The best of Frederik Pohl Book

Frederik Pohl is prolific. He handles so many diverse ideas with great skill. I was completely intrigued by nearly every one of the tales contained in this collection. Here, then, is an accounting.
"The Tunnel Under the World" - A man wakes up to find everything very different from the way he remembered it the day before. The next day he finds the date the same as the one before. What is going on? -- This one is a little bit like the Truman Show, except with a very different and startling twist at the end.
"Three Portraits and a Prayer" - About a dying scientist, his doctor, and an evil millionaire. -- This wasn't my favorite. I didn't really see the point.
"Day Million" - How much will human beings differ from us in the far, far future? Here is one imagining. -- This was very short and quite poetic.
"Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus" - A department store head falls in love with an employee against a backdrop of rampant consumerism. -- I have read this one before, I know. It wasn't a trial to read again.
"We Never Mention Aunt Nora" - Something happened to Aunt Nora that was unspeakable. It may be poised to happen again. -- This one was a little maddening.
"Father of the Stars" - Elderly, nearly-dead Marchand spent his entire fortune on colony ships, and sent them to the stars. He is disheartened when someone invents a much faster ship. -- This was so poignant. I loved it.
"The Day the Martians Came" - Regarding a hotelier near Cape Canaveral on said day. -- Such an interesting twist. What societal caste would Martians inhabit?
"The Midas Plague" - In a world where notions of prosperity are turned upside-down, how does one "poor" man cope with marriage to a "wealthy" woman? -- This is the most memorable story in the collection. At first, I couldn't figure out what was going on, but once I caught on, I was completely enthralled.
"The Snowmen" - I'm still not sure what this was about.
"How to Count on Your Fingers" - A non-fiction essay on binary mathematics. -- I still can't count in binary, but I understand it a little better.
"Grandy Devil" - I'm not going to tell you anything about this one because everything I can think of to say is a complete spoiler.
"Speed Trap" - A man is beleaguered by meetings and conferences, never really getting anything done. He develops a way to revolutionize modern communication and free up time for brilliant people to spend more time inventing important things. - Another story with a very interesting twist toward the end. Even though you kind of see it coming, it's still pretty rewarding.
"The Richest Man in Levittown" - A guy who's inherited big is drowning in request for a piece of his windfall. An old friend shows up with a proposition that will let them rule the world. His visit ends in very unexpected consequences. - The twist on this one is a little far-fetched, but it's well-written and entertaining.
"The Day the Icicle Works Closed" - A planet whose sole industry has gone defunct leaves a very depressed population. The only remaining profitable business, or way for anyone to make any money, is outrageously intrusive and ethically bankrupt. A lawyer sets out to expose the directors. -- This was depressing as well as scary. The ending is a catharsis.
"The Hated" - A former astronaut is consumed with murderous thoughts towards his fellow ship-mates. -- Darkly disturbing.
"The Martian in the Attic" - Our narrator is a grubby slime trying to blackmail a rich slime with a big secret as to how he came to invent so many wonderful things. - The title is kind of a spoiler, but the characterization was superb.
"The Census Takers" - Showcases one way a bureaucracy might deal with overpopulation. - Also disturbing, but also funny. Quite a feat.
"The Children of Night" - A PR troubleshooter takes on the cause of a group of aliens from Arcturus who'd like to build a compound in a town where the people are very much "not in my backyard!" - Extremely compelling. Pohl has a lot to say on the subjects of PR and advertising and he has such a fascinating perspective.
At the end Pohl reflects upon the selections Del Rey has made for the collection and has some engaging tidbits to divulge.