# Isaac Asimov: Today January 2, 2020 is 100th Anniversary of his Birth **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798 "2020-01-02T19:32:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/21 "2020-01-03T12:54:46Z")
I still read him. There are plenty of his books I still haven’t even seen (I’d love to read his _Annotated Don Juan_ or _Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan_, but the books are hard to find even in libraries, and rarely show up on resale websites, and are expensive when they do). I just this past year finally read his two-volume autobiography, and I’ve yet to read the sorta third volume, _I. Asimov_ all the way. I re-read his original _Foundation_ trilogy a little while ago, and am still largely impressed by it. Somebody is reading him. I check out the science fiction shelves in bookstores, and invariably see books by him on the shelves (along with Heinlein and Clarke). Some volume from the _Foundation_ series is usually there, along with _I Robot_ (largely, I think, because of the movie a few years ago). I have to admit that I do prefer the earlier Asimov. The later, much thicker volumes of his _Foundation_ series are woefully padded and bloated (although, occasionally, some section with shine through with the old Asimov spark). I blame the economics of publishing – if you look at not only his works, but those of other science fiction writers, you have relatively slim volumes in the early years, with highly concentrated concepts and efficient writing. Paperbaks ran to 100-200 pages, typically. Then look at the output in the eighties and nineties from the same crowd – their books are doorstops inches thick and totalling 400 pages or more. It’s particularly clear on my bookshelves if I put them in published order. And I didn’t like his later books joining his “Robots” series with his “Foundation” series. They don’t belong together, and it looked too much like a calculated intention to drive up sales of both series. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/22 "2020-01-03T13:03:41Z")
I loved Dr. A. as a youth, read virtually all his fiction. He was a wonderful idea man, a great explainer. But damn, he couldn’t develop a convincing character or emotionally dramatic scene. He did have strangely patternic weird names for his characters, though. There seems to be some underlying rhythm or structure to them that ties them together, but I can never figure out just what it is. Lots of onomatopoeia to 'em. Somehow they all seem to be recognizably Asimovian character names, just by the look of them. Ammel Brodrig Dors Venabili Ebling Mis Golan Trevize Gambol Deen Namarti Hober Mallow Limmar Ponyets Stor Gendibal Tamwile Elar Lundin Crast Lors Avakim Jord Fara Cinda Monay ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/23 "2020-01-03T15:40:39Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The Last Question is one of the greatest short stories ever written. So much so, that if people told him they read a story and couldn’t remember the title, he always said, “It’s The Last Question.” And, I think I have the. . . ‘honor’ of having been the very first person to ask about [The Last Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=73555) on this board almost 19 years ago!. Even got a (somewhat snarky) response from none other than The Bad Astronomer! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/24 "2020-01-03T15:41:02Z")
He didn’t write very many well-developed characters; that’s for sure (quick, someone tell me the difference between Donovan and Powell!). But I defy anyone to say that Dr. Susan Calvin isn’t well-developed. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/25 "2020-01-03T15:45:17Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > Not just SF: I believe he still holds he record for the number of Dewey Decimal categories in which he’s written authoritatively… Years ago, there was a Jeopardy question, excuse me, _answer_, asking who is the only person to have written a book in all categories of the Dewey Decimal System. Now, I knew who Asimov was, but wasn’t really familiar with him other than knowing he wrote science fiction. Yet for some reason, I blurted out Isaac Asmiov! and was stunned to hear that I was right. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/26 "2020-01-03T16:03:07Z")
**Isaac Asimov: Today January 2, 2020 is 100th Anniversary of his Birth** I was just thinking that this morning! For reasons I won’t go into here, I was surprised that I didn’t realize it yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/27 "2020-01-03T18:29:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > He didn’t write very many well-developed characters; that’s for sure (quick, someone tell me the difference between Donovan and Powell!). … One of them had a mustache. 😃 I have all the books connecting the robot stories to the Foundation stories. (Yay Science Fiction Book Club!) I drag myself through them every few years. I admit that I’m not the most critical reader. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/28 "2020-01-03T18:47:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > He didn’t write very many well-developed characters; that’s for sure (quick, someone tell me the difference between Donovan and Powell!). But I defy anyone to say that Dr. Susan Calvin isn’t well-developed. Quite true - perhaps his greatest character of all. I tend to like his short stories more than his novels. “The Last Question,” “Nightfall,” “The Bicentennial Man,” “Victory Unintentional” and just about all of the stories in _I, Robot_ (especially “Evidence” and “Little Lost Robot”) are excellent. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/29 "2020-01-03T21:51:57Z")
Can someone point me to a good compilation of his short stories for Kindle, ideally including “The Last Question”? I searched for it on amazon, but it’s very hard to find something in all the cluttered links. I found compilations, but they are not listing the individual stories :smack:. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/30 "2020-01-04T00:35:28Z")
