Book is tight and almost square; light bumping to spine ends and bottom corners. No stamps, marks or writing - this is definitely NOT ex-library. Unclipped DJ has minor/light wear to bottom of spine and flap-bends and slight age-darkening to spine and back cover. But the top 1/2" of spine has a tear at each side, and associated fold-traces ("scrunched.") To minimize the appearance of this and prevent it from getting worse, I've neatly repaired on backside with non-yellowing library tape, and placed the DJ in a new Demco DJ protector. One caveat: like many Simon & Shuster books of this vintage, I'm not impressed with the paper quality. The pages are darkening towards the edges (staying in margins.) The problem is - I don't think you can find better.

"Winner" of the Galaxy / Simon and Shuster $5000 novel writing contest, and serialized there in 4 parts (June to September 1955.) Apparently nothing of sufficient quality was submitted, so editor H. L. Gold tapped Frederik Pohl and Lester Del Rey for a quick novel, in the mode of The Space Merchants or Gladiator at Law. The serial version, this hardcover, and the 1962 paperback from Dell - all originally appeared using the pseudonym "Edson McCann."