The stories included in this volume vary in the time they were written. What unites them is the human component, which strongly emphasizes the tasks of future scientific and technological progress. “Waldo” is a story about a lonely genius who, having despised humanity and becoming a recluse in earth’s orbit, overcomes the feeling of being rejected. “The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hogue” is a story about the illusory nature of the world , which surrounds us. Or the story “Our Beautiful City,” which tells about the friendship of a man and a strange creature living on the city streets. The book contains stories about lost and returned love (“The Man Who Traded Elephants”). About a house in which every door leads to unexpected places (“In a Crooked House”). About how to return yourself, who has broken up into many doubles (“All of you, zombies?..”). About that... In general, about a lot. Both reliable and fantastic. In this edition, the translation of many works has been improved and presented in a new edition.