Grayson & Grayson London, Bleiler, Dikty, Conklin, van Vogt and more

Grayson & Grayson appears to have been a UK publisher 

that reprinted science fiction published in the US for 

the UK  market from 1951 to 1957. (I looked at their 

listings in ISFDB). I became interested in them when I saw  

this cover illustration, 

I knew it had to be an illustration

for one of my favourite works of sociological SF, 

"And Then There Were None" by Eric Frank Russell.  

Published in 1953, the anthology was edited by

Bleiler and Dikty, the cover is signed by illustrator 

Mudge Marriott who does a number of covers for this

publisher. Additional contents include, "The Hunting 

Season "by Frank M. Robinson, "Flight to Forever" by Poul ,

Anderson and "Izzard and the Membrane" by Walter M. 

Miller, jr. 

The Miller story is a really interesting computer AI 

story that I will discuss in more detail another day,

 but it originally appeared in Astounding Science Fiction,

in May 1951 and the US and UK editions of this "best of

anthology" and then does not seem to have been reprinted

again which I think was very unfortunate.

By now it should be clear that I love this type of bright, 

garish 1950's illustration with alien landscapes and big rockets

so I really liked Mudge's work. I also like small or lesser known 

presses so I began looking for more books by Grayson & Grayson 

and Mudge Marriott.

Score, while A.E. van Vogt has suffered a lot of criticism 

from some, he was as popular as Heinlein in his heyday 

before his unfortunate foray into Dianetics. He was Canadian,

 "eh" and he produced Slan, The Voyage of the Space Beagle,

The Weapons Shops of Isher, and Null-A series among

other novels and short stories, love them or hate them

people read, discussed, debated them and generally had 

a good time reading his work.

My buddy Doug would want me to point out the Coeurl should 

be red again I say it is a trick of the lighting. 

This edition was published in 1951, cover uncredited.

A 1952 reprint of a Conklin anthology, with a snazzy radio 

antenna, power station, secret headquarters or whatever?

Again by E. B. Mudge Marriott 

link to contents http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?26477

  

And another "Best of" anthology this time from 1952 with another 

cool rocket, the name Mudge Marriott appears on the cover.

link to contents http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?35913

As I  noted earlier, my wife and I are taking a trip to the London 

in the fall and hopefully I can find acquire more Grayson titles,

this time without the hefty shipping charges.