Reading Journal Entry: The SFWA Grand Masters Volume 1, edited by Frederick Phol

This was another short story collection that I read during my long weekend. And it was like revisiting old friends.

The SFWA Grand Masters collection includes significant works from recipients of the Grand Mast Award. This volume, #1, includes works from Heinlein, Jack Williamson, Clifford D. Simak, L. Sprague de Camp, and Fritz Leiber.

I am very familiar with the works of four out of five, but Williamson was a nice surprise.

Frederick Pohl provided some nice biographical material, but not nearly enough information about the stories themselves. I wanted to know date of publication, awards won, reasoning behind inclusion. This lack was especially baffling since several selections were (ok, seemed to be, I couldn't be sure since there was NO INFORMATION ABOUT THEM) nonfiction or autobiographical essays.

The real reason I picked this up is because I read at Nicholas Whyte's webpagethat it contains one of those SF stories that have won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards - Grotto of the Dancing Deer by Simak. I enjoyed it, but it's one of those great ideas that has been ripped off so many times that forty years later, it seems old hat..