Product Description
A leading authority examines the facts and fancies behind the Atlantis theme in history, science, and literature. Sources include the classical works from which Plato drew his proposal of the existence of an island continent, Sir Thomas More's Utopia, the Lemurian Continent theory, K. T. Frost's equation of Atlantis with Crete, and many other citations of Atlantis in both famous and lesser-known literature. Related legends are also recounted and refuted, and reports include accounts of actual expeditions searching for the sunken continent and attempts to prove its existence through comparative anatomy and zoology.
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Customer Reviews (3)

A Fascinating and well-researched study of Atlantis
Unless your religion requires that you believe in Atlantis, you will find that De Camp presents powerful arguments against the crackpot claims about Atlantis. He tells a compelling history that is supported by the solid scholarship that is often lacking in many books on Atlantis. You will find yourself amazed at the forgotten history that De Camp uncovers, such as the following:

"One contributor to this stream of speculation was Francis Wilford, who in 1805 advanced an Atlanto-Druidic hypothesis according to which the British Isles were a remnant of a former Atlantic continent where the events of the Old Testament had actually taken place (and not in Palestine as most people thought)" (p. 187).

De Camp gives the following caution that the crackpots will never accept:

"Myths and legends, then, do often have a basis of fact. But the factual part of the myth may be so small and muddled that you cannot possibly reconstruct history from the legend. As the historian Grote said: `The lesson must be learnt, hard and painful thought it may be, that no imaginable reach of the critical acumen will of itself enable us to discriminate fancy from realty, in the absence of a tolerable stock of evidence" (p. 250).

See also my five-star reviews of "Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents: Myth and Method in the Study of the American Indians," by Robert Wauchope, and "The Mound Builders: The Archaeology of a Myth," by Robert Silverberg. Click on the following links and scroll down:Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents Myth Method in the
Mound Builders

Your comments--positive or negative--on my reviews are appreciated. Thanks.

Doesn't quite live up to it's reputation...
This is a crabby book that attempts to refute the legend of Atlantis and other lost continents with whatever method it can muster - geology, geography, literature and "scientific."It doesn't quite live up to it's reputation, although it has a lot of interesting maps in it and makes some good points about continental drift and other scientific theories.On the one hand, de Camp has done a lot of research for it and brings to light, although I am sure unintentionally, some valuable history on how the Atlantis story came into being (mainly references to it before and after Plato).His conclusions on what scholars knew and thought at the time are subjective at best, though and, since the book was written back in 1954 and only slightly revised in 1970, according to the jacket, much of the points he makes abour scientific research are now dated.

The main fault in the book lies in the title itself.De Camp's main points are that a continent as big as Atlantis was reputed to be couldn't have sunk, but the original account from Plato didn't clearly call Atlantis a continent, and there is plenty of evidence of similar land masses of this smaller type sinking (some brought up by de Camp himself in the book, like the island ofKrakatow).Since none if us were alive in the past, how can any of us be certain what the land masses looked like then..?His other point isthat people were not even advanced enough to have built Atlantis back in 9,600 b.c. (he describes our ancestors as "sitting on a branch and scratching" at that time).De Camp, at the time anyway, seems to have bought wholesale into the Darwin theory of evolution, which, we know now, has plenty of holes.These days, as more discoveries have been unearthed, the date for human civilization is being pushed back more and more.Ruins have been found on Malta that date to 8,000 b.c. and even the Sphinx has been redated, albeit not by everyone, to 10,000 b.c.Underwater ruins discovered off of Cuba have been dated to 15,000, even 30,000 b.c. Also, I am shocked by how little research was done when trying to dispute the most popular theory of Atlantis- the Atlantis sinking beneath the Atlantic theory (a scientist friend of his lowered his camera down by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with a camera and didn't see any ruins there) ...

His evidence to dispute linguistic evidence of Atlantis, as well as Atlantis and the Mayans connection, all needs more time to answer than I care to give here, other than to say, he is very selective about the examples he gives to prove his case. His research into the almost equally legendary isle Antillia actually proves it's existence rather than disproves it the closer one looks atit. And there are many other parts where de Camp simply dismisses a whole researcher's body of work by calling them loonies (this from a guy who for the most part made his name writing Conan the Barbarian novels, some of which starts out "before the oceans drank Atlantis...").

A cynical work that brings forth the occasional good point about Atlantis, perhaps the bible for the anti-Atlantis people.

