Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition

The Big Front Yard by Clifford D. Simak begins this issue of the British edition of Astounding Science Fiction. The story follows Hiram Taine, an antiques dealer and handyman in the village of Willow Bend, whose dog Towser behaves strangely, sniffing insistently at the basement floor. When Abbie Horton, wife of the town's most prominent citizen, brings an old television set needing repair, Taine must haul the heavy combination TV-radio-phonograph into his basement workshop. The narrative establishes Taine's character as a capable but perpetually busy man who fixes others' possessions while neglecting his own, and hints at some mysterious discovery awaiting in his basement. The issue includes additional novelettes: "Big Sword" by Paul Ash and "And Check the Oil" by Randall Garrett, plus short stories including "The Yellow Pill" by Rog Phillips and "False Image" by Jay Williams.