The work of Cordwainer Smith had begun to arouse a great deal of critical and scholarly interest during the early ~960's and this has increased since the death of Dr. Linebarger. The extent of interest in his science fiction and especially in the epic of the Instrumentality of Mankind, is shown in the years of effort the redoubtable Tony Lewis has put into the preparation of a glossary and chronology of the Smith universe, and by the commentaries on Smith's fiction in books on science fiction as varied as Stephen and Lois Roses, THE SHATTERED RING and Donald A. Wollheim's THE UNIVERSE MAKERS.

There have been three main approaches towards interpretation of Smith's work. The first, fostered by Australian John Foystert takes a purely mainstream viewpoint! regarding Smith's science fiction works as nothing more than veiled commentaries on various aspects of modern life. This approach emphasizes the racial parallels in the struggle of the underpeople and the true men: the underpeople are to be seen purely as stand-ins for blacks and the true men likewise symbols for whites.

'Alpha Ralpha Boulevard, is interpreted as a "French story" add ,Mark Elf' as a "German story," etc. Harlan Ellison, a firm believer in the doctrine of immediate "relevance" for literature, has seized upon this interpretation, and even collaborated with Theodore Sturgeon on one of his latest Dangerous Visions, 'Runesmith, which he considered to he expressive enough Of Smith's ideas to dedicate it to his memory.

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