Geography, myth, and history!
L. Sprague de Camp does a masterful job of refuting the Atlantis legend.His descriptions of geography are easily understood by the average reader. ... Read more

Product Description
Conan is back, and at the top of his form!

SFWA Grand Master L. Sprague de Camp was revered in the genre of fantasy for both his fiction and nonfiction. Booklist praised his novel The Honorable Barbarian, saying: “The action is brisk, and the worlds and characters are described with de Camp's deft, light touch . . . thoroughly agreeable entertainment,” while Kirkus Reviews said of The Pixilated Peeress “the unassuming style and verve of the telling keep the pages turning. Pure prose junk-food.”

But more important, L. Sprague de Camp wrote Dark Valley Destiny, the definitive biography of Conan’s creator, Robert E. Howard, leaving little wonder as to why Conan and the Spider God is considered one of the finest novels in the canon of Conan.

Son of a blacksmith, a former slave and thief, Conan the Cimmerian has risen to the rank of Captain of the Royal Guard. But as usual, trouble is his bedfellow.

Forced to kill while defending himself, Conan must flee the vengeance of the High Priest of Erlik. Foraging through field and forest, meeting friend and foe, Conan cuts a bloody swath through assassins and bounty hunters all the way to the sinister temple of Zath, where he encounters the huge and hideous Spider God. Facing certain death, Conan becomes both the hunter . . . and the hunted.

Conan and the Spider God is a thrilling adventure of the mighty barbarian, from one of the genre's most revered authors.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Good, but not great
De Camp tries to be Howard, but alas, falls flat in my opinion. The story could've had more of what makes Conan tales great; action, magic and gals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Super Reader
There are four stories in this book. The Black Stranger, Wolves Beyond the Border, The Phoenix on the Sword and the Scarlet Citadel.

A tale of three brigands, that starts slow, and then rip-roars along. With multiple pirates, you know there has to be a treasure map. This time, to the Treasure of Tranicos.

Add in a mystical demon warrior, a bunch of raiding Picts, a couple of sieges, three pirates that can't trust each other, a beautiful woman, and Conan, and all hell will break loose.

4 out of 5

This is pretty much a Conanless Conan story. Conan is away fighting in Aquilonian and we follow a man in the Westmerck near the Picts as he encounters shapeshifting and beast magic.

2.5 out of 5


King Conan is bored. Politics and statecraft and maps, and all that stuff.

In a dream, a man magically enhances his sword, and that certainly comes in handy later when the odd traitor and demon relieves the tedium of the ruling class.

3.5 out of 5


King Conan's army of Aquilonians has been smashed by a far superior force, led by a wizard. Conan refuses to sign over his kingdom, and the wizard throws him in a dungeon.

He escapes an assassin and a monster, and rescues a wizardly rival that Tsotha had imprisoned. This wizard, please, summons a flying steed to bear Conan back to his kingdom, to take revenge.

4.5 out of 5

The Best of the "Original" Lancer Books Conan Series
When Lancer Books reissued the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, they enlisted the aid of L. Sprague DeCamp and Lin Carter to polish Howard's grammar, soften his more "politically incorrect"statements, and fill out the saga with pastiches.DeCamp and Carter wroteseveral stories out of whole cloth, but they also reworked a number ofHoward stories starring other heroes into Conan stories.There was moreDeCamp than Howard in this particular volume, and I am convinced thatDeCamp could write Conan better than Howard could.

Conan finds the accursed Treasure of Tranicos
Conan finds the accursed Treasure of Tranicos, the legendary treasure of the Pirate King Trani- cos, who stole it with his crew from a pyramid in Khemi, Stygia, and meets Tina and Belosa. Exiles with their lord, from Zingara, Valbroso's visited by a rival pirate and then another rival buccaneer shows up. The two rivals want Conan to lead them to the Treasure of Tranicos but Conan refuses. He tells them that it's cursed and he won't lead them to it. When they want him to do it anyway, he takes them on. He escapes to lead the rebellion against the tyrannical king of Aquilonia. Blair Colquhoun @cybertours.com ... Read more

Product Description
In Lest Darkness Fall, twentieth-century academic Martin Padway travels through time to prevent the fall of the Roman Empire, while in To Bring the Light, Herosilla must forge the birth of Roman civilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

The Best Time Travel Story, Ever.
Or at least the most fun.

I own this edition, but I doubt I've read the Drake story more than once.The de Camp story, however, is one that I come back to and re-read again and again.

The story is told with wit, humor, and verve.It is probably the best depiction of what a 20th century man could do with the contents of his pockets and his knowledge of history and machinery.He's not given too much knowledge - as a classics professor, he knows the language and a plausible amount about well-documented historical personalities, but it's all entirely plausible to the reader.He actually has difficulty devising machines based on his layman's knowledge of them, which is a reality that a lot of time travel stories avoid.

If Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" hadn't come first, I'd call this the all-time classic of the genre.This is more entertaining, because it's both more accessible and more historically realistic at the same time.

The characters are all strikingly well-drawn, even the minor characters.They aren't Faulkner characters or anything, but as stock types they are all memorable and fun.

Five stars.I'd give six stars if that was possible.Highly recommended.

I just wish I could write 1/10th as well as this!
While reading one of Harry Turtledoves book, he mentioned this slim little book as one of his favorites. So I went out and bought a copy. Am I ever happy that I did! This novel is extremely well written, refreshingly politically incorrect, well researched, fast paced and interesting as well. Frankly his story of one man being sent back in time to put off the Dark Ages of Western Europe is well worth the time & coin.

Lest Darkness Falls
Great Book. I read Lest Darkness Falls forty years ago and then recently I found a re-release of the book on Amazon. Again it held me with a great story about time travel. Not even a barbarian could pry this book from my hands.

De Camp Delights
Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp is the perfect introduction to this golden-age great science-fiction author.De Camp, along with Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard and others, were all part of John W. Campbell's, editor of Astounding and Unknown, stable of writers.These men created modern Science-Fiction.De Camp pretty much created the alternate universe story with this novel.Fans of de Camp can discuss his life and works at a Yahoo Discussion Group called d_for_de_Camp.Hopefully, one day soon, de Camp will be rediscovered and appreciated for the talent he is.His books always delight and should be reprinted for a new generation of readers.This book is one of his best.

De Camp's masterpiece... plus bonus material!
"Lest Darkness Fall" (which is by far the bulk of this book) is the most amazing historical novel I've ever read, deliberately picking an extremely obscure period and characters and yet making them come brightly alive.Drake's short story, in comparison, just can't hold its own -- although it's quite interesting, on its own terms, particularly if you ARE familiary with Livy's Book 1 (and, believe me, you SHOULD be:-).No matter: the book as a whole is a bargain, and an absolute MUST ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

History and Technology Intersect Here
I have to start by telling you the truth: I read this book twenty years ago and have not seen it since. So now I can tell you this: few books in my life have stayed in my mind so brightly as this one. I love this book, and heartily recommend it to historians of all ages, students of science, and technophiles.

Now and then I'll remember the discussion of the walls around Babylon, said to be 40' high and 25' wide. Just imagine what sort of attacks they were preparing for. And I can still recall the discussion of the tactics, including chemical warfare, used by Roman ships.

One day in October, 2009, the book came to mind again, and I thought: I wonder if it still exists. I should have known! Amazon lists several editions, some quite cheap. There are 11 reviews, most enthusiastic, some with sophisticated quibbles. I second all of these reviews.

A clever teacher, in late high school or college, could build quite a course around this book. History, technology, culture, finance, and sociology intersect here. It's not history from the top (kings and such, which some say is dry), nor history from the bottom (average people, which is necessarily endless and perhaps not very revealing). It's history from the nuts-and-bolts middle--how structures were built, how materials were transported, how wars were fought. When you know this sort of foundational information, everything else becomes more real.

This book has particular resonance for education now, when we hear so much chatter about the supposed wonders of Critical Thinking. Typically, this means a bunch of kids who know nothing are supposed to have useful discussions about said nothing. Our so-called educators have a genius for doing everything backward. But let us suppose a group of people has read this book. Ah, then you could see the fireworks of genuine CriticalThinking. Real history, real facts, real technology--that is what students need to know first, then let the discussions begin.

literarymagic (LiteraryMagic.com) has a point
I agree with literarymagic: this is a very interesting, entralling and informative books. The Ancient Engineers is similar to other great nonfiction books, such as Gladwell's The Tipping Point. While The Tipping Point teaches us important information about fads, The Ancient Engineers shows us how inventions were made. It starts from the early times to the modern day, explaining that as people started to have more leisure time, it was possible to create more and more inventions, like a rippling or domino effect.
This book is recommended to everyone, especially people interested in intellectual ideas.

