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From 1965 until his death, Algis Budrys was a leading critic of modern speculative fiction; insightful, eclectic, and notoriously uninhibited. Benchmarks collects the material that started it - all the Galaxy Bookshelf book-review columns Budrys created for the now-vanished Galaxy Magazine from 1965 to 1971.

Benchmarks Continued: F&SF "Books" Columns 1975-1982 is the first instalment of a three-volume collected edition of Algis Budrys's classic SF review columns for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Published: 30 November 2012. Ebook edition February 2014. Available directly from Ansible Editions.

"Before we begin, this seems an appropriate time to state the ground rules under which I do my reviews and critical essays. Here are those underlying assumptions: Criticism is not subject to the democratic process. I thank you for your kind attention, and now let's get on with it." (Algis Budrys, November 1981 column)

As the title suggests, this book follows on from Budrys's Benchmarks: Galaxy Bookshelf (1985), containing the Galaxy magazine reviews of which his editor said - after many arguments about the increasing column length - "In the long run, A.J. won all the arguments, because he had done what I asked him to to. He had written a column that contributed to the improvement of the breed, and, in fact, many readers also turned to it first in the magazine. I couldn't argue with success. A generation later, I'm glad I lost the arguments. The reviews are still here, they still make sense - and what do you know, they're still graceful and enjoyable to read." (Frederik Pohl, 1984)

And a post-publication comment: "As well as one of the best writers in our field, Algis Budrys was the best writer about our field. These essays are much more than reviews - altogether they're a deeply perceptive history of science fiction literature." (Tim Powers, 2013)

Benchmarks Revisited: F&SF "Books" Columns 1983-1986 is the second instalment of a three-volume collected edition of all Algis Budrys's classic SF review columns for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Published: 1 July 2013. Ebook edition February 2014. Available from the Ansible Editions web site.

"When we attempt to measure space and time, we must use numbers with many zeroes in them. Zeroes are read as nullity, and many of our writers seem unaware that an attempt to make the journey to Andromeda seem vast by packing it with zero-equivalents will result, instead, in a sense that the thing is about the size of a basketball and floating off just beyond Hoboken." (Algis Budrys, May 1985 column)

"As well as one of the best writers in our field, Algis Budrys was the best writer about our field. These essays are much more than reviews - altogether they're a deeply perceptive history of science fiction literature." (Tim Powers, 2013)

"There have been three fathers of sf criticism, Damon Knight, James Blish, and A. J. Budrys. More than any of their heirs, they knew sf inside out, from the 1940s onward. They all wrote well, and more than well. AJ also wrote vastly: authoritative, loose, sharp, casual, tough; and with all the past at his command. He told us everything he could. This 460,000 word trilogy is only a part of that gift. Feast well. We shall see nothing of its like ever again." (John Clute, 2013)

"The 'Books' columns themselves are not just books columns but performances, full of fireworks, digressions, wise insights, witty asides, penetrating mini-essays on writing and publishing, entertaining personal crotchets, and even footnotes. They repay close reading." (David Langford, 2013, from the introduction)

Benchmarks Concluded: F&SF "Books" Columns 1987-1993 is the final instalment of a three-volume collected edition of all Algis Budrys's classic SF review columns for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Published: 1 July 2013. Ebook edition February 2014. Available from Ansible Editions web site.

"The idea that speculative fiction is a genre has hard sledging against the fact that its polar counterpart, descriptive or 'Mainstream' fiction, is younger and contains many sub-categories itself. In fact, if we look at the history of the literary art, which began with attempts to dramatize the ways of the supernatural toward mankind, then descriptive fiction is an offshoot of speculative fiction - i.e., a genre." (Algis Budrys, April 1987 column)

"Even when he's reviewing books you're not interested in, Budrys is always funny and fascinating and insightful ... Budrys's highly entertaining review essays constitute a priceless how-to source for science fiction writers." (Tim Powers, 2013)

"There have been three fathers of sf criticism, Damon Knight, James Blish, and A J Budrys. More than any of their heirs, they knew sf inside out, from the 1940s onward. They all wrote well, and more than well. AJ also wrote vastly: authoritative, loose, sharp, casual, tough; and with all the past at his command. He told us everything he could. This 460,000 word trilogy is only a part of that gift. Feast well. We shall see nothing of its like ever again." (John Clute, 2013)