James Nicoll Reviews

SF 12 is the 12^th and final¹ volume in Judith Merril’s The Year’s Best S‑F anthology series. It was first published in 1968. A slightly shorter version appeared as The Best of Sci-Fi 12. My Dell edition does not proclaim itself a Best SF anthology. It also makes no pretense of limiting itself to the previous year.

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1966’s 11^th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S‑F is the 11^th volume in Judith Merril’s The Year’s Best S‑F series. Unlike previous volumes, 11 does not seem to have had variant titles (or many editions, for that matter). The anthology offers the best stories of the previous year, which in this case stretched from 1962¹ to 1965. Almost all of the stories are from 1965.

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1965’s 10^th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S‑F is the tenth volume in Judith Merril’s The Year’s Best S‑F reprint anthology series. 10^th Annual Edition was also published as 10^th Annual S‑F and The Best of Science Fiction 10. Best SF annuals present a selection of the best SF from the previous year. In this case, that year stretched from 1946 to 1964.

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The 9^th Annual of the Year’s Best SF is, as one might guess, the ninth volume in Judith Merril’s The Year’s Best S‑F Series. The anthology was also published as 9^th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S‑F, 9^th Annual S‑F, and The Best of Science Fiction 9. Merril’s anthology collects outstanding short works of science fiction from the previous year, which in this case stretched from 1959 to 1963.

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Judith Merril’s 1963 8^th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S‑F is the 8^th volume of Merril’s Year’s Best S‑F anthology series. Variant titles include The 8^th Annual of the Year’s Best S‑F and The Best of Sci-Fi No. 4. Stories were selected from those published in 1961 and 1962.

8^th Annual Edition is a return to form for Merril and her series.

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1962’s The 7^th Annual of the Year’s Best S‑F is the seventh volume in Judith Merril’s Best of Sci-Fi anthology series. The anthology was also published under the counter-intuitive title The Best of Sci-Fi — Two.

Annuals generally limit themselves to the previous twelve months, which can be spread over two calendar years. Merril collected stories from as early as 1949, thirteen years before 1962. What other surprises wait within the covers of this surprisingly hefty tome?

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1961’s 6^th Annual Edition: The Year’s Best S‑F (also published as The 6^th Annual of the Year’s Best S‑F and as The Best of Sci-Fi) is the sixth annual anthology in Judith Merril’s The Year’s Best S‑F series. The stories included were first published in 1960 and 1961.

Alas, every series has its duds and volume six appears to be the dud in this series.

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1960’s The Year’s Best S‑F: 5^th Annual Edition (also published as The 5^th Annual of the Year’s Best S‑F and as The Best of Sci-Fi 5) is the fifth volume in Judith Merril’s The Year’s Best SF anthology series. This volume draws on science fiction published in 1959 and 1960.

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1959’s SF: The Year’s Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy: 4^th Annual Volume (also published as SF:’59: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy) is the fourth volume in Judith Merril’s The Year’s Best SF anthology series. It collects the best short fiction, essays and associated poetry from 1958.

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1958’s SF: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy: Third Annual Volume is the third volume in Judith Merril’s The Year’s Best SF anthology series. The previous two volumes were reviewed here and here. You may note that Merril was not entirely consistent with her naming conventions. In fact, I have for reasons of clarity taken liberties with the title because, as discerning readers will have noticed, the paperback in hand does not mention that this is the third anthology in this series. Also missing is any hint as to the year for which this is the best. 1957, which as it happens was somewhat of a turning point in American history.

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