Introduction (Needle in a Timestack)

This Introduction is to the collection, and is headed above the work: Introduction. Do not merge with similar titles.

Essay starts: "The 1969 edition of the collection called Needle in a Timestack, the second of the three short-story collections of mine that bear this title, this being the third — and how that happened is something I'll explain in a moment — opens with these introductory words: '"Oh, sir, things change," says one of the characters in my story 'Born With the Dead', and one place where that seems to be true is the publishing industry."

Essay finishes: "The story called 'Needle in a Timestack' is finally included in a collection called Needle in a Timestack also. And this, I promise you, is the last time I'm going to bring out a story collection with that title. I mean it. I swear a solemn oath. I am finished, absolutely finished, collecting my work under that title. You do believe me, don't you?"

Signed: "— Robert Silverberg January, 2019" [Source: PR# 834559]