Content:

The Midas Plague:
By F. Pohl / 1951

Your duty is to consume by the quota. If you are a good citizen, you get a promotion. And have to consume less. Robots turn out the goods and man has to consume. Is there a way out of this vicous circle? You bet. (Also published in The Mammoth book of Vintage Science-Fiction Short Stories of the 1950s)


Limiting Factor:
By C. D. Simak / 1949

Man finds the remnants of another race who have build a giant computing mashine and then deserted it. Probably they haven't found out what they were after ...


The Executioner
By A. Budrys / 1955

A story about antiquated rules and how they must change with changing society. An old executioner, strongly believing in the old rules, finds his way to fight them, without breaking them.


Null-P:
By W. Tenn / 1951

They discover the "normal man" and make him their leader. Which leads to a society stuck in "normality". So normal and so undeveloping, that they don't realise, that there is another race developing right amongst them. And this one takes over eventually ...


The Homing Instinct Of Joe Vargo:
By S. Barr / 1959

Chronos seemed useful to man because of it's minerals. But a life form is so virulent, it kills all of the expedition but one Joe Vargo. Only he makes it back, standing on a deserted island ...


Special Flight:
By J. Berryman / 1939

A spaceship crew has to take urgent cargo to a moon base where an accident happened. They have to fly through a meteroite storm ... they make it, but the milk get's sour.


Inanimate Objection:
By H. C. Elliott / 1954

A great story about the theory, that objects actually are determined to get in your way. Remember when you spilled your drink and swore you didn't touch it? When ever you carry a tv-set around, the mains cable gets under your feet? etc etc etc


Pilgrimage To Earth:
By R. Sheckley / 1956

A decendant of human colonists on a far away planet finds out about earth and its treasures, one of them being love. So he travels to earth to find that romantic thing. He does indeed find it, but it's made. Human made and artificial. And it's for sale.


Unhuman Sacrifice:
By K. MacLean / 1952

Two astronauts and a missionary on an alien planet. They hear about a terrible rite taking place during the time of rain and plan to help at least their alien friend. And they discover a long lost biological thruth about the inhabitants of this planet ...


By His Bootstraps:
By R. A. Heinlein / 1949

Time travel and its absurd ways. Especially if there is only one time traveller involved. Just noticed, that the story doesn't give a single clue where it all started ...