Tomorrow, the Stars is an anthology of speculative fiction short stories, edited by Robert A. Heinlein and published in 1952. Heinlein wrote a six-page introduction in which he discussed the nature of science fiction, speculative fiction, escapist stories, and literature. None of the stories had previously been anthologized. According to science-fiction historian Bud Webster, however, Heinlein's introduction and name on the book were his sole contributions; the actual selection of the stories, and the work involved in arranging for their publication, was done by Frederik Pohl and Judith Merril. This is confirmed by Virginia Heinlein in Grumbles from the Grave (without mentioning Pohl or Merril) and by Pohl in chapter 6 of his autobiography, The Way the Future Was (Del Rey 1978).
The Stories
- "I'm Scared" by Jack Finney, 1951
- "The Silly Season" by Cyril M. Kornbluth, 1950
- "The Report on the Barnhouse Effect" by Kurt Vonnegut, 1950
- "The Tourist Trade" by Bob Tucker, 1950
- "The Rainmaker" by John Reese, 1949
- "Absalom" by Henry Kuttner, 1946
- "The Monster" by Lester del Rey, 1951
- "Jay Score" by Eric Frank Russell, 1941
- "Betelgeuse Bridge" by William Tenn, 1950
- "Survival Ship" by Judith Merril, 1950
- "Keyhole" by Murray Leinster, 1951
- "Misbegotten Missionary" by Isaac Asimov, 1950
- "The Sack" by William Morrison, 1950
- "Poor Superman" by Fritz Leiber, 1951
Editions
It was published in 1952 in hardcover by Doubleday and Company, Inc., published 1953 in paperback. The Library of Congress Control Number of the hardcover was 52-5218. The book is dedicated "For Dorothy and Clare". The introduction is tagged "Colorado Springs".
References
Anthopology 101: They Blinded Us... With Science!, column by Bud Webster in the Spring, 2006, issue of The Bulletin of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and also Anthopology 101: The Deans' List(s), in the December, 2004, issue of Science Fiction Chronicle.
