William Schafer’s Subterranean Press is one of the most prolific and accomplished small presses in the industry. It has produced countless books by Dan Simmons, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, James Blaylock, Robert McCammon, Paolo Bacigalupi, Neal Barrett, Jr., Steven Erikson, Neil Gaiman, Jack Vance, and many others.

I don’t typically report on them here, however. While we’re always happy to promote small press publishers at Black Gate, we like to make sure you can obtain the great books we’re telling you about. And Subterranean specializes in limited edition hardcovers that frequently sell out quickly.

That’s not always the case, however — and I’m very pleased to report on those rare instances when Subterranean makes its excellent books available in paperback. One such case is the splendid The Best of Robert Silverberg: Stories of Six Decades, a generous collection of Robert Silverberg’s best stories spanning over 50 years. It includes much of his most important and acclaimed short work, including “Nightwings” (the 1969 Hugo Award winner for Best Novella), “Passengers” (Nebula Award, 1970), “Good News from the Vatican” (Nebula, 1971), “Born with the Dead” (Best Novella Nebula, 1975) “Schwartz Between the Galaxies,” “Sailing to Byzantium” (Nebula Award, Best Novella, 1986), and “Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another” (Hugo winner, 1990).

Here’s the complete Table of Contents:

Introduction

One: The 1950s

Road to Nightfall
The Macauley Circuit
Sunrise on Mercury
Warm Man

Two: The 1960s

To See the Invisible Man
Flies
Passengers
Nightwings
Sundance

Three: The 1970s

Good News from the Vatican
Capricorn Games
Born with the Dead
Schwartz Between the Galaxies

Four: The 1980s

The Far Side of the Bell-Shaped Curve
The Pope of the Chimps
Needle in a Timestack
Sailing to Byzantium
Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another

Five: The 1990s

Hunters in the Forest
Death Do Us Part
Beauty in the Night

Six: The 2000s

The Millennium Express
With Caesar in the Underworld
Against the Current
Defenders of the Frontier
The Prisoner

The Best of Robert Silverberg: Stories of Six Decades makes a terrific introduction to one of the great SF writers of the 20th Century (and beyond). It is still in print, and third party sellers are offering copies at a discount. I bought my copy online brand new last month, for just $8.98.

The Best of Robert Silverberg: Stories of Six Decades was published by Subterranean Press on December 31, 2012. It is 722 pages, priced at $24.95 in trade paperback. The cover is by Jim Burns.