From the inside cover... For the hundreds of thousands of readers who loved Childhood's End we present a prime collection of Arthur C. Clarke's science-fiction short stories. If you read Childhoods End, which the Hartford Times called "a far more mature piece of writing than most science fiction," you know that Mr. Clarke is a writer of superb talent and genuine intellect. His work is exciting as story and thoroughly stimulating as idea. If you are already a Clarke fan, you will not want to miss this collection. If you have not yet read Clarke, then you have highly a pleasurable discovery awaiting you. This collection starts with a thrilling short novel about a race of creatures whose minds have far outstripped their bodies' capabilities. And it ends with a beautiful short story that hints at a far universe which has been watching us grow, waiting to contact us as soon as we reach the moon. Between these two stories you will find other sterling examples of the ingenuity of plot, height of imagination, the humor and thoughtfulness that are making Arthur C. Clarke a favorite with a large and rapidly growing audience.