--R. Reichman

Literary Magic

The Ancient Engineers is a very informative book. It discusses "Technology and invention from the earliest times to the Renaissance," and is packed with useful information for historians and those who enjoy history. De Camp begins his nonfiction book interestingly, discussing Ancient life and the probability of something being invented. He talks about how when there are more people and more people with more leisure time, the chances of someone inventing something or there being a break-through in science increases dramatically. This book is highly recommended to all, although since it can be boring to those uninterested in history or reading, don't read it unless you're a reading or history maven. If you do like medieval warfare and technology though, this book will be of the greatest use.

How we learned to do things
I thought that this would be a tad bit different since I know this author as a science fiction writer, but he did well and showed that he did his homework for this book.Being forty years old, some fallacies and wrong facts were due to be seen, but he really did a good job surveying the field of engineering from ancient times to the renaissance.He did not know that there was a whole civilization before the Sumerians in the fertile crescent and around the Black Sea, which was then a lake.There is some mention of the ancient Crete civilization that is rather puzzling and is related to the ancient Black Sea culture.
He uses an odd notation system for dates: Roman numerals for centuries, -xx for before common era, and +xx for common era.I found that I was translating the centuries to numbers to make it understandable to me.
The writing is more interesting than Sir Burton’s “The Book of the Sword”.There are quite a lot of good ideas and his explanations for the quirks of the ancient people, is really good.
Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Ancient Engineers by Sprague de Camp
The author provides an outline of history for the engineering
profession. He explains how the first engineers were irrigators,
architects and inventors of simple machines.Memphis,Egypt
is cited as one of the initial engineering project sites.
The engineer, Imhotep is cited as an important architect
and mathematician in the building of the first pyramids. The
author explains how stones were sledded to the building site
over miles of roadways. Next, the author explains how
the Mesopotamian engineers built great temples.i.e. Marduk
The Chinese are credited with inventing cast iron.
The Greeks are extolled for inventing catapults, refinements
to temple architecture and mechanical engineering.
The Helenistic engineers are credited with the lever waterclock,
museums and advanced hulls on ships. The Roman engineers
are credited with their artful use of concrete, lead pipes
and lighthouses. Oriental engineers perfected the first pendentive dome, stone temples, the wheelbarrow and the
curved roof.European engineers improved metallurgical
processes, pirotechnia, statics, mechanics and kinetics.
The work is a good reference for any student contemplating
a science project in the engineering art. The book is
recommended highly for anyone desiring to trace the history
and evolution of the engineering sciences throughout key
periods of human history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Super Reader
This L. Sprague de Camp edited version is basically Red Nails, Jewels of Gwahlur and Beyond the Black River :

Conan the Warrior : Red Nails - Robert E. Howard
Conan the Warrior : Jewels of Gwahlur - Robert E. Howard
Conan the Warrior : Beyond the Black River - Robert E. Howard

Conan is travelling, finds a dead woman, and then encounters Valeria of the Red Brotherhood. After trading some insults, they have the misfortune to stumble across a dragon.

Then they have fun in an abandoned city full of crazed warriors, two evil, leering royals, all the great stuff in this tale of a fantastic partnership.

5 out of 5




To quote Mr. Howard - "Conan was basically a direct-actionist. Such subtlety as he possessed had been acquired through contact with the more devious races."

For military reasons, Conan has to get the Teeth of Gwahlur from their hiding place in a mystic castle before his political and military opposition.

He decides he can get the girl Muriela to run the same scam she tried on him, on some others. The only problem is that the real goddess Yelaya shows up! Then it is time to scarper, sharpish.

4.5 out of 5


Conan is working around a fort on the border of Aquilonia, when many tribes of Picts, united by the wizard Zogar Sag, combine to attack.

Conan takes out a scouting party to see what goes on, but they are ambushed, and most captured and killed, except one man, that he rescues. The wizard summons beasts by virtue of the powers of an old god, whom Conan is familiar with. With the help of an old dog, Slasher, Conan and his companion try and get the settlers to safety, while the fort is overrun.

Zogar Sag makes a mistake when he sends a fleshly avatar to try and destroy Conan. The barbarian kills the avatar, which destroys the wizard, and the Pictish invasion is over.

4.5 out of 5 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful.
I was privileged to meet the DeCamps in the very early 1990's. This book perfectly evokes Mr. DeCamp's wonderful, wry authorial voice.

