Linear And Non-Linear

There still is something that I have not quite managed to articulate about Poul Anderson's Technic History which is why I keep returning to it.

Robert Heinlein's Future History is a linear narrative from  "Life-Line" at the beginning of Volume I to "Common Sense" at the end of Volume V;

Anderson's Psychotechnic History is a linear narrative from "Marius" either to "The Chapter Ends" or to The Peregrine, depending on whether we accept "The Chapter Ends" as part of the series;

Anderson's Technic History is a linear narrative from "The Saturn Game" at the beginning of The Technic Civilization, Volume I, to "Starfog" at the end of Volume VII.

However, the Technic History was originally published in a different order:

the Polesotechnic League Tetralogy was two short trilogies and two novels, thus eight PL narratives;

the Avalonian volumes were one novel and one collection, thus thirteen narratives, covering -

Ythrians settled on Avalon;
Ythrians on Ythri;
Ythrians exploring Gray/Avalon;
eight PL narratives as recorded by an Avalonian Ythrian, Hloch;
Ythrians settling Avalonian islands;
Ythrians settling an Avalonian continent.

Thus, the second Avalonian volume incorporated a second set of eight PL narratives. In fact, Hloch records all but the first of the thirteen narratives. The principle characters of the PL Tetralogy reappear in Hloch's accounts.

In fictional chronological order:

the earliest story in the PL Tetralogy is "The Three-Cornered Wheel" and the last is Mirkheim;

the earliest stories in the second PL set are "Margin of Profit" and "How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson" and the last is "Lodestar."

"Lodestar," about the discovery of Mirkheim, was originally conceived as the conclusion of the PL series but fortunately was followed by the more substantial culmination, Mirkheim. Thus, everything was coherent if not chronological.