
DANGEROUS VISIONS
This book from 1967 is an anthology edited by Harlan that includes 33 original stories of speculative fiction. It is considered one of the cornerstones of the New Wave of science fiction. It was a volume of previously unreleased, personally commissioned stories, like Damon Knight's ORBIT series but all in one book. The main idea, according to the introduction was to provide an outlet for "dangerous", provocative, relevant stories, that is, stories that had been rejected by the market due to their content or that somehow went beyond what is traditionally expected of SF. Although many established talents chimed in, Harlan also used the space to introduce a few newcomers to a wider audience.

Cover by Leo & Diane Dillon
The book became a commercial and critical success, garnering a Hugo award and a special plaque by the SFWA. Some of the writers also received major awards for their stories, namely Leiber, Farmer and Delany.
One of the great things about the book is Harlan's personal touch in the selection of the writers and the stories and in his generous intruductions to each and every story/writer. I often find myself looking at what Harlan wrote about other writers if I'm not sure whether I should get a book or not. He not only provides basic information about everyone but often talks about his relationship with the writers, thereby revealing something new about them. The volume and quality of introductory material provided by Harlan is very impressive.
As an introduction to speculative fiction, this volume is probably unmatched by any other anthology, not only because of the wealth of information about the writers, but also because of how the writers each provide an afterword about what they've written. This serves to take the reader a little closer to the stories even if their subjects may seem distant. Another argument to use this as an introduction to the field is the fact that in 1967 a lot of the "old guard" writers were still active and willing to participate. It's interesting to see writer of all age groups all on the same playground talking about the same time in history, seeing the same world. I think that the late 60's were a perfect time to do a book like this because the world had gone through a lot of changes, and so had science fiction.

The stories by Theodore Sturgeon, Harlan Ellison and Robert Bloch have already been disussed seperately. A sequel book called AGAIN, DANGEROUS VISIONS will also be discussed seperately.
I will post my comments about the stories in both books slowly over a long period of time and hope that others who have read the book will participate in any way they see fit. I have no intention of over-analysing the book, this is supposed to be a place for anyone to show their appreciation for Harlan's efforts. It's one of the books that I feel privileged to exist on the same planet with, and I doubt I'm the only one left with any feelings about it or the fiction contained therein.
Reviews:
Greg L. Johnson (SF Site): http://www.sfsite.com/03b/dv148.htm (2003)
James Schellenerg: http://www.challengingdestiny.com/reviews/dangerousvisions.htm (2000)
Laura Quilter: http://feministsf.org/reviews/ellison.dv.html (2000)
John (Grasping for the Wind): http://otter.covblogs.com/archives/020597.html (2007)
Eric Rosenfield: http://www.wetasphalt.com/?q=node/144 (2007)
Michael Matzer (German): http://www.buchwurm.info/book/anzeigen.php?id_book=4137 (2007)
Der Ubernerd (second from top): http://das-ubernerd.blogspot.com/2008_02_03_archive.html (2008)
Rob Latham: Dangerous Visions and the New Wave Assault on Sex Censorship http://efanzines.com/EK/eI54/index.htm#danger (2011)
Harlan talking about DV and ADV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Uok5Xu2mk (starting at 2:30 min)