Arthur C. Clarke - Expedition to Earth - Ballantine Books, 1953, First Edition.

New York, Ballantine Books, 1953. First Edition. First Impression. Hardback. Very good. Collects 11 short stories, including the titular one. The author's first such collection. Precedes the UK hardback edition from Sidgwick and Jackson (1954). The short story 'Breaking Strain' was filmed in 1994 as Trapped in Space. But perhaps more importantly, the collection includes 'The Sentinel' which was of course the pre-cursor to '2001: A Space Odyssey'. 'The Sentinel' was previously published in the '10 Story Fantasy' magazine, but the present title represents the first book publication of the important story. Condition. Some wear to the corners and spine tips, the spine tips in particular being chipped, with a little loss to the head. Scuff to the spine with loss of upper layer of paper. Upper fold slightly worn too. Boards a little rubbed and spine tips bumped. Cover art by Richard Powers [8152, Hyraxia Books].