I forgot to start a thread like this when at the more appropriate time, but I wonder if anyone has ever heard of or run across or read these titles so I thought I'd post anyway.  I got a whopping 16 books for Christmas,  8 of which are Science Fiction or SF Related.  I'm hoping some of you might have some insights or experiences to share, because I'm just thrilled but nobody else in my household can stand my enthusiasm lol.  For my son, I got Robots: Science and Medicine into the 21st Century (The World of the Future).  The series (containing two other books, Future Cities and Star Travel) looks pretty darn cool, though brief (the books are short, or at least the one I have is) but I thought he'd like the pictures and might find it fascinating as he grows up.  For myself I've got:

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven - it's a classic, on many must-read lists, and I'm developing a story about a similar (though not derivative) cataclysm and thought this the best place to learn about such things.

The Best Science Fiction of the Year #4 edited by Terry Carr.  Includes stories by: Frederik Pohl, Robert Siilverbert, Larry Niven, Gordon Eklund, Bob Shaw, Gregory Benford, Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin, William tenn, Michael Moorcock, and Roger Zelazny.

The Year's Best Science Fiction, Thirteenth Annual Collection and The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fourteenth Annual Collection (Year's Best Science Fiction) edited by Garnder Dozois

Isaac Asimov Presents the Golden Years of Science Fiction: 36 Stories and Novellas containing Asimov, L. Sprague De Camp, Lester Del Rey, Robert Heinlein, Fritz Lieber, Theodore Sturgeon, A. E. Van Vogt, Jack Williamson, and more.

Grumbles from the Grave by Virginia Heinlein - biographical work including information about each book and its release, Heinlein's writing style, photographs from his life, collected letters and more.

and the Science Fiction Encyclopedia edited by Peter Nicholls.  Described as the Bible for SF fans, reviews on the back from Asimov, Ellison, Spinrad, Williamson and Zelazny.  Frank Herbert's endorsement calls it "The most valuable science fiction source book ever written".

The links are to PBS pages, which for most only serves to identify the specific ISBN for each volume. 

So, has anyone heard of or read any of these?  I'm absolutely thrilled to have them, especially the last three on the list.  Are there any other stand out collections I should aim for (particular years, publishers, editors?).

Sixteen books ... you lucky dog!

My family looks at my bookcases and always thinks "She doesn't need anymore." Hmph.

Lucifer's Hammer is a favorite of mine, I'm on my 3rd copy. IMO, anything by Niven and Pournelle is a keeper.

The Best #4 by Carr, I'm sure I read ... Carr was an excellent editor. I've read few of the Best of edited by Dozois, but gave up. He never seems to choose stories I like.

I have the SF Encyclopedia on my computer :-)

Enjoy your haul!