Contains the most popular and important stories from van Vogt's wide and varied career. 13 • The Man in the Labyrinth • essay by Joe Rico 15 • Alfred E. van Vogt • essay by Hal Clement 19 • Black Destroyer • [Space Beagle] • (1939) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 47 • The Monster • (1948) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt (variant of Resurrection) 63 • Film Library • (1946) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 81 • Enchanted Village • (1950) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 93 • Asylum • (1942) • novella by A. E. van Vogt 135 • Vault of the Beast • (1940) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 155 • The Ghost • (1942) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 185 • The Rull • [Rull] • (1948) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 207 • Recruiting Station • (1942) • novella by A. E. van Vogt (variant of Masters of Time) 277 • A Can of Paint • (1944) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 289 • The Search • (1943) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 315 • Dear Pen Pal • (1949) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 321 • The Harmonizer • (1944) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 329 • The Great Judge • (1948) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 333 • Far Centaurus • (1944) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 351 • Secret Unattainable • (1942) • novella by A. E. van Vogt 389 • Future Perfect • (1973) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 409 • The Great Engine • [Pendrake] • (1943) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 437 • Dormant • (1948) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 451 • The Sound • [Rull] • (1949) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 471 • The Rulers • (1944) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 487 • Final Command • (1949) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 505 • War of Nerves • [Space Beagle] • (1950) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 523 • Don't Hold Your Breath • (1973) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 541 • Discord in Scarlet • [Space Beagle] • (1939) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt 573 • Afterword (Transfinite: The Essential A. E. van Vogt) • essay by Rick Katze
Author
Alfred 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. van Vogt was born to Russian Mennonite family. Until he was four years old, van Vogt and his family spoke only a dialect of Low German in the home. He began his writing career with 'true story' romances, but then moved to writing science fiction, a field he identified with. His first story was Black Destroyer, that appeared as the front cover story for the July 1939 edtion of the popular "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine.
