrson Scott CardOrson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
(7000) - "A Night at the Opera" by Robert Wissner (3000)
- "The Red Dream" by Charles PlattCharles Platt (science-fiction author)Charles Platt is an author, journalist and computer programmer. He relocated from England to the United States in 1970, is a naturalized U.S. citizen and has one daughter, Rose Fox...
(9800) - "Living Alone in the Jungle" by Algis BudrysAlgis BudrysAlgis Budrys was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names "Frank Mason", "Alger Rome", "John A. Sentry", "William Scarff", and "Paul Janvier."-Biography:...
† (1352) - "The Life and the Clay" by Edgar PangbornEdgar PangbornEdgar Pangborn was an American mystery, historical, and science fiction author.-Life:Edgar Pangborn was born in New York City on February 25, 1909, to Harry Levi Pangborn, an attorney and dictionary editor, and Georgia Wood Pangborn, a noted writer of supernatural fiction...
† (6500)
Book three
36 authors, 38 stories, 214,200 words.- "Mama's Girl" by Daniel KeyesDaniel KeyesDaniel Keyes is an American author best known for his Hugo award-winning short story and Nebula award-winning novel Flowers for Algernon. Keyes was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000.-Early life and career:Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New...
(4000) - "Himself in Anachron" by Cordwainer SmithCordwainer SmithCordwainer Smith – pronounced CORDwainer – was the pseudonym used by American author Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger for his science fiction works. Linebarger was a noted East Asia scholar and expert in psychological warfare...
† (2500) - "Dreamwork, A Novel" by Pamela ZolinePamela ZolinePamela Zoline or Pamela Lifton-Zoline is a writer and painter living in the United States in Telluride, Colorado.Among science fiction fans, she is known for her controversial 1967 short story "The Heat Death of the Universe"...
(16000) - "The Giant Rat of Sumatra, or By the Light of the Silvery" by the Firesign Theatre (5000)
- "Leveled Best" by Steve Herbst (1300)
- "Search Cycle: Beginning and Ending" by Russell Bates
- "The Last Quest" (2500)
- "Fifth and Last Horseman" (5000)
- "XYY" by Vonda McIntyreVonda McIntyreVonda Neel McIntyre is an American science fiction author.-Biography:Vonda N. McIntyre, daughter of H. Neel and Vonda B. Keith McIntyre, earned a degree in biology from the University of Washington in 1970. That same year, she attended the Clarion Writers Workshop, founded at the Clarion...
(1600) - "The Accidental Ferosslk" by Frank HerbertFrank HerbertFranklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
† (3500) - "The Burning Zone" by Graham Charnock (6000)
- "Cacophony in Pink and Ochre" by Doris Pitkin Buck† (5500)
- "The Accidents of Blood" by Frank Bryning† (5500)
- "The Murderer's Song" by Michael MoorcockMichael MoorcockMichael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
(7500) - "On the Other Side of Space, In the Lobby of the Potlatch Inn" by Wallace WestWallace WestWallace West was an American science fiction writer. He began publishing in 1927 with the story "Loup-Garou" in Weird Tales. The majority of West's work, which appeared prior to the 1960s, was short fiction, although he occasionally did turn his hand to writing novels...
† (6500) - "Two From Kotzwinkle's Bestiary" by William KotzwinkleWilliam KotzwinkleWilliam Kotzwinkle is an American novelist, children's writer, and screenwriter. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for Doctor Rat in 1977, and has also won the National Magazine Award for fiction. Kotzwinkle wrote the novelization of the...
(5000) - "Childfinder" by Octavia E. Butler† (3250)
- "Potiphee, Petey and Me" by Tom ReamyTom ReamyTom Reamy was an American science fiction and fantasy author and a key figure in 1960s and 1970s science fiction fandom. He died prior to the publication of his first novel; his work is primarily dark fantasy....
† (17000) - "The Seadragon" Laurence YepLaurence Yep-Background:Chinese-American, Yep was born in San Francisco, California to Yep Gim Lew and Franche. His older brother, Thomas named him after studying a particular saint in a multicultural neighborhood that consisted of mostly African Americans. Growing up, he often felt torn between both...
(17000) - "Emerging Nation" by Alfred BesterAlfred BesterAlfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books...
