From the title and cover art I expected this to have stories that were a darker or scarier, but many of them were fairly lighthearted and even whimsical to a degree. Regardless, I enjoyed most of them quite a bit. There were only a few I didn't really like, including a couple I didn't really get, but it was still very much a worthwhile collection. My favorite was probably "The Back of Our Heads" by Stephen Barr, in which an immortal organism observes humanity throughout history--but what is it about quantum theory? By observing something you change it... (This novelette is available on its own for Kindle for 99 cents.) ( )

This is a little gem of a book. I love the Dell paperbacks of the 60s...they are true "pocket books" that you can actually fit in a pocket. You need never be without a book!

Of course that does make this particular book almost 50 years old, so stuffing it into a convenient pocket tends to be detrimental to the cover. I had to tape and retape it to make it last. I'm glad I did, as this one is a keeper. I'd never heard of Groff Conklin, but the man apparently was quite well respected as an editor, and he did a LOT of books like this one, which my wife picked up for fifty cents at our favorite used book store. The first store was so weirdly intriguing that I had to postpone the balance of my Christmas books to read this. It was worth it!

Not a single story I had read before. And a few of the authors too. They're all good, and some of them are pretty amazing. Dated, yes, and some of them border on sexist (J F Bone's "Founding Father" being chief among them) but they're also wildly entertaining. Eric Frank Russell's "Now Inhale" is probably the most gripping of the lot, but Frank Herbert's "Mating Call" easily sweeps the board in terms of humor. A wonderful concept superbly done. "Button Button" by the inimitable Dr. Asimov is also wickedly funny.

The lesson in this book is that you shouldn't ignore the creaky, crumbly old paperbacks, because they often contain rare treasures. And fifty cents for a pocketful of wonders...well, that's just priceless. Keep your eyes open for Conklin's collections. You won't be sorry. ( )

Collects thirteen stories, of a mixed bag. Recommended are "Founding Father" by J. F. Bone, "Now Inhale" by Eric Frank Russell, "The Deep Down Dragon" by Judith Merril and possibly for those inclined to mysteries, "Counter Security" by James White.
Ratings:
"Founding Father" by J. F. Bone (**** 1/2) excellent story, plot, original
"Mating Call" by Frank Herbert (***) interesting
"Nice Girl With Five Husbands" by Fritz Leiber (*** 1/2) predictable but well written
"Prone" by Mack Reynolds (*) boring, methodical
"The Education of Tigress McCardle" by C. M. Kornbluth (***) only par for Kornbluth
"Now Inhale" by Eric Frank Russell (*** 1/2) interesting, suspenseful for a good part of the story
"The Back of Our Heads" by Stephen Barr (***) interesting
"Button, Button" by Isaac Asimov (** 1/2)
"The Deep Down Dragon" by Judith Merril (****) fun and adventurous with a cool idea.
"The Kappa Nu Nexus" by Avram Davidson and Morton Klass (*) Frat gets girls. Childish story told in stuffy British colloquial.
"Idiot Solvant" by Gordon R. Dickson (**)
"Counter Security" by James White (***) Mystery, well-written.
"The Dreistein Case" by J. Lincoln Paine (*) Uh, what? ( )

Wonderful anthology, with unusual stories by Leiber, Kornbluth, Davidson, et al; there's never been anything quite like Stephen Barr's "The Back of Our Heads."