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Jack Vance's early work contains the same elements of originality, wit and style which would become hallmarks of his oeuvre. This collection centers on productive years which began in the mid-50s, containing stories written between 1951 and 1973 including: Ullward's Retreat, a breezy look at a crowded future where wealth is measured in physical space-or better yet, the illusion of such; The New Prime (originally published as Brain of the Galaxy); The Men Return, concerning mankind in the mesh between chaos and causality; Dodkin's Job, an entertaining story of a misfit who pits himself against a massive bureaucracy; the classic Moon Moth, describing the travails of Edwer Thissell in the fiercely formal, mask-wearing society of Sirene; Green Magic, and Howard Fair's clumsy exploration thereof; whimsical Alfred's Ark; pulp-era Sulwen's Planet - and Rumfuddle, a tale of infinite realities, near-parallel existences, and the irresponsible plots of a selfish sensationalist who twists threads of history for fun. These stories trace the path that would lead Vance to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.