The Earlier Van Rijn Series

While without Internet access at home, I have been drafting posts for blog publication and reading interesting books by other authors while also rereading Poul Anderson who really is endlessly re-readable.

Currently utilizing Internet access at my daughter's house, I want to publish a quick version of one of the drafted posts despite maybe not having every relevant reference in place.

Trader To The Stars climaxes with "The Master Key" which refers to van Rijn's earlier exploits involving Borthu, Diomedes and t'Kela although only the t'Kela incident is included in this collection. Let us reconstruct the earliest version of the van Rijn series. "The Master Key" reads like a culmination first because it refers to three of the four earlier instalments and secondly because van Rijn seems to have stopped travelling and to have settled down on Earth because he hears the accounts of the problem on Cain, then solves the mystery by thought alone without rising from his lounger.

"Margin of Profit," about Borthu, was published in 1956.

"The Man Who Counts," about Diomedes, was serialized, then published as a novel under the title, War Of The Wing Men, in 1958.

"Hiding Place," about a space zoo, was published on 1961.

Un-Man And Other Novellas, collecting "Margin of Profit" and one instalment each from two other Anderson series, is copyright 1962.

"Territory," about t'Kela, was published in 1963.

"The Master Key," about Cain, was published in 1964.

Trader To The Stars, copyright 1964 and introduced by a new passage signed "de Matelot," collects:

"Hiding Place";

"Territory," introduced by an extract from "Margin of Profit";

"The Master Key," introduced by a verse by Shelley.

Thus, here were five van Rijn instalments published in two and one third volumes:

"Margin of Profit" in Un-Man...;

War Of The Wing Men;

Trader To The Stars.

This series was, so far, complete and not part of anything greater.

As we all know, there were two subsequent developments. First, The Earth Book Of Stormgate, published in 1978, collected twelve Technic History instalments, including:

"Margin of Profit," revised;

The Man Who Counts, its original title restored;

"Esau," about Baburites on Mogul, published in 1970;

"Lodestar," about Mirkheim and equally featuring Anderson's trader team, published in 1973.

Because the Earth Book is to be read several volumes after Trader To The Stars, that earlier collection, no longer needing to be preceded either by Un-Man... or by War Of The Wing Men, became Volume I of the Technic History with the Earth Book as at least Volume VI.

Finally, the seven-volume The Technic Civilization Saga, published 2009-2012, presents the entire Technic History in chronological order of fictional events so that the van Rijn instalments appear in their rightful places among all the others.