SKIRMISH: THE GREAT SHORT FICTION OF CLIFFORD D. SIMAK by Simak, Clifford D[onald] - 1977

New York: Published by Berkley Publishing Corporation Distributed by G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1977. Octavo, orange wrappers printed in black. Advance copy (uncorrected proof) of the first edition. An important collection of Simak's fiction. "Ten stories ranging from 'Huddling Place' (1944) to 'The Ghost of a Model T' (1975). High point is the Hugo-winning novelette 'The Big Front Yard' (1958), about inter-dimensional trading. Charming stuff, and contains only three overlaps with the nearly contemporary British-published volume THE BEST OF CLIFFORD D. SIMAK (1975)." - Pringle, The Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction, second edition (1995), p. 330. Simak is acclaimed for his fiction featuring robots, most of which are benign servants of mankind. "Skirmish" is a darker tale that reveals a plot by malevolent aliens from a machine civilization who are bent on liberating the machines of Earth. Publisher's publicity sheet laid in. A fine copy. A scarce proof. (#168908)