The normal progress of a technology produces simpler and simpler gadgets involving more and more complex fundamental laws. And, of course, requiring less and less of the user . . .
"The Little Black Bag" appeared in the July 1950 issue of "Astounding Science Fiction" on pages 132 to 161.
"The Little Black Bag" is a complementary story to "The Marching Morons," also by C M Kornbluth; the little black bag in question having come from the future envisioned in that story.
"The Little Black Bag" won the 2001 Retroactive Hugo Award for Best Novelette (of 1951) and was also recognized as the joint-13th best all-time short science fiction story in the October and November 1971 Analog Science Fact & Fiction poll. It was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published before the creation of the Nebula Awards. As such, it was published in Volume One of The Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
"The Little Black Bag" was the basis of episodes (using the same title) in three television series: Tales of Tomorrow in 1952, Out of the Unknown in 1969, and Night Gallery in 1970.
Cyril M Kornbluth (July 2, 1923 – March 21, 1958) was an American science fiction author and a member of the Futurians. He used a variety of pen-names, including Cecil Corwin, S D Gottesman, Edward J Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C Davies, Simon Eisner, Jordan Park, Arthur Cooke, Paul Dennis Lavond, and Scott Mariner.
As a teenager, he became a member of the Futurians, an influential group of science fiction fans and writers. While a member of the Futurians, he met and became friends with Frederik Pohl, Donald A Wollheim, Robert A W Lowndes, and his future wife Mary Byers. He also participated in the Fantasy Amateur Press Association.
Links
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LibSyn: libsyn.com
"Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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