Riders of the Purple Wage was first published in Harlan Ellison's Dangerous Visions (1967), an anthology of science fiction stories considered too controversial for publication elsewhere. Although this anthology includes the work of many of the greatest science fiction writers, Ellison refers to Riders of the Purple Wage as "easily the best" and "the finest" story in the collection.

Discussion groups might want to consider those elements in the novella which might have made it seem so remarkable to Ellison and which continue to make reading it an exhilarat ing experience even today. As well, the novella's version of utopia invites comparison with our society, especially in the area of attitudes toward the arts and the social function of artists. Finally, Chib's innovative techniques need to be considered in relation to the three theories of art and criticism explained in Riders of the Purple Sage by Luscus...