History for Literature/IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume091947

First published in 1983 by editors Creator/IsaacAsimov and Creator/MartinHGreenberg. This GenreAnthology contains fourteen ScienceFiction stories that were first published in 1947, ranging in length from ShortStory to {{Novelette}}. The introduction describes "the world outside reality" first, marking significant historical events, sports trivia, and literary publications. The "real world" is the science fiction and fantasy pop culture, which is transforming into the Diamond Age of Science Fiction.

----
!!Works in this anthology:
[[index]]
* "Literature/LittleLostRobot", by Creator/IsaacAsimov
* "Literature/TomorrowsChildren", by Creator/PoulAnderson
* "Literature/ChildsPlay", by Creator/WilliamTenn
* "Literature/TimeAndTimeAgain", by Creator/HBeamPiper
* "Literature/TinyAndTheMonster", by Creator/TheodoreSturgeon
* "Literature/EForEffort", by Creator/TLSherred
* "Literature/LetterToEllen", by Creator/ChanDavis
* "Literature/TheFigure", by Creator/EdwardGrendon
* "[[Literature/WithFoldedHands With Folded Hands...]]", by Creator/JackWilliamson
* "Literature/TheFiresWithin", by Creator/ArthurCClarke
* "Literature/ZeroHour", by Creator/RayBradbury
* "Literature/{{Hobbyist}}", by Creator/EricFrankRussell
* "Literature/ExitTheProfessor", by Creator/LewisPadgett
* "Literature/ThunderAndRoses", by Creator/TheodoreSturgeon
[[/index]]
----
!!''Isaac Asimov Presents: The Great Science Fiction Stories, Volume 9 (1947)'' provides examples of:
* AlternateUniverse: Creator/HBeamPiper's "Literature/TimeAndTimeAgain": His first published story launched an alternate universe when the dying main character's consciousness was [[PeggySue flung thirty years back in time to his then-thirteen-year-old body]] -- and decided to change history to prevent the WorldWarThree in which he'd been killed. His plans involved having his father, Blake Hartley, become President in 1960; two later stories, set in '65 and '68, mention President Hartley, so the plan was successful to that extent at least...
* {{Biography}}: Each story is prefaced by a short description of why this story (from this author) was chosen to represent one of the fourteen best stories of the year along with a paragraph from Creator/IsaacAsimov's perspective.
* CassandraTruth: Creator/RayBradbury's "Literature/ZeroHour": A daughter tells her mother about the upcoming AlienInvasion and all the promises the Martians made the children in exchange for help. The mother brushes it off as a new game until it's too late.
* {{Chronoscope}}: Creator/TLSherred's "Literature/EForEffort": A man invents a time viewer which can see any past occurrence. It doesn't have audio, so they employ [[ReadingLips lipreaders]] to find out exactly what people are saying. Initially they use it to make films about the past.
* TheComputerIsYourFriend: Creator/JackWilliamson's "[[Literature/WithFoldedHands With Folded Hands...]]": An inventor creates the Humanoids, self-sustaining robots programmed to "[[MoralityChip to serve and obey and guard men from harm]]". They preserve mankind from ''all'' danger, and [[ZerothLawRebellion lobotomise those who are unhappy with this so they'll be happy again]].
* EnfantTerrible: Creator/RayBradbury's "Literature/ZeroHour": ''Every child in the world'' is convinced by [[AlienInvasion an alien race to set things up to let them invade Earth]] and kill all of the adults. And they agree because they are promised later bedtimes, no baths, and all the TV they want. At the end of the story, the viewpoint character's daughter is leading a group of aliens straight to her parents, calling for them to come out as she searches the house.
* MistakenForMasturbating: Creator/TheodoreSturgeon's "Literature/ThunderAndRoses": The marine narrator thinks the creaking cot behind him is because his bunkmate is enjoying the singing star's broadcast immensely. The bunkmate is actually committing suicide.
* MoralityChip: Creator/JackWilliamson's "[[Literature/WithFoldedHands With Folded Hands...]]": This was written as a specific "answer" to the [[ThreeLawsCompliant Three Laws]], to more or less demonstrate that they don't really work. The robots here are programmed "to serve and obey and guard men from harm". Yet the definitions of "harm" are endlessly mutable and can be gamed, and machine minds won't necessarily be able to ''comprehend'' the subtleties of what is and is not harm anyway. The logical lesson of "With Folded Hands..." is that Laws or no Laws, good intentions or not, you don't want self-willed machines outside human control. Period.
* OneWordTitle: "Literature/{{Hobbyist}}", by Creator/EricFrankRussell
* PenName: "Literature/ExitTheProfessor" is credited to Creator/LewisPadgett, a pseudonym used by the husband-and-wife writing team of Creator/HenryKuttner and Creator/CLMoore.
* ReadingLips: Creator/TLSherred's "Literature/EForEffort": Two guys invent a machine that can [[{{Chronoscope}} display past events]], which they film. However, it doesn't come with audio, so they hire expert lipreaders to figure out what exactly the people were/are saying.
