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The Nine Billion Names of God

Arthur C. Clarke

First published February 1953
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

Synopsis

A Tibetan monastery contracts with a data processing machine company to install and operate a computer to speed up their task of compiling the nine billion names of God.

External Links

Awards

YearAwardCategoryStatus
2004 Retro Hugo Award Best Short Story Winner
2012 Locus Online 20th Century Short Story Winner

Publications (143)

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
February 1953 Star Science Fiction Stories Ballantine Books Anthology 195
February 1953 Star Science Fiction Stories Ballantine Books Anthology 195
April 1953 Star Science Fiction Stories Ballantine Books Anthology 195
1954 Star Science Fiction Stories T. V. Boardman Anthology 199
June 1954 Stories for Tomorrow: An Anthology of Modern Science Fiction Funk & Wagnalls Anthology 599
1955 Stories for Tomorrow Eyre & Spottiswoode Anthology 447
September 1956 Best SF Two: Science Fiction Stories Faber and Faber Anthology 287
1958 The Other Side of the Sky Harcourt, Brace & Company Collection 3
1958 The Other Side of the Sky Longmans (Canada) Collection
September 1958 Best SF Two The Science Fiction Book Club (UK) Anthology
November 1959 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library Collection 9
November 1959 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library Collection 9
November 1959 Aspects of Science Fiction John Murray Anthology 175
1960 Best SF Two Faber and Faber Anthology 287
1961 From the Ocean, from the Stars Harcourt, Brace & World Omnibus 169
1961 The Other Side of the Sky Gollancz Collection
July 1961 Star Science Fiction Stories Ballantine Books Anthology 195
1962 The Mathematical Magpie Simon & Schuster Anthology 111
1962 Best SF Two Faber and Faber Anthology 287
January 1962 From the Ocean, from the Stars Harcourt, Brace & World / SFBC Omnibus 169
April 1962 The Other Side of the Sky The Science Fiction Book Club (UK) Collection 3
1963 The Other Side of the Sky Gollancz Collection
1963 The Other Side of the Sky Corgi Books / Transworld Publishers Collection 11
1964 Best SF Two Faber and Faber Anthology 287
February 1964 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library Collection 9
February 1964 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library of Canada Collection 9
1966 The Other Side of the Sky Corgi Collection 11
1967 Out of This World 6 Blackie Anthology 165
1967 The Nine Billion Names of God Harcourt, Brace & World Collection 3
1968 One Hundred Years of Science Fiction Simon & Schuster Anthology 345
1968 The Other Side of the Sky Harbrace Paperbound Library Collection 3
1968 Aspects of Science Fiction John Murray Anthology 175
1968 Best SF Two Faber and Faber Anthology 287
June 1968 Apeman, Spaceman: Anthropological Science Fiction Doubleday Anthology 261
October 1968 Apeman, Spaceman Rapp & Whiting Anthology 261
1969 The Other Side of the Sky Corgi Collection 11
June 1969 One Hundred Years of Science Fiction Gollancz Anthology 329
1970 Aspects of Science Fiction John Murray Anthology 175
March 1970 Apeman, Spaceman Berkley Medallion Anthology 275
April 1970 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One Doubleday Anthology 424
May 1970 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One Doubleday / SFBC Anthology 424
May 1970 One Hundred Years of Science Fiction Gollancz Anthology 329
June 1971 Other Worlds, Other Gods: Adventures in Religious Science Fiction Doubleday & Company Anthology 162
July 1971 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 515
July 1971 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 515
1972 Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol Two Sphere Anthology |9
1972 Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume Two Sphere Anthology |9
March 1972 One Hundred Years of Science Fiction, Book Two Pan Books Anthology 134
August 1972 Of Time and Stars Gollancz Collection
November 1972 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 515
November 1972 Star Science Fiction Stories No. 1 Ballantine Books Anthology 188
November 1972 Apeman, Spaceman Penguin Books Anthology 274
November 1972 Star Science Fiction Stories No. 1 Ballantine Books Anthology 188
April 1973 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 515
July 1973 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library of Canada Collection 9
1974 Of Time and Stars Puffin Collection 15
1974 The Other Side of the Sky Corgi Books / Transworld Publishers Collection 11
January 1974 Other Worlds, Other Gods Avon Anthology 137
January 1974 Other Worlds, Other Gods Avon Anthology 137
June 1974 The Nine Billion Names of God Signet / New American Library Collection 7
June 1974 The Nine Billion Names of God Signet / New American Library of Canada Collection 7
1975 The Other Side of the Sky Corgi Collection 11
1975 Other Worlds, Other Gods: Adventures In Religious Science Fiction New English Library Anthology 162
1975 Of Time and Stars Puffin Collection 15
1975 Science Fiction Hall of Fame: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time Avon Anthology 515
May 1975 The New Awareness: Religion Through Science Fiction Delacorte Press Anthology 313
July 1975 In Dreams Awake Dell Laurel Anthology 226
1976 Of Time and Stars Puffin Collection 15
September 1976 Other Worlds, Other Gods New English Library Anthology 117
1977 Inside Information: Computers in Fiction Addison-Wesley Anthology 45
1977 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library Collection 9
August 1977 One Hundred Years of Science Fiction Book Two Pan Books Anthology 134
1978 Approaches to Science Fiction Houghton Mifflin Anthology 185