Here is a free copy of “The Last Question” [http://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf](http://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/31 "2020-01-04T00:51:29Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Here is a free copy of “The Last Question” > [http://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf](http://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf) Hey cool, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/32 "2020-01-04T01:14:03Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Here is a free copy of “The Last Question” > [http://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf](http://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf) Careful–you don’t want Wendell Wagner to report them to be sued! ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/33 "2020-01-04T06:15:12Z")
I love “The Last Question” and his novel _Nemesis,_ about a little girl who uses her preternatural ability to read body language to uncover a dark plot against Earth. I also like this little poem I found on the internet involving Isaac Asimov: When Isaac’s at the nudist camp, He promptly joins the fun, For “When in Rome”'s his favorite quote, As he tells everyone. So when the order’s given, “All clothing you must doff!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Isaac Asimov. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/34 "2020-01-04T06:22:00Z")
I think he actually wrote that poem. It’s certainly in one of his collections. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/35 "2020-01-04T06:41:46Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Can someone point me to a good compilation of his short stories for Kindle, ideally including “The Last Question”? I searched for it on amazon, but it’s very hard to find something in all the cluttered links. I found compilations, but they are not listing the individual stories :smack:. Din’t Know if it’s on Kindle, but the collection is “Nine Tomorrows”. In addition to “The Last Question”, it has two other really good short stories: “Spell My Name with an S” and “The Gentle Vultures”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/36 "2020-01-04T07:01:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > He didn’t write very many well-developed characters; that’s for sure (quick, someone tell me the difference between Donovan and Powell!). But I defy anyone to say that Dr. Susan Calvin isn’t well-developed. I think that Foundation has four characters who are well-developed : Salvor Hardin, Bayta Darrell and Bobo/Magnifico, and Preem Palver. Bayta and Bobo in particular have a relationship where affection and pathos change the course of the history, which is unusual in Asimov’s stories. Plot twists in Asimov normally come from events, or conflicts, or ambiguities in the 3 laws, not from the psychological relationship between two of the characters. Hardin to me stands out as a political pragmatist, a realist who is nonetheless idealistic. (By way of tangent, always reminded me of Sir John A. Macdonald.). And Palver (whom I always envisaged as looking like Kruschev) is another idealist, filled with compassion but also ruthlessness, both elements of his character necessary to save the Plan and keep humanity from falling into 30,000 years of misery. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/37 "2020-01-04T09:06:28Z")
I read some of his fiction a long time back and liked it. I think I would like to re-read the Foundation Trilogy and the robot short stories. I haven’t read his non-fiction but I keep seeing it praised so I may give it a go some time. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/38 "2020-01-04T11:36:33Z")
I was trying to think of what Asimov got right in his novels. I agree he was no stylist and his characters were often thin. I think his core skill was to come up with interesting and original concepts(psychohistory, the three laws of robotics) and then write cracking good stories which kept you turning the pages. Speaking of psychohistory I wonder if Foundation is the first major scifi novel built on a social science premise. Over the generations, scifi writers have inspired many readers to become natural scientists and engineers but Foundation may be the first which inspired readers like Paul Krugman to become social scientists. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/39 "2020-01-04T12:13:03Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Over the generations, scifi writers have inspired many readers to become natural scientists and engineers but Foundation may be the first which inspired readers like Paul Krugman to become social scientists. Asimov changed my life with the Foundation trilogy. As I [once said](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=899099): > [@me](#): > > . . . you’ll ask - how could a 1950’s sci-fi wield such power? have such influence on me? You see, at the time, I was a dope-smoking, acid-dropping, disaffected long hair who went to school only if the local pool hall was closed (or was crawling with the resident biker types who terrified me). So, when in Foundation, Asimov described mathematics and science as a way to predict and control, it was an epiphany. I became aware that there was a magnificent, unifying structure to the Universe. And I was part of it . . . > > Before I finished the third volume, I was back at school. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798/40 "2020-01-04T13:03:45Z")
His “Understand Physics” book was what got me interested in the subject. It was tailored to capture a schoolbook textbook but also some history so for a young impressionable child it was more fun than the traditional textbooks. Then when I went to pursue higher level physics I latched onto Nelkon/Parker which was extremely technical but what I like to think of as the Physics Bible for aspiring students. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-asimov-today-january-2-2020-is-100th-anniversary-of-his-birth/845798.md?page=3)