(Introduction by Theodore Sturgeon)
The Golden Helix
The Man Who Lost the Sea
And Now the News...
The Clinic
... and my fear is great...
The Ultimate Egoist
The Skills of Xanadu
The Dark Room
Yesterday Was Monday
"I Say... Ernest..."

These originally appeared in Thrilling Wonder Stories, Magazine of F&SF, Unknown, Beyond, Galaxy, Fantastic, L. A. Weekly News and Star SF #2 - from 1941 to 1973 (mostly from the Fifties.) This is the first appearance in a Sturgeon collection for 7 of these stories.

(Story summaries from flap copy of hardcover edition):
"THE SKILLS OF XANADU" - After the Sun went nova and humanity had fled to other worlds, one dream persisted: that all through the universe, wherever they settled, humans would still retain their essential humanness... still think, and aspire, and progress as Homo Sapiens. Which is why Bril, from the Sole Authority, found Xanadu so disappointing. The humans there were little more than savages - living outdoors, playing more than they worked, eating whenever and wherever they pleased. They didn't even have an organized government, relying instead on a lackadaisical system of telepathy. Bril was confident that he'd be able to fit them into the desired human mold; with his superior technological skills, how could he fail?

"THE ULTIMATE EGOIST" - Woodie was conversing amiably with the woman he loved: "Let me put it this way," he was saying. "The world and the universe are strictly as I see them. I see no fallacy in the supposition that if I disbelieve in any given object, theory, or principle, it does not exist." And Judith, also in love, humored him for a while. But finally she wearied of his new and peculiar conceit, and told him so. "You can't disprove a thing I've said," he answered coldly, genuinely offended. "And you can't prove it," she challenged, exasperated now. So Woodie did prove it... to Judith - and to himself!

"THE GOLDEN HELIX" - Six of them had set out for Terra Prime.. six of them calmly entered the life-sustaining Coffins to sleep for the duration of the voyage, certain that nothing would go wrong. But something did. The planet they landed on was no Earth colony; it was a green-lit world teeming with bizarre life forms, mostly reptilian carnivores and their prey. Astounded, the humans were huddled together near their ship, trying to absorb the terrifying sights and sounds of their new home - when suddenly, there was absolute silence. Looking up, they saw an enormous ship hovering like a clouid; and from the cloud came hundreds of glowing beings, drifting to some elaborate choreography all their own. They filled the skies... seemed to gesture to the humans... and formed two interlocked spirals - a living helix of gold which awed but did not frighten. For the golden ones seemed to radiate a message: "We're sorry. But it will be all right..." It was a message that the misplaced colonists had ample time to think about in the strange years that followed.