Question re: James Blishs Cities in Flight

[ElMiko]

Hey all, I was wondering if someone could answer a question I have about the third book in this series, Earthman, Come Home.

I know that it is composed of previously published short stories ("Okie," "Bindlestiff," "Sargasso of Lost Cities," and "Earthman, Come Home"), but I don't know which chapters constitute which short stories. Does someone here know? I'd be really grateful for any clarification you might be able to offer on this point.

[BenG]

My copy has
They Shall Have Stars
A Life For The Stars
Earthman, Come Home
and then, The Triumph of Time.

[banjomike]

I'm not sure there is a specific answer to that.

The attached image is the first and last pages of of the true first publication of Okie. It covers the first 2 chapters of Earthman, Come Home but is much much shorter. The start in particular is enormously extended in the novel. It looks like Blish rewrote the short stories from the ground up.




Note to mods: if anyone thinks that the images might infringe something or other then just delete them preferably after ElMiko has seen them.

[flipreads]

Mine's the same (and I read it in that order).

Mine, by the way, was the Gollancz edition.

Originally Posted by BenG

My copy has
They Shall Have Stars
A Life For The Stars
Earthman, Come Home
and then, The Triumph of Time.

[banjomike]

I don't think the OP wanted to know the order to read the novels. I think he wanted to know which short stories became which chapters in the fix-up Earthman, Come Home. I hope.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by banjomike

I don't think the OP wanted to know the order to read the novels. I think he wanted to know which short stories became which chapters in the fix-up Earthman, Come Home. I hope.

Yes, that was my understanding exactly.

Does anyone here have any useful information to help this member, please?


Don

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Does anyone here have any useful information to help this member, please?

Don

I think I have at least one more of the short stories in another box of Astounding. I'll see what I can find.

Edit: Found it.
This is the start and end of the original shorty version of Earthman, Come Home. It looks to be chapter 8 to the end of the novel but not as much of a rewrite as Okie.

I will see if I have or can track down the other two stories.


Note to mods, again: if anyone thinks that the images might infringe something or other then just delete them preferably after ElMiko has seen them.

[Dr. Drib]

These images fall under fair use, I believe, where a question is being asked and answered. If the entire story was uploaded, then that would be a different matter entirely.

Judicious quotes.


Don
(Moderator)

[Dr. Drib]

Here's what I found doing a web search. Unfortunately, my reference materials are in the U.S.:


"The material upon which this novel is built appeared originally as
"Okie" and "Bindlestiff," copyright 1950 by Street and Smith Publications, Inc., in the U.S.A and Great Britain; "Sargasso of Lost Cities," copyright 1952 by Wings Publishing Co. Inc.; and "Earthman, Come Home," copyright 1953 by Street and Smith Publications, Inc., in the U.S.A. and Great Britain. (source: Avon S218 which is the 5th Avon printing of Earthman, Come Home)"

Source: http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Author:James_Blish



Don

[banjomike]

double post

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Source: http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Author:James_Blish

Don

My storage system is a bit less organized than isfdb.

Here is the start and end of Bindlestiff. Chapter 3 and 4.

So that means Sargasso of Lost Cities is chapters 5, 6, and 7.