This is the second anthology of novellas in the series starting with The Mammoth Book of Classic Science Fiction, and it represents a vast improvement.

For one thing, it includes Asimov’s own "The Big and the Little". This is one of the very few times that any of the original Foundation stories is anthologized outside of Foundation , Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. One wonders why "The Mule" wasn’t chosen, or "...And Now You Don’t", but it’s nice to see one of these stories properly recognized. (Unfortunately, I rather suspect that it’s the version of the story that eventually appeared in Foundation, and not the version that originally appeared in Astounding, but I'm not sure and really don’t see any need to make a careful evaluation of the story to check.)

The other nine stories are all almost just as good, from Ross Rocklynne’s "Time Wants a Skeleton" through Jack Williamson’s brilliant "With Folded Hands". A. Bertram Chandler’s "Giant Killer" isn’t a story that I particularly like, mind you—but it is very well done indeed, as is true for Theodore Sturgeon’s "Killdozer!" Plus we have A.E. van Vogt’s "The Weapons Shop" and Lester del Rey’s "Nerves". This is a marvelous anthology which I'd highly recommend to all comers.