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Cover of The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and CM KornbluthThe Space Merchants
Classic · Fiction, Science Fiction, Classics

The Space Merchants

by Frederik Pohl and CM Kornbluth
1952 · 216 pages · Fiction
60.6Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 5 hours to read · about 10 days at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth's 1952 novel satirizes runaway consumerism through the eyes of an advertising executive.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's a classic science fiction satire that has sold steadily for decades.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

Its satire of advertising still lands.

By the numbers

60.6Must-Read Score
  • Readers34 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller16 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

Reads as

Adventurous, Thought-provoking, Epic

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 47 best-of lists →
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedClassic booksTop 25 · 924 rankedBooks of the 1950sTop 25 · 101 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 504 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 325 rankedPulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Space Merchants worth reading?

Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,476 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.6 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Space Merchants about?

Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth's 1952 novel satirizes runaway consumerism through the eyes of an advertising executive.

How long does it take to read The Space Merchants?

About 5 hours (216 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Space Merchants?

If you liked it, try Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.