New Beginnings

A series begins with its first episode. Right? But sometimes an author backtracks and tells us what had happened before, beginnings before the beginning. Let us consider four by now familiar authors, culminating of course with Poul Anderson.

Ian Fleming's novels just follow each other chronologically, starting with Casino Royale. In that novel, Bond recounts how he had earned his 00 number so there is no later need to backtrack to that.

CS Lewis tells us how the Pevensies first went to Narnia, then later tells us how, earlier, people had started to travel between worlds.

Watson tells us how Holmes and he met, then later Holmes tells Watson about his first case and the case that had started his career.

See:

The Structure Of A Series: Conan Doyle (merely introductory)

The Structure Of A Series: Conan Doyle II

When Poul Anderson's Technic History began to be collected, Volume I, Trader To The Stars, opened by quoting Shelley: "The world's great age begins anew." However, this volume did not include, although it quoted, the first van Rijn story, "Margin of Profit." Also, the van Rijn novel, The Man Who Counts, and some other Technic History installments are set earlier than the first story in Trader..., "Hiding Place."

The Earth Book Of Stormgate begins with "Wings of Victory."

The Technic Civilization Saga begins with "The Saturn Game."

At last, the chronologically earliest story is presented first.