Star Trek Week: Best of Trek (Signet; 1979 - 1989)

As a teenager and avid Trekkie, I came of age in the 1980s absolutely loving these Signet book compilations from Trek magazine, edited by Walter Irwin and G.B. Love. 

I still enjoy the cover artwork tremendously, but you can see that my personal collection of these books is pretty dilapidated in old age. 

The telltale sign of many (enjoyable) readings, I suppose...

If you recall these books, they featured interviews with cast and crew, analyses of the various Star Trek episodes, and articles such as "The Klingons: Their History and Empire" (Best of Trek 1). 

I remember very fondly reading Best of Trek 3 in particular, which was the first compilation after the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  I remember reading "Parallels in Star Trek: The Motion Picture vs. The Series" and fan reviews of the (controversial)  film. 

By the time of Best of Trek #15 in 1990, The Next Generation was being debated in essays such as "Same Sexism, Different Generation."

I remember many fun hours reading these books, and soaking up fan knowledge and speculation about Star Trek.  I suppose these Best of Trek books provided me an early example, in my youth, of the fact that one could love science-fiction television with a passion and also write intelligently, deeply, and analytically about it.