DAW, New York, 1980, 1st pr thus.  ISBN 0-87997-541-5.  DAW’s SF Books No. 389.  MMPB, 159 pages.  Front wrap has some edge wear with tiny loss at top edge; colour loss at top left, light cover wear; binding tight; slight bow to book.  Interior clean and unmarked with tanning pages; black & white frontis.  ‘The people of Pao were docile – much too much so for their own good.  Because they were always easy marks for space pirates and glib-tongued businessmen from commercial worlds.  When finally one particularly nasty band of ruthless conquerors came down and simply took over the whole planet, the last survivor of Pao’s monarchy sought assistance from the scientific wizards of the planet Breakness. … They located the basis for the servility of the Paonese and launched a long-term program that would change human nature there.  But they asked a price – and failed to take into account that a truly reconstructed Pao might not be willing to pay it.  It’s one of the extremely few science fiction novels ever based on the science of linguistics…’ (from rear wrap)