† (2000) - "Ugly Duckling Gets the Treatment and Becomes Cinderella Except Her Foot's Too Big for the Prince's Slipper and Is Webbed Besides" by Robert ThurstonRobert ThurstonRobert Thurston is a science fiction author well known for his works in popular shared world settings, most notably his Clan Jade Falcon novels of the BattleTech universe and the novelizations of the original Battlestar Galactica television series....
(3500) - "Goodbye" by Steven UtleySteven UtleySteven Utley is an American writer. He has written poems, humorous essays and other non-fiction, and worked on comic books and cartoons, but is best known for his science fiction stories.-Biography:...
(2000) - "Golgotha" by Graham Hall† (3200)
- "War Stories" by Edward BryantEdward BryantEdward Winslow Bryant Jr. is a science fiction and horror writer sometimes associated with the Dangerous Visions series of anthologies that bolstered The New Wave....
(10000) - "The Bellman" by John VarleyJohn Varley (author)John Herbert Varley is an American science fiction author.-Biography:Varley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, moved to Port Arthur in 1957, and graduated from Nederland High School. He went to Michigan State University on a National Merit Scholarship because, of the schools that he could afford, it...
(11500) - "Fantasy for Six Electrodes and One Adrenaline Drip (A Play in the Form of a Feelie Script)" by Joe HaldemanJoe HaldemanJoe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
(10000) - "A Dog and His Boy" by Harry HarrisonHarry HarrisonHarry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
(4000) - "Las Animas" by Janet Nay (6800)
- "False Premises" by George Alec EffingerGeorge Alec EffingerGeorge Alec Effinger was an American science fiction author, born in 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio.-Writing career:...
†- "The Capitals Are Wrong" (4000)
- "Stage Fright" (2500)
- "Rocky Colavito Batted .268 in 1955" (5500)
- "Fishing With Hemingway" (3000)
- "The Senior Prom" by Fred SaberhagenFred SaberhagenFred Thomas Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his Berserker series of science fiction short stories and S.F...
† (4800) - "Skin" by A. E. van VogtA. E. van VogtAlfred Elton van Vogt was a Canadian-born science fiction author regarded by some as one of the most popular and complex science fiction writers of the mid-twentieth century: the "Golden Age" of the genre....
† (7000) - "Halfway There" by Stan Dryer (3000)
- "Love Song" by Gordon R. DicksonGordon R. DicksonGordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author.- Biography :Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1923. After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1937...
† (6000) - "Suzy is Something Special" by Michael G. ConeyMichael G. ConeyMichael Greatrex Coney was a British science fiction writer who spent the later half of his life in Canada. Born in Birmingham, England on September 28, 1932, he moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1972...
† (8000) - "Previews of Hell" by Jack WilliamsonJack WilliamsonJohn Stewart Williamson , who wrote as Jack Williamson was a U.S. writer often referred to as the "Dean of Science Fiction" following the death in 1988 of Robert A...
† (3000)
Missing or withdrawn stories
The following stories were listed in previous published contents lists, or were known to have been submitted to Ellison for inclusion, but were not listed in the 1979 contents.- "Where Are They Now?" by Steven Bryan Bieler (Sold to LDV in 1984, withdrawn in 1988)
- "The Great Forest Lawn Clearance Sale: Hurry Last Days!" by Stephen DedmanStephen DedmanStephen Dedman is an Australian author of dark fantasy and science fiction stories and novels.-Biography:...
(According to the author's website) - "Squad D" by Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
(Submitted to LDV, but possibly not accepted) - "How Dobbstown Was Saved" by Bob LemanBob LemanRobert J. Leman was an American science fiction and horror short story author, most associated with The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction...
(Sold to LDV in 1981) - "The Swastika Setup" by Michael MoorcockMichael MoorcockMichael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
(Withdrawn and replaced by "The Murderer's Song") - "An Infinite Summer" by Christopher Priest (Withdrawn in 1976)
- "The Isle of Sinbad" by Thomas N. ScortiaThomas N. ScortiaThomas Nicholas Scortia was a science fiction author. He worked in the American aerospace industry until the late 60s/early 70s. He collaborated on several works with fellow author Frank M. Robinson. He sometimes used the pseudonyms "Scott Nichols", "Gerald MacDow", and "Arthur R....
