(Found) 1960s "best of" SF book

[MikeG1958]

I'm trying to identify/locate a book of SF short stories that I read in the mid to late 1960s.
I think it was titled "Best SF" or possibly "Years Best Sf" - it might have been number 7?
I think the dust cover was yellow (sorry, as it was 50+ years ago the memories are a bit unreliable)

It contained stories as follows:-

A man collecting paintings of a riverbank (Mississippi?) and discovers that some of them are ancient and accurate under a microscope down to the molecular level.​

​

An astronaut stranded on a planet discovers ancient ruins and a creature like a large armadillo. A food dispenser struggles to create human food and ends up transforming the astronaut into a local alien.​

​

Time travellers go back through history making mankind more peaceful.​

​

A scientist engineers a race of small intelligent creatures that live in accelerated timescales. He sets them scientific tasks to solve.​

​

Aliens visit earth after a period of time that humanity has been isolated and discover we as dangerous than they'd thought.​

There were others but I don't remember.

And help would be very much appreciated.

 

[Hugh]

Donald Wollheim's 1972 Annual World's Best SF

I say this because A man collecting paintings of a riverbank (Mississippi?) and discovers that some of them are ancient and accurate under a microscope down to the molecular level must be “All Pieces of a River Shore” by R.A. Lafferty. It's one of my favourites.

Here's a link to the UK Amazon listing. If you scroll down there's a list of the stories...

1972 Annual Worlds Best SF: Amazon.co.uk: Wollheim, Donald A.: 9780879970819: Books

Buy 1972 Annual Worlds Best SF paperback / softback by Wollheim, Donald A. (ISBN: 9780879970819) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

The first story is "All Pieces of a River Shore" by R. A. Lafferty, so that narrows it down some. That story has been reprinted several times:

Title: All Pieces of a River Shore

www.isfdb.org

From the other clues, I suspect that this is The 1972 Annual World's Best SF.

Did you have this British edition?

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Hugh beat me to it. Well done.

 

[MikeG1958]

Wow, you people are awesome! Thank you so much.
I've been google searching for this book for ages and you answered me in minutes.
Thanks again.

 

[MikeG1958]

The first story is "All Pieces of a River Shore" by R. A. Lafferty, so that narrows it down some. That story has been reprinted several times:

Title: All Pieces of a River Shore

www.isfdb.org

From the other clues, I suspect that this is The 1972 Annual World's Best SF.

Did you have this British edition?

Yeah, that's exactly the copy that I read - it was actually my dad's copy, I was only 12 at the time!
Thank you Victoria Silverwolf, vegetarian is my favourite kind of werewolf

 

[MikeG1958]

Donald Wollheim's 1972 Annual World's Best SF

View attachment 68547

I say this because A man collecting paintings of a riverbank (Mississippi?) and discovers that some of them are ancient and accurate under a microscope down to the molecular level must be “All Pieces of a River Shore” by R.A. Lafferty. It's one of my favourites.

Here's a link to the UK Amazon listing. If you scroll down there's a list of the stories...

1972 Annual Worlds Best SF: Amazon.co.uk: Wollheim, Donald A.: 9780879970819: Books

Buy 1972 Annual Worlds Best SF paperback / softback by Wollheim, Donald A. (ISBN: 9780879970819) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Thanks Hugh. You're brillaint.

 

[Peter V]

The second story sounds pretty much spot on for The Enchanted Village by A E Van Vogt, from his brilliant anthology Destination Universe. However I do not see it listed in the contents for the collection mentioned.

 

[Danny McG]

The second story sounds pretty much spot on for The Enchanted Village by A E Van Vogt, from his brilliant anthology Destination Universe. However I do not see it listed in the contents for the collection mentioned.

My thoughts also, probably confusion by the querent

 

[MikeG1958]

The second story sounds pretty much spot on for The Enchanted Village by A E Van Vogt, from his brilliant anthology Destination Universe. However I do not see it listed in the contents for the collection mentioned.

Yes, that's it. Thanks, you're brilliant.
I now have no idea where I came across this story as I don't recognise the anthology - I'm wider read than I thought!
Thanks again