Blank!

First publication of "Blank!"
cover art by Ed Emshwiller

"Blank!" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was commissioned by Larry Shaw, editor of Infinity Science Fiction, as being the least inspirational title on which to base a story. Harlan Ellison and Randall Garrett were also invited to submit stories based on the same title; Garrett wrote one with "Blank?" as the title while Ellison submitted "Blank."[1] All three were published in the magazine in June 1957.[2] Asimov's story was later reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories.

  1. ^ Asimov, Isaac (1975). Buy Jupiter and Other Stories. Garden City NY: Doubleday.
  2. ^ "Infinity Science Fiction, June 1957". ISFDb. Retrieved August 23, 2024.