Robert Sheckley (July 16, 1928 -- December 9, 2005) was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical. Sheckley was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2001. Included in this collection are nine of some of his best stories written in the 1950s. Includes the following stories: WARM, THE DEMONS, THE ODOR OF THOUGHT, PROSPECTORS SPECIAL, THE SWEEPER OF LORAY, DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY, WATCHBIRD, FEEDING TIME, WE ARE ALONE