Citizen in Space is a collection of science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 short stories

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

 by Robert Sheckley

Robert Sheckley

Robert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...

. It was first published in 1955 by Ballantine Books

Ballantine Books

Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...

 (catalogue number 126). It includes the following stories (magazines in which the stories originally appeared given in parentheses):

1. "The Mountain Without a Name" (1955)
2. "The Accountant" (F&SF
   The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
   The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
   
    1954/7)
3. "Hunting Problem" (Galaxy
   Galaxy Science Fiction
   Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
   
    1955/9)
4. "A Thief in Time" (Galaxy 1954/7)
5. "The Luckiest Man in the World" (Fantastic Universe
   Fantastic Universe
   Fantastic Universe was a U.S. science fiction magazine which began publishing in the 1950s. It ran for 69 issues, from June 1953 to March 1960, under two different publishers. It was part of the explosion of science fiction magazine publishing in the 1950s in the United States, and was moderately...
   
    1955/2; also known as "Fortunate Person")
6. "Hands Off" (Galaxy 1954/4)
7. "Something for Nothing" (Galaxy 1954/6)
8. "A Ticket to Tranai" (Galaxy 1955/10)
9. "The Battle" (If
   If (magazine)
   If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the...
   
    1954/9)
10. "Skulking Permit" (Galaxy 1954/12)
11. "Citizen in Space" (Playboy
    Playboy
    Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
    
     1955/9; also known as "Spy Story")
12. "Ask a Foolish Question" (Science Fiction Stories No. 1, 1953)

Galaxy

Galaxy Science Fiction

Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...

reviewer Floyd C. Gale praised the stories as "very high in inventiveness, ingenuity and reader appeal."