People Minus X / Lest We Forget Thee Earth (Classic Ace Double, D-291)

LEST WE FORGET THEE, EARTH written by Robert Silverberg under the pseudonym "Calvin M. Knox": ~ ~~ ~ A hundred thousand years ago, there had been a planet called Earth. It had been a proud world ruling a thousand vassal stars, but its stellar empire had turned upon and annihilated their conquerors, and wiped the name of Earth from the maps of space. ~ ~~ ~ But Earthmen still survived . . . a strange race of worldless men and women, by tradition advisers to rulers, but never themselves ruling. Wanderers through myriad planets, their origin was a half-forgotten legend. ~ ~~ ~ That was the situation when a strange quirk of fate sent Earthman Hallam Navarre on an intetrstellar wild goose chase. He had to bring back a strictly mythical treasure to his alien ruler, or die.