RARE HARDCOVER. Originally published as a paperback original novel by Ace in 1973, this novel was published in hardcover the following year by Sidgwick & Jackson (first by itself, then as part of the omnibus "Science Fiction Special 19." This Golden Apple edition is quite scarce, as it was distributed mainly to promote an e-books version. John Rankine (born Douglas Rankine Mason 26 September 1918) is a British science fiction author, who has written books as John Rankine and Douglas R. Mason.