The May-June 1978 issue was edited by George Scithers and had settled into a roughly 196 page format that would continue for many years (It would drop to 180 pages in August 1991 and change format and size periodically thereafter. The rather unremarkable cover by Vincent di Fate illustrated the lead-off story in the digest, "The Last Full Measure" by George Alec Effinger which I found to be modestly entertaining. An alien has captured some earth people and is studying them supposedly to evaluate for how they can be conquered at some point in the future. He makes Corporal Bo Staefler relive his death 4 times on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Staefler gives the last full measure and dies for greater things than can be imagined.

In addition to an editorial from Asimov, letters to the editor, artwork, a puzzle and some brief book reviews, the fiction content is:

•18 • The Last Full Measure • shortstory by George Alec Effinger
•29 • Pièce de Résistance • shortstory by Jesse Bone
•37 • A Choice of Weapons • shortstory by Michael Tennenbaum
•38 • Polly Plus • shortstory by Randall Garrett
•53 • $tar War$ • poem by John M. Ford
•54 • Wolf Tracks • poem by Donald Gaither
•58 • Guilt • novelette by James E. Gunn
•80 • Star Train • shortstory by Drew Mendelson
•88 • Born Again • shortstory by Sharon N. Farber (AKA S.N. Dyer)
•105 • Into the Cold Blackness of Type • poem by John M. Ford
•105 • First Time • poem by Jeffrey Haas
•108 • The Man Who Took the Fifth • shortstory by Michael Schimmel
•115 • Sun Burnt • poem by S. Dale (Steven Utley)
•117 • A Child of Penzance • novelette by Tony Sarowitz
•137 • Lipidleggin' • [LaNague Federation] • shortstory by F. Paul Wilson
•146 • Singularity • novella by Mildred Downey Broxon

Some of these stories and all the poems were borderline fluff. On the other hand a few such as 'Guilt' by James Gunn have something to really chew on and think about - just as relevant today as it was 45 years ago when published. 'Star Train' by Drew Mendelson was a very good far far future story. This issue also has the first published science fiction story by Sharon Farber who became a frequent contributor to Asimov's and other magazines over the years. Her story was a vampire story of all things. Overall the fiction here was pretty decent. I thought the final story, the novella 'Singularity' was the most science-fictiony of these stories, and it was also my favorite. The author was the vice-president of the SFWA at the time. ( )