The Three-Volume Earth Book.

I still value Poul Anderson's The Earth of Stormgate as a discrete volume even though its entire contents have been incorporated into The Technic Civilization Saga. In terms of numbers of instalments, the Earth Book comprises exactly half of Saga Volumes I-III (of VII). However, my paperback Berkley May 1979 edition of the Earth Book is falling apart despite being sellotaped together and presumably will not be reissued. The New English Library published a three-volume paperback Earth Book comprising:

Volume 1

"Wings of Victory"

"The Problem of Pain"

"How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson"

"Margin of Profit"

"Esau"

"The Season of Forgiveness"

Volume 2

The Man Who Counts

Volume 3

"A Little Knowledge"

"Day of Burning"

"Lodestar"

"Wingless"

"Rescue on Avalon"

I will try to purchase the NEL edition second hand through the Old Pier Bookshop or Amazon. (Right now as I type, Tony is having to go outside the Old Pier Bookshop to counteract the effects of heavy rain as I have learned by phoning his brother, Andrea, who lives above the shop.)

The NEL edition performs the helpful function of dividing the narrative into three more manageable portions. Nicholas van Rijn is introduced in "Margin of Profit," his original opening story, even earlier than his collection, Trader To The Stars. He interviews his employee, Emil Dalmady, in "Esau," features in an entire novel, The Man Who Counts, then reappears with his granddaughter, Coya Conyon, and his trader team of David Falkayn, Adzel and Chee Lan, in "Lodestar." "How To Be Ethnic..." introduces Adzel and is thus a prequel to the trader team series. "Day of Burning," featuring the trader team without van Rijn, introduces Merseia and is thus a prequel to the Dominic Flandry series. "Esau" introduces the Baburites and "Lodestar" introduces Mirkheim. Thus, these two stories are prequels to Mirkheim in which the Baburites seize Mirkheim. "Wingless" and "Rescue on Avalon" describe the two-stage colonization of Avalon. Thus, these two stories are prequels to The People of the Wind about the Terran-Ythrian War, particularly its effects on Avalon. "Wings of Victory" introduces Ythri. "The Problem of Pain" introduces Avalon. "The Season of Forgiveness" is set on the same planet as the first David Falkayn story. That leaves only "A Little Knowledge" as a one-off story describing a peculiar planet in the Technic History universe.