Scanners Live in Vain

"Scanners Live in Vain" is a science fiction short story by American writer Cordwainer Smith — the pen name of Paul Linebarger (1913–1966). The story was the first to be published in Smith's future history called the Instrumentality of Mankind and the first to appear under the pseudonym of Cordwainer Smith. It was initially published in the semi-professional magazine Fantasy Book in 1950, five years after it was written. "Scanners Live in Vain" was judged by the Science Fiction Writers of America to be one of the best science fiction short stories before 1965; for this reason, it was included in the anthology The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964. The story was nominated for a Retro-Hugo award for Best Novelette in 2001. It has been published in Hebrew, Italian, French, Croatian, German, and Dutch translations.