Early Days collects seventeen stories from the years 1956 to 1958, supplemented by an introduction and extensive notes on the creation and publication history of each story. These non-fiction pieces constitute both an episodic memoir and a history of the era of pulp magazines.

The stories range in tone from the grimly dystopian future of “The Inquisitor” to the playful “Space Is the Place,” in which a maintenance technician from Crawford IX experiences comic culture shock during a mandatory vacation on Earth. “Rescue Mission” revolves around the telepathic connection between two interplanetary intelligence agents. “Housemaid No. 103” provides a humorous glimpse into the romantic difficulties of a far future matinee idol. “Harwood’s Vortex” combines a mad scientist, alien invaders, and the possible end of life as we know it into a single colorful narrative.

Silverberg himself calls Early Days “an affectionate tribute to my hardworking self of more than half a century ago.”