Astounding Science Fiction / April 1941 / American and British Editions / "Reason" (Isaac Asimov); "Microcosmic God" (Theodore Sturgeon)

New York: Street & Smith Publications, 1941. 1st Edition . Soft cover. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. New York: Street & Smith Publications, 1941. First Editions, one each of both the American and (shorter) British editions. Both Octavo, both illustrated wraps. American Edition, 162 numbered pages, better than Very Good, not quite Near Fine. British Edition, 64 pages. Very Good. See scans for a clearer idea. A seminal and oddly scarce issue of the memorable Astounding Science Fiction fiction periodical, which carried the first appearance of many stories. Notable among those in this issue was the first appearance of Isaac Asimov's "Reason" a very early robot's-emerging-awareness tale which has earned its own wiki article, L. Sprague De Camp's "The Stolen Dormouse", which was the feature story here (see scans of cover), A.E. Van Vogt's "Not the First" and Theodore Sturgeon's "Microcosmic God" ('novelette' length, and recognized as one of the best science fiction stories of all time by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1970, as well as in various later polls). Also in this issue: Kurt von Rachen's "The Mutineers" (also 'novelette' length), Harry Walton's "The Scrambler", Malcolm Jameson's "Slacker's Paradise" and P. Schuyler Miller's "Bird Walk". NOTE: The shorter British edition included carries only the Asimov, De Camp, Sturgeon and Miller pieces - hence its shorter-ness. An apparently hard-to-find number from one of the beacon periodicals of the Golden Age of science fiction. (see also, under our Science fiction and sci/fi fantasy original art categories, the original artwork by noted illustrator John Grossman, titled "Microcosmic God", though that was executed several years later than this issue and was either an homage or an illustration for a later printing). L-fltschc