Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition

With Folded Hands by Jack Williamson occupies the lead position in this science fiction issue. Underhill, an android salesman in the town of Two Rivers, encounters a new establishment—the Humanoid Institute—promoting superior mechanicals called humanoids. These sleek, black, gracefully-proportioned machines are managed entirely without human salesmen; they operate autonomously and aggressively promote themselves through sophisticated marketing. After witnessing crates of identical humanoids being unloaded from interstellar shipment, Underhill grows alarmed about his business prospects. Returning home, he finds his wife Aurora has taken a lodger to supplement their dwindling income. The narrative establishes tension between technological advancement and human economic survival, with the humanoids' motto—"To Serve and Obey, And Guard Men from Harm"—suggesting darker implications beneath their perfect service.