This is a textbook, meant to be used in a university literature course, focusing on social science fiction." It includes futuristic non-fiction, some amazing stories, and commentaries about the definition of sf, its place in literature and in popular culture, its impact, etc.

I admit I skimmed the commentaries and the extensive editor notes. I felt not a pang of guilt doing so, because this book is much a product of the seventies - the editor didn't predict future trends of either social or technological development very well, making the book, esp. the non-fiction parts, largely irrelevant.

But the stories! Of course I wasn't surprised to see [b:The Machine Stops|4711854|The Machine Stops |E.M. Forster|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347943820s/4711854.jpg|4776249] or [b:Harrison Bergeron|10176119|Harrison Bergeron|Kurt Vonnegut|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1323130675s/10176119.jpg|15074968]. But I'd never before encountered 'To the Chicago Abyss' by [a:Ray Bradbury|1630|Ray Bradbury|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1361491094p2/1630.jpg] - what a treat! And I'd never read the original [b:Light of Other Days|21528849|Light of Other Days|Bob Shaw|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1395498909s/21528849.jpg|40855958] by [a:Bob Shaw|130541|Bob Shaw|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1224901162p2/130541.jpg] - the speculation about "slow glass" is brilliant and deserves wider readership. Perhaps the most unexpected selection is [b:Earth's Holocaust|10525292|Earth's Holocaust|Nathaniel Hawthorne|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|15431518] by [a:Nathaniel Hawthorne|7799|Nathaniel Hawthorne|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1291476587p2/7799.jpg]. I won't tell you what it's about. You'll just have to read it, and the other gems, yourself.

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