Despite – or perhaps because of – its incorporation of inflamed Campbellian propaganda for taking Psi Powers seriously – They'd Rather be Right won the 1955 Hugo award for Best Novel. The Bossy sequence – 'Crazy Joey' (August 1953 Astounding) with Alex Apostolides, 'Hide! Hide! Witch!' (December 1953 Astounding) with Apostolides, and They'd Rather Be Right (August-November 1954 Astounding edited version 1957 vt The Forever Machine 1958 text restored under original title 1981) with Frank Riley – concerns an advanced Computer named Bossy who is almost made ineffective by the fears of mankind about her, even though she is capable of conferring Immortality. Much of Clifton's fiction falls into two series. This practical experience, and the slant of mind it fuelled, mark his work as a writer, beginning with his first stories of genre interest, 'What Have I Done?' for Astounding in May 1952, and the slightly later 'Star, Bright' (July 1952 Galaxy), the latter tale vividly introducing his sophisticated take on Psi Powers to the field (see Dimensions Teleportation). (1906-1963) US author, an industrial psychologist for many years until his retirement around 1950 – mostly occupied in personnel work, putting together many thousands of case histories from which he extrapolated conclusions after the fashion of Kinsey and Sheldon.

They'd Rather Be Right by Mark Clifton