Elegant writings
L. Sprague de Camp is one of the most elegant classic SF writers of the century - both in his literary style and in his life. And it looks like that all his life is a masterpiece of modern fantasy, heroic and humorous,brilliant and vivid. I like the book; hope you'll like it too. Thanks,Master. Spasibo bolshoye. ... Read more

Product Description
A humorous tale about a New York bartender who receives mysteriously special potions from Borneo which can make people grow or shrink depending on which one they drink. When our hero uses the potion to deal with some unfriendly mobsters, the results are comic and riotously unpredictable—including an unexpected run-in with a dogfish. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Pulp Fiction
Honoring an exciting genre and a marvelous writer within it. The story was pretty good too.

Quick, breezy and fun pulp fiction
Ever in search of the perfect cocktail, one that he can name and that can catapult him into eternal fame, bartender Harry McLeod (Mac) thinks he's finally accomplished his mission. With the help of a syrup from Borneo, Mac creates something that actually tastes good. There is, however, the unexpected side-effect. Drinking the cocktail causes the drinker to become either giant or tiny (depending on the acid/base mix). When he accidentally shrinks a mobster, Mac goes on the run. But surviving as a ten-inch figure when full-sized and fully armed mobsters are after him isn't going to be easy.

Authors L. Sprague de Camp and L. Ron Hubbard deliver a sassy 'pulp,' first released in the golden age of pulps (before World War II). It's fun to see the world inhabited by the pulp writers...centering around the neighborhood bar, with drinkers discussing acid/alkaline reactions and the square/cube law, gangsters who must be confronted personally without thought of the police, and cross-town cab rides that can be had for a buck.

THE LAST DROP is a short story from a time when short stories were far more common than novel-length speculative fiction. It's a quick read, but it's enjoyable and a fun reminder of a mostly-forgotten art form.

Another great story from L. Ron Hubbard!
This is a story that L. Ron Hubbard originally wrote during the '30s & '40s when Pulp Fiction was the rage. Today his stories still grab the reader and keep you interested - not to mention he has some very cool story plots.The Last Drop particularly is a short story with with an interesting predicament.

I highly recommend all of L. Ron Hubbard's stories!

L. Ron Hubbard and Dianetics and Scientology
I just wanted to post that L. Ron Hubbard has been dead for years.He was the founder of Dianetics which in most cases became Scientology.He died in 1986 and any books published after that date are ghost written.

Awesome!
This was a great story. Hubbard really knows how to write a good story. Alot of fun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Super Reader
Having gained the Treasure of Tranicos, Conan finds himself assuming the role of a rebel general, as men flock to his banner, little liking the insane king that ruled in Aquilonia, and his sorcerer, Thulandra Thuu.

He has to fight ambushes, the wizard, and Aquilonian and regional commanders to eventually make his way to the palace.

How Conan Becamea King
In this novel, DeCamp and Carter tell the story of the Cimmerian's oft-mentioned revolt agains King Numedides of Aquilonia.Manipulating the madness of the king is Stygian wizard, Thulandra Thuu.(For those of you familiar with the works of Lin Carter, you gotta know that name was from Lin).Carter and DeCamp find a way to maintain the suspense even though any Conan fan knows the outcome of the story. The story shifts between Conan's inexorable march to Aquilonia and Thuu's attempts to stop the rebel army.Numedides is an excellent character, nasty and pitiful at the same time, every character in the book knows what's going on except him.

Chance lost
This book was a great chance to tell a super part of Conan's life. It misses the mark by being too boring and not enough action.

Boring
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We've all heard that statement before, right? In most cases, it may even be true. Something tells me it isn't so with this book. The two authors of this book point out in the introduction (which, along with the map of Howard's fantasy world, is the only interesting thing about this book) that great care has been taken to carefully reconstruct Howard's prose style while maintaining character continuity with his original stories. Even though I've never read a Howard book before--and I will seek some of them out after this--I don't doubt that the prose and descriptions match the original stories. Unfortunately, in their careful attempts at mimicry, these two authors forgot to craft an engaging story.