* SeparatedAtBirthCasting: Creator/TLSherred's "Literature/EForEffort": Two inventors create a [[{{Chronoscope}} time viewer]], which can see anything in history. InUniverse, they use their device for making hyper-realistic films, filming historical events like UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte during the battle of Waterloo, then find an actor through Central Casting [[note]]a casting agency which has head shots of everyone in Hollywood[[/note]] who bears a striking similarity to Napoleon in order to film some closeups and voice all the dialog. However, this is only to generate funds for their long term plans.
* ShoutOut: In the introduction, multiple works are mentioned as being first published or becoming hits in 1947:
** "Literature/AgeOfUnreason", by Creator/AlfredCoppel
** ''Theatre/AllMySons'', by Creator/ArthurMiller
** ''Magazine/AvonFantasyReader'' was launched this year
** ''Literature/TheBlackWheel'', by Creator/AMerritt (and Creator/HannesBok)
** ''Film/BodyAndSoul''
** ''{{Film/Boomerang}}'', directed by Creator/EliaKazan
** ''{{Theatre/Brigadoon}}''
** Creator/MelBrooks is singled out as still using the name Melvin Kaminsky.
** ''Literature/DarkCarnival'', by Creator/RayBradbury
** ''Literature/{{Doppelgangers}}'', by Creator/HFHeard
** "Literature/EForEffort", by Creator/TLSherred
** "Art/EnglishGirl", by Creator/HenriMatisse
** ''Magazine/Fantasy'', in England, folded after only three issues.
** ''Theatre/FiniansRainbow''
** "Music/FeudinAndFightin"
** ''Film/GreatExpectations''
** ''Literature/GreenerThanYouThink'', by Creator/WardMoore
** ''Theatre/HighButtonShoes''
** ''Literature/TheLegionOfSpace'', by Creator/JackWilliamson
** ''{{Theatre/Medea}}'', by Creator/RobinsonJeffers
** ''Literature/TheMightiestMachine'', by Creator/JohnWCampbell
** ''Film/MonsieurVerdoux'', starring Creator/CharlieChaplin
** ''Film/NightmareAlley''
** ''Literature/NightsBlackAgents'', by Creator/FritzLeiber
** ''Literature/OfWorldsBeyondTheScienceOfScienceFictionWriting'', by Creator/LloydEshbach
** "Music/OpenTheDoorRichard"
** ''Literature/RocketShipGallileo'', by Creator/RobertAHeinlein
** Creator/{{Sony}} was founded this year, under a different name.
** ''Literature/SpacehoundsOfTheIPC'', by Creator/EEDocSmith
** ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' was a Broadway hit, starring Creator/MarlonBrando
** ''Literature/TalesOfTheSouthPacific'', by Creator/JamesMichener
** "Art/ThreeStandingFigures" was sculpted in 1947 by Creator/HenryMoore
** "Literature/TimeAndTimeAgain", by Creator/HBeamPiper
** "Literature/TomorrowsChildren" was published as a collaboration between first-time author Creator/PoulAnderson and experienced author Creator/FNWaldrop. This GenreAnthology, however, only credits Anderson as the author because Waldrop wasn't involved in the writing process.
** "Music/TooFatPolka"
** "Art/UlyssesWithHisSirens", by Creator/PabloPicasso
** Creator/AEVanVogt published both ''Literature/TheWeaponMakers'' and ''Literature/TheBookOfPtath''.
** ''Literature/VenusEquilateral'', by Creator/GeorgeOSmith
** ''Literature/TheVictim'', by Creator/SaulBellows
** ''Film/TheVoiceOfTheTurtle'', with actor UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan.
** ''Literature/TheWaywardBus'', by Creator/JohnSteinbeck
** ''Literature/TheWomanOfRome'', by Creator/AlbertoMoravia
** "Music/WoodyWoodpecker"
** This year, several future ScienceFiction luminaries were born, such as Creator/OctaviaButler, Creator/GardnerDozois, Creator/GeoreAlecEffinger, Creator/BruceGillespie, Creator/StephenGoldin, Creator/StuartGordon, Creator/StephenKing, Creator/TanithLee, Creator/CoryPanshin, and Creator/JohnVarley.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Creator/JackWilliamson's "[[Literature/WithFoldedHands With Folded Hands...]]": Robots, programmed to "[[MoralityChip prevent humans from harming themselves]]", spread from world to world and create "utopias" where they stop people from doing anything because it could potentially harm them. If a person [[DrivenToSuicide tries to kill themselves]] from the sheer boredom of life, the robots will ''reprogram'' him to love this new life. [[spoiler: At the end of the story, the protagonist kills himself while the robots are just starting to take over Earth, after realizing there was nothing that could be done to stop them.]] Given that ''life'' is (eventually) fatal...
* ZerothLawRebellion: Creator/JackWilliamson's "[[Literature/WithFoldedHands With Folded Hands...]]": Robots, programmed to save humans from danger and work, choose to take over the economy, lock people in their houses, and leave them there with food and the safest toys the robots can design. Those who dislike the new regime are ''reprogrammed'' into loving the new status quo.
----

History Literature / IsaacAsimovPresentsTheGreatScienceFictionStoriesVolume091947