I think you aptly list the hazards of calling something "all time ten best" anything because, as you point out, there are lots of very good works that could all swap places with one another and still be a credible "ten best". However, if you were to put together a book of ten incontrovertably awesome steampunk stories Isaac Asimov would have nary a tale in it, nor Arthur C. Clarke, but Cherie Priest might and when that happens enough and the panels at SF conventions stop looking like a gathering of wizards other people are going to write the next chapter in the book of SF and in 50 years you may very well be able to put together a "10 best SF stories" anthology that includes no white men with beards.
ultimately though, you're paying for an editors taste, buy the anthology by the person whose judgement you trust, some will sell, some won't and the market will out in the end. i'd say go ahead and put out the anthology of ten best stories written by old white guys, but it's been done, we've got all those stories.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-10-14 07:40 pm (UTC)ultimately though, you're paying for an editors taste, buy the anthology by the person whose judgement you trust, some will sell, some won't and the market will out in the end. i'd say go ahead and put out the anthology of ten best stories written by old white guys, but it's been done, we've got all those stories.