Avram Davidson was one of the great original American writers of this century. He was literate, erudite, cranky, Jewish, wildly creative, and sold most of his short stories to genre pulp magazines. They were wonderful. Here are thirty-eight of the best: all the award-winners and nominees and best-of honored stories, with introductions by such notable authors as Ursula K. Le Guin, William Gibson, Peter S. Beagle,Thomas M. Disch, Gene Wolfe, Poul Anderson, Guy Davenport, Gregory Benford, Alan Dean Foster, and dozens of others, plus introductions and afterwords by Grania Davis, Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison, and Ray Bradbury. The stories span a period of thirty years, from ebullient 1950s tales like "The Golem" and the seminally weird "Or All the Seas with Oysters," through classics like "The Sources of the Nile" and "The House the Blakeneys Built," to the magic realism of "Manatee Gal, Won't You Come Out Tonight," and the mystery and simplicity of "Naples" and "The Slovo Stove." For those already acquainted with Avram Davidson's work, this book is a joy; for those who have the pleasure of encountering his work for the first time, it is a voyage of discovery.
Source · Open Library
Contents
- 1My Boy Friend's Name Is Jelloshort story
- 2The Golemshort story
- 3The Necessity of His Conditionshort story
- 4Help! I Am Dr. Morris Goldpeppershort story
- 5Now Let Us Sleepshort story
- 6Or the Grasses Growshort story
- 7Or All the Seas with Oystersshort story
- 8Take Wooden Indiansnovelette
- 9Author, Authorshort story
- 10Dagonshort story
- 11The Ogreshort story
- 12The Woman Who Thought She Could Readshort story
- 13Where Do You Live, Queen Esther?short story
- 14The Sources of the Nilenovelette
- 15The Affair at Lahore Cantonmentshort story
- 16Revolvershort story
- 17The Tail-Tied Kingsshort story
- 18Price of a Charmshort story
- 19Sacheverellshort story
- 20The House the Blakeneys Builtshort story
- 21The Goobersshort story
- 22The Power of Every Rootnovelette
- 23Selectra Six-Tenshort story
- 24Goslin Dayshort story
- 25Polly Charms, the Sleeping Womannovelette
- 26And Don't Forget the One Red Roseshort story
- 27Crazy Old Ladyshort story
- 28"Hark! Was That the Squeal of an Angry Thoat?"short story
- 29Manatee Gal Ain't You Coming Out Tonightnovelette
- 30Naplesshort story
- 31Full Chicken Richnessshort story
- 32The Hills Behind Hollywood Highnovelette
- 33The Slovo Stovenovelette
- 34Revenge of the Cat-Ladyshort story
- 35The Last Wizardshort story
- 36While You're Upshort story
- 37The Spook-Box of Theobald Delafont De Brooksnovelette
- 38Yellow Rome, or, Vergil and the Vestal Virginshort story
