m M. Billion THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF MkrCCkrke ARTHUR CLARKE C. The Nine Billion Names of God [•rum arnoiij: llic liundrt'd or so stories he has \Niitlfri in tin- course of thirty years. Arthur C. (.larke has selected for this Nohime those he him- self likes hest. The skill of their telling is heyond praise, and |ircfati>i\ m>|c- to a nutiiber of the stfiries add to the interest and a[)j)eal of a thor- oughh satisfying eolleetion. One of the stories, "The Sentinel," inspired the forthcoming film "2001 : A Space Odyssey." The stories included are: The Nine Billion Names of God I RenuMuher Bahylon Irouhle with Time Rescue Party The Curse SuMiinertirne on Icarus Dog Star Hide and Seek Out of the Sun The Wall of Darkness No Morning After The Possessed Death and the Senator Who's There? Before P]den Superiority A Walk in the Dark The Call of the Stars The H<'luctant Orchid Kncounter at Dawn if Forget Thee. Oh Earth..." 1 Patent Pending The Sentinel Iransieriee riic Star ll\it( <'i i{i. Hi(\( I. X World. Inc. 7')7 Thin/ Aiviiue. .\cw York, A'. Y. 10017 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 http://www.archive.org/details/ninebillionnamesOOclar The Nine Billion Names of God Books hy Arthur C. Clarke N onfiction Interplanetary Flight / The Exploration of Space / Going into Space / The Coast of Coral / The Making of a Moon / The Reefs of Taprobane / Voice Across the Sea / The Challenge of the Spaceship / The Challenge of the Sea / Profiles of the Future / Voices from the Sky / With Mike Wilson The First Five Fathoms / Boy Beneath the Sea / Indian Ocean Adventure / Indian Ocean Treasure / Treasure of the Great Reef / With R. A. Smith The Exploration of the Moon With the Editors of Life Man and Space Fiction Islands in the Sky / Prelude to Space / Against the Fall of Night / The Sands of Mars / Childhood's End / Expedition to Earth / Earthlight / Reach for Tomorrow / The City and the Stars / Talcs from the "White Hart" / The Deep Range / The Other Side of the Sky / Across the Sea of Stars / A Fall of Moondust / From the Ocean, from the Stars / Tales of Ten Worlds / Dolphin Island / Glide Path / Prelude to Mars Names God The Nine Billion of The Best Short Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Harcourt, Brace 8l World, Inc. * New York ; C'opvTipht © 1967 by Arthur C. Clarke; "The Nine Billion Names of God" copyright, 1953, by Ballantine Books, Inc.; "I Remember Baby- HMH lon" copyright 1960 by Publishing Co., Inc.; "Trouble with Time" © 1960 by Davis Pubhcation.s, Inc. (as "Crime on Mars"); "Rescue Party" copyright 1946 by Street & Smith Publications, Inc.; "The Curse" copyright 1953 by Star Publications, Inc.; "Summertime on Icanis" copyright 1960 by Conde Nast Publications, Inc. (as "The Hot- test Piece of Real Estate in the Solar System"); "Dog Star" copyright 1962 by Galaxy Publishing Corporation (as "Moondog"); "Hide and Seek" copyright 1949 by Street & Smith Publications, Inc.; "Out of the © Sun" copyright 1958 by Arthur C. Clarke; "The Wall of Darkness" copyright, 1949, by Fictioneers, Inc. (a subsidiar>' of Popular Publica- tions, Inc.); "No Morning After" copyright, 1954, by August Derleth "The Possessed" copyright 1952 by Columbia Publications, Inc.; "Death and the Senator" copyright 1961 by Street & Smith Publications, Inc.; "Who's There?" copyright 1958 by United Newspapers Magazine Corpo- ration (as "The Haunted Spacesuit"); "Before Eden" copyright 1961 by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company; "Superiority" copyright 1951 by Fan- tasy House, Inc.; "A Walk in the Dark" copyright 1950 by Standard Magazines, Inc.; "The Call of the Stars" copyright 1957 by Royal Pub- lications, Inc.; "The Reluctant Orchid" copyright 1956 by Renown Publishing Co., Inc.; "Encounter at Dawn" copyright 1953 by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company (as "Encounter in the Dawn"); "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth ." copyright 1951 by Columl)ia Publications, Inc.; "Patent . . Pending" copyright 1954 by Popular Publications, Inc.; "The Sentinel" copyright 1951 by Avon Periodicals, Inc.; "Transience" copyright, 1949, by Better Publications, Inc.; "The Star" copyright, 1955, by Royal Publications,Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. First edition Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 67-16086 Printed in the United States of America To "Mittif {Captain E. B. Mitford) who encouraged my initial scribblings at Huish's Grammar School, 1930-36, and became my first editor