Definitive Passages

The two defining passages for the Polesotechnic League are:

the passage beginning "It is a truism that..." which occurs early in "Margin of Profit," and is repeated as an introduction to "Territory," the second story in Trader To The Stars;

the passage beginning with the quotation, "The world's great age begins anew...," which introduces Trader To The Stars and is attributed to "Le Matelot."

These two passages need to be highlighted at the beginning of the League period in any uniform edition of Poul Anderson's History of Technic Civilization so I suggest that Volume I of the History should begin with:

the three pre-League stories;
the "Le Matelot" passage;
"Margin of Profit" -

- which is followed by no less than four stories about different aspects of the League before its hero, van Rijn, returns as a series character. Thus, the Polesotechnic League becomes a substantial setting for later adventures of van Rijn and his protege, Falkayn.

The defining passage for the decline of the League is "Lodestar" at the end of Volume II. The implications of "Lodestar" are worked out in Mirkheim and indeed arguably in the remaining volumes of the Technic History.