"Conan the Liberator" tells the story about a revolution mounted against the evil Numedides, King of Aquilonia, by Conan the Cimmerian, a former general of Numedides. People are fed up with the debaucheries of Numedides, and the high taxes that go along with them. But Numedides is under the spell of the evil Lemurian sorcerer Thulandra Thuu, a man who wishes to further his own interests through the king. Conan has other ideas, and assembles an army with the help of Count Trocero, a nobleman of Poitain; Dexitheus, a priest of Mitra; Publius, a rebel tax accessor; and Prospero, another exiled general. The army assembles in nearby Argos, where spies keep watch on their activities, and a beauty by the name of Alcina, in the employ of Thuu, watches Conan. The entire book is a painfully detailed account of the grinding excursion north to a showdown with Numedides and Thuu.

"Conan the Liberator" is the worst fantasy book I've ever read. Page after page is loaded with meaningless dialogue and politics. I always felt the name Conan was synonymous with action. This book showed me the error of that type of thinking. NOTHING happens in this book. Sure, there are a couple of short battles during the course of the story, and Thuu manages to cast a couple of spells against Conan and his army. But overall, these few scenes are not enough to justify writing this book, let alone reprinting it. Almost every scene manages to land with an earth-shattering thud

Character development is criminally, excruciatingly flat. I've seen better character development in industrial training films. Not one character ever rises above simple human traits such as breathing and moving. It will be a miracle if I remember anything about any of them in a few days.

What is good about this book pertains directly to the creator of Conan, Robert Howard. The introduction is good, and the map of Howard's fantasy world is fascinating. According to the introduction, Howard created a world with a mix of ancient, medieval, viking, and biblical place names. Howard placed his world between the sinking of Atlantis and "the emergence of the cities." Our gods and mythologies, according to Howard, are fragmentary memories of this forgotten age.

Avoid this clunker at all costs. Go out and find the original stories, or rent the Conan movies. Learning Esperanto or cleaning the lint out of your navel would be more fun than diving into this cesspool. I suspect Howard would be quite testy if he was still alive today to witness what others have done with his ideas.

exciting sword and sorcery
A fortyish Conan leads an army trying to overthrow the maniacal tyranny of king Numedides of Aquilonia.Conan believes his rebel force has a great chance of defeating the king's forces led by General Procas and consequently expects to topple a monarch who abuses children and kills concubines on some of mad whim.

Conan and his advisors anticipate and plan a war they expect fought in which blade goes against blade.Instead, the evil sorcerer Thulandra Thuu and his servant Alcina intercede.Soon a mysterious illness threaten to do what the king's forces have failed to do, destroy the rebel army unless Conan can find some way of saving himself, his soldiers and ultimately the people of Aquilonia.

This is a reprint of an exciting sword and sorcery tale released over two decades ago.The story line is fast-paced and loaded with non-magical and esoteric action as expected from the novels starring the pre-history hero.Conan remains dauntless while trying to do what he believes is right while his deadly foe Thuu will return for another day (or is that novel - if this reviewer's memory holds see CONAN THE SWORDSMAN).

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Product Description
Nelson Doubleday hard cover, Feb. 1978, first edition.Contents: Introduction: L. Sprague de Camp- Engineer and Sorcerer, essay by Poul Anderson.Stories and poems: Hyperpelosity, Language for Time Travelers, essay by L. Sprague de Camp, The Command, The Merman, Employment, The Gnarly Man, "Reward of Virtue" (poem), Nothing in the Rules, The Hardwood Pile, The Reluctant Shaman, The Inspector's Teeth, The Guided Man,"The Ameba" (poem), Judgment Day, A Gun for Dinosaur, The Emperor's Fan, Two Yards of Dragon,"The Little Green Men" (poem), Author's Afterword, essay by L. Sprague de Camp. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Best of L. Sprague De Camp
This is a basic book for all science fiction lovers.I will read it again and again. ... Read more

Product Description
Contains the following short stories: Hyperpilosity, Iszt - Earthman, Jason Sows Again, Matter is Conserved, Negative Space, The Faithful, Three Thousand Years ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A collection of unique stories
L. Sprague de Campe has some of the most unique ideas that I have ever run across. In this colection you will find eighteen stories illustrating the strongests points about short stories: good characterization and storywithout a lot of boring, mouthy filler (too many authors seem to get paidby the word rather than the quality of the story). You will find out whathappens if everyone suddenly grew hair like a cat or dog; or what animmortal apeman might think like; or how gunpowder might affect a knight inthe age of dragons; or why a magic fan can create havoc in an ancientcourt. de Campe's stories take place in a wide variety of places and ages,illustrating the versatility of his thought. If you've read any of hisother stories, you will find vague or outright connections to his otherworks in some of these stories. ... Read more