Destination: Universe!

Book by A.E. van Vogt

Not to be confused with Destination Universe.

Destination: Universe!

Dust-jacket from the first edition

Author| A. E. van Vogt
Cover artist| Boris Dolgov
Language| English
Genre| Science fiction
Publisher| Pellegrini & Cudahy

Publication date

| 1952
Publication place| United States
Media type| Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages| xv + 295
OCLC| 2152944

Destination: Universe! is the second collection of science fiction short stories by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was published in hardcover by Pellegrini & Cudahy in 1952, and repeatedly reprinted in paperback, by three different publishers, over the next 25 years. The first British edition appeared in 1953, followed by several paperback reprints. A French translation, Destination Univers, was issued in 1973 and reprinted six times over the next 25 years.[1] The collection has also been translated into Swedish (1954, as Destination universum[2]), Portuguese (1960, as Rumo ao Universo[1]), and Romanian (1994, as Destinația univers[3]).

## Contents

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* "Far Centaurus" (Astounding 1944)
* "The Monster" (Astounding 1948)
* "Dormant" (Startling Stories 1948)
* "Enchanted Village" (Other Worlds 1950)
* "A Can of Paint" (Astounding 1944)
* "Defense" (Avon Fantasy Reader 1947)
* "The Rulers" (Astounding 1944)
* "Dear Pen Pal" (The Arkham Sampler 1949)
* "The Sound" (Astounding 1950)
* "The Search" (Astounding 1943)[4]

## Reception

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P. Schuyler Miller reviewed the collection favorably, singling out "Far Centaurus" as "unforgettable and unforgotten."[5] A 1952 review of Destination: Universe in Galaxy Science Fiction, despite finding fault with the "coldness of [van Vogt's] writing and the woodenness of his characterizations," acknowledged him as "the most superb imaginations of all time," and assessed "Far Centaurus", "The Monster", "The Enchanted Village", "Dear Pen Pal", and "The Search" as "class A stories," while calling "Defense" "very powerful and shocking." "A Can of Paint" was rated "minor", while "Dormant", "The Rulers", and "The Sound" received mixed or negative reviews.[6] Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction said in June 1953 that Destination: Universe! was "best bargain in this month's reprints".[7]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Bibliography: Destination: Universe!". ISFDB. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
2. ^ Destination universum. OCLC 186231394.
3. ^ Destinația univers. OCLC 39284397.
4. ^ Contento, William G. (26 January 2008). "Destination: Universe! (Pellegrini Cudahy, 1952, $3.50, 309pp, hc)". Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
5. ^ "The Reference Library", Astounding Science Fiction, December 1952, pp .103
6. ^ "Destination, Universe!". Galaxy Science Fiction. July 1952. pp. 105–106\. ISBN 9781944409074. `{{cite magazine}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
7. ^ Boucher, Anthony; McComas, J. Francis (June 1953). "Recommended Reading". The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. p. 70. Retrieved 2025-07-30.

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Works by A. E. van Vogt

Novels|

* The Book of Ptath
* The House That Stood Still
* The Voyage of the Space Beagle
* The Mixed Men
* The Universe Maker
* The Mind Cage
* Rogue Ship
* The Silkie
* Quest for the Future
* Children of Tomorrow
* The Man with a Thousand Names
* Supermind

Series|

| Null-A|

* The World of Null-A
* The Pawns of Null-A
* Null-A Three

|

Slan|

* Slan
* Slan Hunter (with Kevin J. Anderson)

The Weapon Shops of Isher|

* The Weapon Makers
* The Weapon Shops of Isher

Clane|

* Empire of the Atom
* The Wizard of Linn

Rull|

* The War Against the Rull

Collections|

* Out of the Unknown
* Masters of Time
* Destination: Universe!
* Monsters
* M33 in Andromeda
* More Than Superhuman

Stories|

* Vault of the Beast (1938)
* Black Destroyer (1939)
* The Weapon Shop (1942)
* The Search (1943)
* Far Centaurus (1944)
* A Can of Paint (1944)
* The Rulers (1946)
* The Monster (1948)
* Dear Pen Pal (1949)
* Enchanted Village (1950)
* The Sound (1950)

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