14 short stories set in a universe of scanners, planoforming ships and animal-derived Underpeople. 1 No, No, Not Rogov! (1959) 2 War No. 81-Q (1928) 3 Mark Elf (1957) 4 The Queen of the Afternoon (1978) 5 When the People Fell (1959) 6 Think Blue, Count Two (1963) 7 The Colonel Came Back from the Nothing-at-All (1979) 8 From Gustible's Planet (1962) 9 Drunkboat (1963) 10 Western Science Is So Wonderful (1958) 11 Nancy (1959) 12 The Fife of Bodidharma (1959) 13 Angerhelm (1959) 14 The Good Friends (1963) "First Edition: May 1979" stated on the copyright page.

Cordwainer Smith was one of the original visionaries to think of humanity in terms of thousands of years in the future, spread out across the universe. This brilliant collection, often cited as the first of its kind, explores fundamental questions about ourselves and our treatment of the universe (and other beings) around us and ultimately what it means to be human. Contents: \* Cordwainer Smith: The Shaper of Myths (1975) • essay by John J. Pierce \[as by J. J. Pierce\] \* The Instrumentality of Mankind (timeline) (1975) • essay by John J. Pierce \* Scanners Live in Vain \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1950) / novelette by Cordwainer Smith: meet Martel, a human altered to be part machine-a scanner-to be able withstand the trauma space travel has on the body. Despite the stigma placed on him and his kind, he is able to regrasp his humanity to save another; Fantasy Book #6 ’50 \* The Lady Who Sailed The Soul \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1960) / novelette by Cordwainer Smith, Genevieve Linebarger; Galaxy Apr ’60 \* The Game of Rat and Dragon \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1955) / short story by Cordwainer Smith; Galaxy Oct ’55 \* The Burning of the Brain \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1958) / short story by Cordwainer Smith; If Oct ’58 \* Golden the Ship Was - Oh! Oh! Oh! \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1959) / short story by Cordwainer Smith, Genevieve Linebarger; Amazing Apr ’59 \* The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1964) / short story by Cordwainer Smith; Amazing May ’64 \* The Dead Lady of Clown Town \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1964) / novella by Cordwainer Smith: get to know the underpeople-animals genetically altered to exist in human form, to better serve their human owners-and meet D'Joan, a dog-woman who will make readers question who is more human: the animals who simply want to be recognized as having the same right to life, or the people who created them to be inferior; Galaxy Aug ’64 \* Under Old Earth \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1966) / novelette by Cordwainer Smith; Galaxy Feb ’66 \* Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1961) / novelette by Cordwainer Smith; Galaxy Jun ’61 \* Alpha Ralpha Boulevard \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1961) / novelette by Cordwainer Smith; Galaxy Jun ’61 \* The Ballad of Lost C'mell \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1962) / novelette by Cordwainer Smith: the notion of love being the most important equalizer there is, is put into action when an underperson, C'mell, falls in love with Lord Jestocost. Who is to say her love for him is not as valid as any true-born human? She might be of cat descent, but she is all woman!; Galaxy Oct ’62 \* A Planet Named Shayol \[The Instrumentality of Mankind\] (1961) / novelette by Cordwainer Smith: it is an underperson of bull descent, and beings so mutilated and deformed from their original human condition to be now considered demons of a hellish land, who retain and display the most humanity when Mankind commits the most inhumane action of all; Galaxy Oct ’61 aka: Paul M. A. Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, Paul Linebarger, Felix C. Forrest, Carmichael Smith, Kordvejner Smit. .

Novel and short stories: 1 Norstrilia \[Novel\] 2 Alpha Ralpha Boulevard 3 Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons 4 The Ballad of Lost C'Mell 5 The Dead Lady of Clown Town 6 Under Old Earth Humans are kept stagnantly happy by the 'Instrumentality' totalitarian government. Underpeople are slave humanoids bred from animals. Planet Norstrilia is the only source of drug stroon that makes man immortal, where Rod McBan is a boy, yet owns Earth. On Earth, he joins C'Mell and the Underpeople to bring back freedom.

The third story in this volume takes place 16,000 years in the future. When you realize that the 33 stories are ordered chronologically, you begin to grasp the scale of Cordwainer Smith's creation. Regimes, technologies, planets, moralities, religions, histories all rise and fall through his millennia. These are futuristic tales told as myth, as legend, as a history of a distant and decayed past. Written in an unadorned voice reminiscent of James Tiptree Jr., Smith's visions are dark and pessimistic, clearly a contrast from the mood of SF in his time; in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s it was still thought that science would cure the ills of humanity. In Smith's tales, space travel takes a horrendous toll on those who pilot the ships through the void. After reaching perfection, the lack of strife stifles humanity to a point of decay and stagnation; the Instrumentality of Mankind arises in order to stir things up. Many stories describe moral dilemmas involving the humanity of the Underpeople, beings evolved from animals into humanlike forms. Stories not to be missed in this collection include "Scanners Live in Vain", "The Dead Lady of Clown Town", "Under Old Earth", "The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal", "Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons", and the truly disturbing "A Planet Called Shayol". Serious SF fans should not pass up the chance to experience Cordwainer Smith's complex, distinctive vision of the far future. \—Bonnie Bouman Contents: \- Introduction by John J. Pierce \- Editor’s Introduction by James A. Mann • Stories of the Instrumentality of Mankind \- No, No, Not Rogov! (1959) \- War No. 81-Q (rewritten version) \- Mark Elf (1957) \- The Queen of the Afternoon (1978) \- Letter to Editor, Fantasy Book (March 9, 1948) \- Scanners Live in Vain (1950) \- The Lady Who Sailed The Soul (1960) \- When the People Fell (1959) \- Think Blue, Count Two (1963) \- The Colonel Came Back from Nothing-at-All (1979) \- The Game of Rat and Dragon (1955) \- The Burning of the Brain (1958) \- From Gustible’s Planet (1962) \- Himself in Anachron \- The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal (1964) \- Golden the Ship Was—Oh! Oh! Oh! (1959) \- The Dead Lady of Clown Town (1964) \- Under Old Earth (1966) \- Drunkboat (1963) \- Mother Hitton’s Littul Kittons (1961) \- Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (1961) \- The Ballad of Lost C’Mell (1962) \- A Planet Named Shayol (1961) \- On the Gem Planet \[Casher O'Neill\] (1963) \- On the Storm Planet \[Casher O'Neill\] (1965) \- On the Sand Planet \[Casher O'Neill\] (1965) \- Three to a Given Star \[Casher O'Neill\] (1965) \- Down to a Sunless Sea (1975) • Other Stories \- War No. 81-Q (original version) (1928) \- Western Science Is So Wonderful (1958) \- Nancy (1959) \- The Fife of Bodidharma (1959) \- Angerhelm (1959) \- The Good Friends (1963) Cover art by Jack Gaughan