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The Arbor House Treasury of Science Fiction Masterpieces
Great science-fiction stories from the past one hundred years include masterworks by Kipling, Julian Huxley, Asimov, Le Guin, Capek, Bester, Farmer, and other luminaries
538 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
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70 people want to read
About the author
Robert Silverberg
2,170 books1,557 followersThere are many authors in the database with this name.
Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.
Robert Silverberg is a highly celebrated American science fiction author and editor known for his prolific output and literary range. Over a career spanning decades, he has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2004. Inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999, Silverberg is recognized for both his immense productivity and his contributions to the genre's evolution.
Born in Brooklyn, he began writing in his teens and won his first Hugo Award in 1956 as the best new writer. Throughout the 1950s, he produced vast amounts of fiction, often under pseudonyms, and was known for writing up to a million words a year. When the market declined, he diversified into other genres, including historical nonfiction and erotica.
Silverberg’s return to science fiction in the 1960s marked a shift toward deeper psychological and literary themes, contributing significantly to the New Wave movement. Acclaimed works from this period include Downward to the Earth, Dying Inside, Nightwings, and The World Inside. In the 1980s, he launched the Majipoor series with Lord Valentine’s Castle, creating one of the most imaginative planetary settings in science fiction.
Though he announced his retirement from writing in the mid-1970s, Silverberg returned with renewed vigor and continued to publish acclaimed fiction into the 1990s. He received further recognition with the Nebula-winning Sailing to Byzantium and the Hugo-winning Gilgamesh in the Outback.
Silverberg has also played a significant role as an editor and anthologist, shaping science fiction literature through both his own work and his influence on others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, author Karen Haber.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 28, 2015
Reasonably comprehensive overview of mainstream sci-fi through about the early '80s.
The early stuff sets my teeth on edge because it's soooo formulaic (someone finds a lost document outlining an outlandish tale, all very third-personish).
The biggest thing going for it is that it's so frickin' big. I took me a full week to grind through it. There are dozens of stories in here, mostly very short, so if you don't like one there's always another one in just a few pages.
I don't think I had read any of the stories before, so it's not a "greatest hits" package so much as a "greatest hitter" one, with most of the top names you might expect if not their best-known tales, which is fine.
Nothing really stands out, which is pretty damning in and of itself.
The early stuff sets my teeth on edge because it's soooo formulaic (someone finds a lost document outlining an outlandish tale, all very third-personish).
The biggest thing going for it is that it's so frickin' big. I took me a full week to grind through it. There are dozens of stories in here, mostly very short, so if you don't like one there's always another one in just a few pages.
I don't think I had read any of the stories before, so it's not a "greatest hits" package so much as a "greatest hitter" one, with most of the top names you might expect if not their best-known tales, which is fine.
Nothing really stands out, which is pretty damning in and of itself.
June 30, 2012
I first got this book when I was 12, or so, from an aunt who was convinced I would grow up to be a scientist.
I didn't become a scientist -- no surprise there, really -- but this book became a companion. There was a two- or three-year period where I read at least a story a night, re-reading some dozens of times.
I'd forgotten about this book, and what it meant to me, until I settled in to Goodreads. Now, I can't deny that it's had a huge influence on my tastes.
The funny thing is, I rarely read Science Fiction, these days.
I have to find a good, used copy now. I need this book back on my shelf :)
I didn't become a scientist -- no surprise there, really -- but this book became a companion. There was a two- or three-year period where I read at least a story a night, re-reading some dozens of times.
I'd forgotten about this book, and what it meant to me, until I settled in to Goodreads. Now, I can't deny that it's had a huge influence on my tastes.
The funny thing is, I rarely read Science Fiction, these days.
I have to find a good, used copy now. I need this book back on my shelf :)
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August 22, 2008Arbor House Treasury of Science Fiction Masterpieces by Robert Silverberg (1983)
January 29, 2011
Interesting collection of "sci-fi" dating back to the roots of sci-fi. Decided to keep this on on the back burner for filler reading as it is a collection of shorts...
March 20, 2013
How can masterpieces be so dull and boring and endless? Just couldn't finish.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews