Some Immobile Robots

            I have written stories about computers, as well as about roots.  In fact, I have computers (or something pretty close to computers) in some stories that are always thought of as robot stories.  You’ll see computers (after a fashion) in “Robbie,” “Escape!” and “The Evitable Conflict” later in this volume.

            In this volume, however, I am sticking to robots and, in general, ignoring my computer stories.

            On the other hand, it is not always easy to decide where the dividing line is.  A robot is, in some ways, merely a mobile robot.  So for this group, I selected three computer stories in which the computer seemed to be sufficiently intelligent and to have sufficient personality to be indistinguishable from a robot.  Furthermore, all three stories did not appear in earlier collections of mine, and Doubleday wanted some uncollected stories present so that the completists who had all my earlier collections would have something new to slaver over.