1978 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library Collection 9
1978 Of Time and Stars Puffin Collection 15
1979 StarStreak: Stories of Space Scholastic Book Services Anthology 176
1979 Apeman, Spaceman Penguin Books Anthology 274
1979 The Nine Billion Names of God Signet / New American Library Collection 7
1980 Of Time and Stars Puffin Collection 15
September 1980 The Nine Billion Names of God Signet / New American Library Collection 7
June 1981 Of Time and Stars Penguin Books Collection 15
July 1981 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library Collection 9
July 1981 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library of Canada Collection 9
October 1981 The Golden Age of Science Fiction Hutchinson Anthology 239
October 1982 Thinking Machines Raintree Publishers Anthology 37
October 1982 Yesterday's Tomorrows Berkley Books Anthology 125
November 1982 Great Short Tales of Mystery and Terror Reader's Digest Association Anthology 623
1983 The Golden Age of Science Fiction Penguin Books Anthology 239
March 1983 Of Time and Stars Gollancz Collection 11
1984 R-A-M Random Access Messages of the Computer Age Hayden Book Company Anthology 55
1984 Aspects of Science Fiction John Murray Anthology 175
1984 R-A-M Random Access Messages of the Computer Age Hayden Book Company Anthology 55
July 1985 Microworlds: Tales of the Computer Age Severn House Anthology |55
December 1985 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library Collection
December 1985 Microworlds Hamlyn Anthology 50
July 1986 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Avon Anthology 515
December 1986 The Great SF Stories #15 (1953) DAW Books Anthology 155
December 1986 The Great SF Stories #15 (1953) DAW Books Anthology 155
March 1987 The Nine Billion Names of God: The Best Short Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Signet / New American Library Collection 15
May 1987 The Other Side of the Sky VGSF Collection 3
August 1987 The Other Side of the Sky Signet / New American Library Collection 13
August 1988 Of Time and Stars Penguin Books Collection 15
1990 Black Water 2: More Tales of the Fantastic Lester & Orpen Dennys Anthology 920
March 1990 The Other Side of the Sky VGSF Collection 3
January 1991 Black Water 2: More Tales of the Fantastic Clarkson N. Potter Anthology 920
April 1991 White Fire: Further Fantastic Literature Picador Anthology 920
September 1991 More Than One Universe: The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Bantam Spectra Collection 117
June 1992 Black Water 2: More Tales of the Fantastic Vintage Canada Anthology 920
August 1992 The Other Side of the Sky VGSF / Gollancz Collection
April 1993 The Puffin Book of Science Fiction Viking UK Anthology 81
June 1993 Of Time and Stars Roc UK Collection
May 1994 The Puffin Book of Science Fiction Puffin / Penguin Books (UK) Anthology 81
March 1995 The Other Side of the Sky VGSF / Gollancz Collection 3
June 1996 The Nine Billion Names of God: The Best Short Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Amereon House Collection 7
February 1997 A Century of Science Fiction 1950-1959 MJF Books Anthology 114
May 1997 The Mathematical Magpie Copernicus Anthology
August 1998 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One Doubleday / SFBC Anthology 424
October 1998 The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of the 20th Century NewStar Publishing Anthology
October 1999 Bangs and Whimpers: Stories About the End of the World Roxbury Park / Lowell House Anthology 1
December 1999 The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of the 20th Century Phoenix Audio Anthology
2000 The Collected Stories Gollancz / Orion Collection 417
July 2000 Bangs and Whimpers: Stories About the End of the World Roxbury Park / SFBC Anthology 1
2001 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One The Easton Press Anthology 424
February 2001 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Tor Collection 417
February 2001 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Tor / SFBC Collection 417
October 2001 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Gollancz / Orion Collection 417
November 2001 Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Century Ace Books Anthology 110
December 2001 Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Century Ace Books / SFBC Anthology 110
January 2002 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Orb Collection 417
February 2003 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 Tor Anthology 426
March 2004 Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Twentieth Century Ace Books Anthology 110
February 2005 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 Orb Anthology 426
November 2008 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Paw Prints Collection 417
December 2008 Science Fiction: Stories and Contexts Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press Anthology 915
March 2011 The Collected Stories: Volume Three Clipper / W. F. Howes Collection |417
June 2011 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Gollancz / Orion Collection |417
February 2013 The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack Wildside Press Anthology 71
2015 Science Fiction: Stories and Contexts Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press Anthology 575
2016 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke RosettaBooks Collection
August 2016 The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Audible Studios Collection |417
December 2017 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964 Blackstone Audio Anthology |424
February 2018 The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 Tor Anthology
April 2022 Arthur C. Clarke Audiobook Collection MotionAudiobooks Omnibus |60