(Listed in Alien Critic #7, 1973, but not in the Locus 1979 list)
Alternative publications of the stories
Several stories purchased for Last Dangerous Visions were eventually published elsewhere. Perhaps the first was Christopher Priest's "An Infinite Summer", which appeared in Andromeda 1, edited by Peter Weston and published in 1976.Michael Bishop
Michael Bishop (author)
Michael Lawson Bishop is an award-winning American writer. Over four decades and thirty books, he has created a body of work that stands among the most admired in modern science fiction and fantasy literature....
's story "Dogs' Lives" was published in the Spring 1984 issue of The Missouri Review
The Missouri Review
The Missouri Review is a literary magazine. Founded in 1978 by the University of Missouri, it publishes fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction quarterly. With its open submission policy, The Missouri Review receives 12,000 manuscripts each year and is known for printing previously unpublished...
. It was subsequently reprinted in the 1985 edition of Best American Short Stories
Best American Short Stories
The Best American Short Stories yearly anthology is a part of The Best American Series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the BASS anthology has striven to contain the best short stories by some of the best-known writers in contemporary American literature.-Edward O'Brien:The...
.
"Himself in Anachron" by Cordwainer Smith
Cordwainer Smith
Cordwainer Smith – pronounced CORDwainer – was the pseudonym used by American author Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger for his science fiction works. Linebarger was a noted East Asia scholar and expert in psychological warfare...
(died 1966), was published in the 1993 collection of Smith's short fiction, The Rediscovery of Man. Ellison threatened to sue New England Science Fiction Association
New England Science Fiction Association
The New England Science Fiction Association, or NESFA, is a science fiction club centered in the New England area. It was founded in 1967, "by fans who wanted to do things in addition to socializing"...
(NESFA) for publishing Himself in Anachron, sold to Ellison for the book by his widow, but later reached an amicable settlement.
Nelson Bond's contribution, "Pipeline to Paradise," saw publication in 1995 in the anthology Wheel of Fortune, edited by Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
. It was reprinted in 2002 in Bond's second Arkham House
Arkham House
Arkham House is a publishing house specializing in weird fiction founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to preserve in hardcover the best fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. The company's name is derived from Lovecraft's fictional New England city, Arkham. Arkham House...
collection, The Far Side of Nowhere
The Far Side of Nowhere
The Far Side of Nowhere is a collection of fantasy and horror stories by author Nelson Bond. It was released in 2002 and was the author's second book published by Arkham House. It was published in an edition of approximately 2,500 copies...
. Ellison has publicly acknowledged soliciting the story from Bond, who at the time had retired from writing.
In 1999, DAW Books published an original anthology entitled "Prom Night," edited by Nancy Springer (and Martin H. Greenberg, uncredited), which contains Fred Saberhagen
Fred Saberhagen
Fred Thomas Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his Berserker series of science fiction short stories and S.F...
's LDV story, "The Senior Prom." And in 2004, Haffner Press published a coffee-table retrospective of the works of Jack Williamson
Jack Williamson
John Stewart Williamson , who wrote as Jack Williamson was a U.S. writer often referred to as the "Dean of Science Fiction" following the death in 1988 of Robert A...
, Seventy-Five: The Diamond Anniversary of a Science Fiction Pioneer, which contains his LDV story, "Previews of Hell."
John Varley's
John Varley (author)
John Herbert Varley is an American science fiction author.-Biography:Varley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, moved to Port Arthur in 1957, and graduated from Nederland High School. He went to Michigan State University on a National Merit Scholarship because, of the schools that he could afford, it...
"The Bellman", which was published in Asimov's Science Fiction
Asimov's Science Fiction
Asimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...
magazine in 2003 and has since been reprinted; and Joe Haldeman
Joe Haldeman
Joe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
's "Fantasy for Six Electrodes and One Adrenaline Drip", which Haldeman had believed lost until finding an old carbon copy of the manuscript and which was finally published in his 2006 collection A Separate War and Other Stories.
In 2005 Haffner Press published a large reprint collection of Edmond Hamilton
Edmond Hamilton
Edmond Moore Hamilton was an American author of science fiction stories and novels during the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania...
's two "Star Kings" novels and Leigh Brackett
Leigh Brackett
Leigh Douglass Brackett was an American author, particularly of science fiction. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on famous films such as The Big Sleep , Rio Bravo , The Long Goodbye and The Empire Strikes Back .-Life:Leigh Brackett was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California...
