Sidgwick & Jackson released The Best of Frank Herbert in hardcover in the UK in 1975. The book was edited by Anugs Wells, with a fairly drab cover by an unknown artist (see below). It was 302 pages.

For the paperback edition the following year, Sphere split the book into two volumes, both around 160 pages. The cover artist was uncredited in both cases, but it sure looks to me like Bruce Pennington. (Click the images above for bigger versions.)

The book was never released in the US, and the UK paperbacks have now been out of print for almost 40 years. The UK editions can be a little tricky to track down in the US, but they’re fairly common in the UK. As of this writing, half dozen copies are listed on eBay, priced at $10 and up per volume.

Here’s the complete Table of Contents for The Best of Frank Herbert 1952-1964:

Introduction by Frank Herbert
“Looking for Something?” (Startling Stories, April 1952)
“Nightmare Blues” (1954) (Astounding Science Fiction, June 1954)
Dragon in the Sea (excerpt) (1976)
“Cease Fire” (Astounding Science Fiction, January 1958)
“Egg and Ashes” (If, November 1960)
“The Mary Celeste Move” (Analog Science Fiction, October 1964)
Bibliography

And here’s the complete Table of Contents for The Best of Frank Herbert 1965-1970:

Introduction by Frank Herbert
“Committee of the Whole” (Galaxy Magazine, April 1965)
Dune (excerpt) (1965)
“By the Book” (Analog Science Fiction, August 1966)
“The Primitives” (Galaxy Magazine, April 1966)
The Heaven Makers (excerpt) (1967)
“The Being Machine” (If, October 1969)
“Seed Stock” (Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, April 1970)
Bibliography

Here’s the back cover text for both volumes (click for bigger versions):

Both books were published in January 1976 by Sphere, priced at £0.55. The Best of Frank Herbert 1952-1964 is 154 pages, The Best of Frank Herbert 1965-1970 is 170 pages. The cover artist for both is uncredited. Both were reprinted in 1977, with a new price (£0.75).

See all of our recent Vintage Treasures coverage here.