In his introduction, Asimov describes this 50-story anthology as a "Glossary of Terms Frequently Used in Science Fiction Stories". Stories are preceded by definitions for "terms not generally found in ordinary reference books" and "terms that are science-fictionish rather than scientific ... those you might not find at all in scientific dictionaries". The stories are ordered alphabetically by the terms they utilize or illustrate.
- On copyright page: printing line "V 10 9 8 ... 3 2 1", "Copyright (c) 1982 by Nightfall, Inc., ..." and ISBN.
- Published in August per contemporaneous magazine reviews and "0882" on front flap of jacket.
- $22.95 price on front jacket flap. ISBN on jacket back.
