Isaac Asimov
AUTHOR

Isaac Asimov

Tap the gear icon above to manage new release emails.
Isaac Asimov (/ˈaɪzᵻk ˈæzᵻmɒv/; born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov; circa January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was prolific and wrote or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. His books have been published in 9 of the 10 major categories of the Dewey Decimal Classification. Asimov wrote hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series. The Galactic Empire novels are explicitly set in earlier history of the same fictional universe as the Foundation series. Later, beginning with Foundation's Edge, he linked this distant future to the Robot and Spacer stories, creating a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson. He wrote hundreds of short stories, including the social science fiction "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French. Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as much nonfiction. Most of his popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include Guide to Science, the three-volume set Understanding Physics, and Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as works on astronomy, mathematics, history, William Shakespeare's writing, and chemistry. Asimov was a long-time member and vice president of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs". He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars, a Brooklyn elementary school, and a literary award are named in his honor. Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Phillip Leonian from New York World-Telegram & Sun [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Read more Read less

Try Audible membership today. Start enjoying the benefits.

Try Audible for free with an audiobook of your choice.
Try Premium Plus free
Automatically renews at AUD $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Most Popular

Product list
  • Foundation and Earth cover art

    $31.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, 1929-1964 cover art

    $29.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Forward the Foundation cover art

    $26.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Foundation’s Edge cover art

    $31.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Robots and Empire cover art

    $31.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Caves of Steel cover art

    $25.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Rest of the Robots cover art

    $21.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Prelude to Foundation cover art

    $26.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Foundation cover art

    Sale price: $7.99 (70% off)

    Non-member price: $26.99

    Sale ends in

    Try for $0.00
  • Second Foundation cover art

    $26.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Complete Robot cover art

    $43.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Robot Visions cover art

    $39.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Foundation and Empire cover art

    $26.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Naked Sun cover art

    $25.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 2-B cover art

    $24.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Nightfall cover art

    $28.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Living Space: And Other Stories cover art

    $26.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • I, Robot cover art

    Sale price: $7.99 (70% off)

    Non-member price: $26.99

    Sale ends in

    Try for $0.00
  • The Robots of Dawn cover art

    $31.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Currents of Space cover art

    $25.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00