The Nature Of The Catastrophe
London: Hutchinson, 1971 (July 5th) hardcover;
edited by Michael Moorcock & Langdon Jones;
original price: £2·00;
viii + 213 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 0-09-107260-3;
cover artist: Mal Dean;
introduction by James Colvin (a.k.a. Moorcock);
no American edition.
Jerry Cornelius — the ambiguous, amoral, androgynous English Assassin —
An anthology of linked short fiction by Moorcock and others (both new and previously published) — see below — all featuring the character Jerry Cornelius. (See also The New Nature Of The Catastrophe.)
Contents:-
p. vii: Introduction (non-fiction) by James Colvin (a.k.a. Michael Moorcock);
p. 1: ‘The Nature Of The Catastrophe’ by Moorcock;
p. 9: ‘The Firmament Theorem’ by Brain W. Aldiss;
p. 24: ‘The Nash Circuit’ by M. John Harrison;
p. 43: ‘Jeremiad’ by James Sallis;
p. 59: ‘Sea Wolves’ by Moorcock;
p. 75: ‘The End Of The Cycle’ (poem) by Langdon Jones;
p. 79: ‘The Ash Circus’ by Harrison;
p. 92: ‘The Tank Trapeze’ by Moorcock;
p. 106: ‘The Last Hurrah Of The Golden Horde’ by Norman Spinrad;
p. 123: ‘The Adventures Of Jerry Cornelius: The English Assassin’ (as ‘The Adventures Of Jerry Cornelius’ only, on contents page) (graphic) by Moorcock & Harrison, drawn by Mal Dean & R. Glyn Jones;
p. 138: ‘The Delhi Division’ by Moorcock;
p. 146: ‘Marrow’ by Sallis (first appearance);
p. 149: ‘The Flesh Circle’ (first appearance) by Harrison;
p. 165: ‘A Prayer To Men’ (first appearance) by Alex Krislov;
p. 173: ‘Lines Of White On A Sullen Sea’ by Maxim Jakubowski;
p. 180: ‘The Sunset Perspective’ by Moorcock;
p. 198: ‘Chronology’ by “The Compilers” (on title page only; a.k.a. Michael Moorcock).
Moorcography.org 