Meet Miss Universe-Jack Vance short story

Meet Miss Universe-Jack Vance short story (author’s preferred title)

AKA: Miss Universe

Meet Miss Universe was published first in March, 1955 in the magazine Fantastic Universe. It is also known under the title "Miss Universe." It is a 22/23/25 page short story involving the California Tri-Centennial Exposition.  Harderman Clydell, the Exposition's General Director, asks his assistant, Tony LeGrand, if he can think of events or exhibits to enhance the exposition and Tony suggests a Miss Universe contest.  LeGrand likes the idea so they begin making plans. Because there are only a half dozen planets with humanoid life, they decide to include all species of intelligent alien creatures as long as they come from a socially organized society, an interpreter can be found and the species is not dangerous.  Comparing humans to Pleiades dragon women would be difficult so they decide to score the contestants based on the standards and ideals of their home planet.  Because the atmosphere and conditions are different on the various planets from which the contestants will come they decide to build twenty three large glass cases with each case carefully duplicating “home conditions of pressure, temperature, gravity, radiation and chemistry” for each of the contestants.  The story is intended to be light and humorous and has an unpredictable ending, although the story itself is clearly dated.  In the 1982 release of this story in the collection Lost Moons, Vance wrote “Meet Miss Universe is actually not too bad, but it has a rotten title…” I’ve read this work three times and rated it a 3, 4 and 3+.

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Lost Moons (1982)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Minding the Stars: Early Jack Vance, volume 4 (2014)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Golden Girl and Other Stories (2017)

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