The Nine Billion Names of God was published as a collection by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1967, gathering Clarke’s finest short stories. The title story, originally published in 1953, is one of the most famous in science fiction: Tibetan monks hire IBM engineers to install a computer in their lamasery to generate all possible permutations of the letters of God’s name. The monks believe that when all the names have been listed, the purpose of the universe will be fulfilled. The engineers think this is superstitious nonsense — until the last name is printed and, walking away from the monastery, they notice the stars going out.
Other landmarks in the collection include “The Star” (Hugo Award, 1956), in which a Jesuit astrophysicist discovers that the Star of Bethlehem was a supernova that destroyed an advanced alien civilization, and “The Sentinel,” the short story that became the seed for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Collecting The Nine Billion Names of God
First edition (Harcourt, Brace & World, New York, 1967): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine in jacket: $100–$300
- Very good: $40–$100