's three stories starring Eric Stark, called Stark and the Star Kings. The title story is the long-lost tale by both writers which should have been published in Last Dangerous Visions.
Steven Bryan Bieler's story "Where Are They Now?" appeared in the Spring 2008 (Volume VII, Issue 4) online magazine "Slow Trains" .
In 2008, Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
published "Geriatric Ward" in his collection of short fiction, Keeper of Dreams
Keeper of Dreams
Keeper of Dreams is a short story collection by Orson Scott Card. It contains twenty-two stories by Card which do not appear in his collection Maps in a Mirror...
. He wanted to see the story published in The Last Dangerous Visions, as Dangerous Visions
Dangerous Visions
Dangerous Visions is a science fiction short story anthology edited by Harlan Ellison, published in 1967.A path-breaking collection, Dangerous Visions helped define the New Wave science fiction movement, particularly in its depiction of sex in science fiction...
and Again, Dangerous Visions
Again, Dangerous Visions
Again, Dangerous Visions is the sequel to the science fiction short story anthology Dangerous Visions, first published in 1972. It was edited by Harlan Ellison and illustrated by Ed Emshwiller....
had essentially taught him the art of writing speculative fiction, but he felt that, after so many decades, it would never happen.
At the time of this writing, these stories have also been published:
- "Precis of the Rappacini Report" by Anthony BoucherAnthony BoucherAnthony Boucher was an American science fiction editor and author of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle...
(published as "Rappaccini's Other Daughter" in 1999) - "Living Alone in the Jungle" by Algis BudrysAlgis BudrysAlgis Budrys was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names "Frank Mason", "Alger Rome", "John A. Sentry", "William Scarff", and "Paul Janvier."-Biography:...
(1991) - "A Journey South" by John Christopher (1991)
- "The Names of Yanils" by Chan DavisChan DavisHorace Chandler Davis is an American-Canadian mathematician, writer, and educator.He was born in Ithaca, New York, to parents Horace B. Davis and Marian R. Davis. In 1948 he married Natalie Zemon Davis; they have three children...
(1999) - "What Used to be Called Dead" by Leslie A. Fiedler (1990)
- "Signals" by Charles L. HarnessCharles L. HarnessCharles Leonard Harness was an American science fiction writer. He was born in Colorado City, Texas and grew up just outside it, then later in Fort Worth. He earned degrees in chemistry and law, and worked as a patent attorney in Connecticut and Washington, DC from 1947 to 1981...
(1987) - "A Dog and His Boy" by Harry HarrisonHarry HarrisonHarry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
(2002) - "Mama's Girl" by Daniel KeyesDaniel KeyesDaniel Keyes is an American author best known for his Hugo award-winning short story and Nebula award-winning novel Flowers for Algernon. Keyes was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000.-Early life and career:Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New...
(1993 in Japanese) - "How Dobbstown Was Saved" by Bob LemanBob LemanRobert J. Leman was an American science fiction and horror short story author, most associated with The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction...
(2002) - "The Bones Do Lie" by Anne McCaffreyAnne McCaffreyAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
(1995) - "The Swastika Setup" by Michael MoorcockMichael MoorcockMichael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
(withdrawn and replaced by "The Murderer's Song", published in 1988) - "Dark Night in Toyland" by Bob ShawBob ShawBob Shaw, born Robert Shaw, was a science fiction author and fan from Northern Ireland. He was noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980...
(1988) - "Ten Times Your Fingers and Double Your Toes" by Craig StreteCraig StreteCraig Kee Strete is a Cherokee Indian and science fiction and children's book author. He is noted for his use of American Indian themes and has been nominated for the Nebula Award twice. Beginning in the early 1970s, while working in the Film and Television industry, he began writing emotional...
(1980) - "Universe on the Turn" by Ian WatsonIan Watson (author)Ian Watson is a British science fiction author. He currently lives in Northamptonshire, England.His first novel, The Embedding, winner of the Prix Apollo in 1975, is unusual for being based on ideas from generative grammar; the title refers to the process of center embedding...
(1984) - "At the Sign of the Boar's Head Nebula by Richard WilsonRichard Wilson (author)Richard Wilson was a Nebula Award winning American science fiction writer and fan. He was a member of the Futurians, and was married at one time to Leslie Perri....
(2011)