It's the birthday of the late, great Isaac Asimov. One of the giants of science fiction, Asimov is well-known for works such as the Foundation series. (Movie buffs will remember the 2004 Will Smith film, "I, Robot," based Asimov's ideas on robotics.) But his writing ranged far beyond sci-fi. A search in the library catalog for this author brings up an astounding 190 hits. He wrote detective stories, published in collections such as "The Return of the Black Widowers." He also wrote on a wide variety of nonfiction topics, ranging from history to literature to science.
Asimov backed his science fiction with a strong knowledge of science fact, and many of his nonfiction works cover science topics, such as:
- Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery. (REF 509 A; non-circulating)
- Asimov's New Guide to Science. (Adult Nonfiction 500 A)
- Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space (Adult Nonfiction 520 A)
Among his other books were works on number theory (Asimov on Numbers), history (Rome, Egypt , the Middle East, France, and North America, and others); the human brain (The Human Brain: Its Capacities and Functions), and even a guide to Shakespeare.
Asimov's books for children include several on the planets; an environmental series covering topics such as acid rain, litter, and rainforests; a biography of Christopher Columbus; and many more.
For information about this remarkable and prolific author, try one of Asimov's autobiographies:
- It's Been a Good Life (BIOG As422)
- In Joy Still Felt : the Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954-1978 (BIOG As422)
- In Memory Yet Green : the Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920-1954 (BIOG As422)
Or, search for "Asimov" in the Biography Resource Center database to read what others had to say about Asimov. For more about Asimov's writings, try searching for articles in the Literature Resource Center. Literature Resource Center provides literary criticism of authors' works, lists any pseudonyms they used, shows who their contemporaries were, and may provide links to related web sites.
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