Astounding Memorial

Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology (1973, Ed. Harry Harrison) is an original anthology which includes:

"Lodestar" by Poul Anderson, intended when written to be the last Nicholas van Rijn story although Anderson subsequently added Mirkheim;

"Epilog" by Clifford Simak, one last City story, included in later editions of City;

an addition by Isaac Asimov to his very obscure "Thiotimoline" series.

For these and other contents, see the above link. I have not checked whether any of the other stories are additions to series by their authors.

"Lodestar" is both a van Rijn story and an Ythrian story. Of Anderson's seven Ythrian instalments, the first, "Wings of Victory," was published in 1972 and the rest in 1973: a rare burst of creativity.

In my estimation, "Lodestar" has to be the jewel in the crown of the Astounding Memorial anthology although it is interesting to learn that there are at least two other series stories.

"Lodestar":

signals the beginning of the end of the Polesotechnic League;

introduces van Rijn's granddaughter, Coya Conyon, who will marry David Falkayn;

shows the dramatic confrontation between van Rijn and Falkayn and also the generation gap between van Rijn and Coya;

brings together van Rijn and his trader team (including Falkayn) and the Ythrians;

is included in that ultimate future history collection, The Earth Book Of Stormgate;

presents a brief sense of life and work in the Solar Commonwealth through Coya;

refers back to the Satan affair and became the precursor of Mirkheim.

What's not to like?