6 ms·

A List of Isaac Asimov's Books

147 points by dedalus 11y ago

ghshephard 11y ago
Note that this is just the books published, and doesn't include the stories that he had published earlier (and presumably later?). For example, on of Asimov's great short stories/novels, "Nightfall" - was published in 1941 - about 9 years before this list begins.
- khrm 11y ago
  Quite correct. But his stories are also published as anthology. Nightfall is there (1969). So that list might be complete.
  - B1FF_PSUVM 11y ago
    Chances are the story is reprinted in several anthologies, to boot.
- tgb 11y ago
  Ah interesting. I read this list thinking "Wow, he really published so much of his greatest works early on, except Nightfall so I guess he kept it going throughout his career." So it's interesting to hear that Nightfall was super early.
- nix0n 11y ago
  Asimov's Nightfall exists in 2 versions, as a short story and as a novel. #460 on this list is "The Complete Stories Volume 1" which includes the short story version (as well as many other all-time-classic stories).
abecedarius 11y ago
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Physics-Magnetism-Electricity-Electron/dp/0880292512 http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Physics-Magnetism-Electr... was a surprisingly good alternative to my high school physics text. He wrote more than stories and essays. (And it really ought to be free: 50 years old, by a writer 25 years dead now.)
- ddoran 11y ago
  He died April 1992 - not quite 25 years ago.
sohkamyung 11y ago
Ah, the list brings back memories of being involved with Ed Seiler. I originally helped to convert the Asimov FAQ on his website into HTML (1.0?) format [1]. It was manually done, and I enjoyed doing it. [1] http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html
ninjin 11y ago
Excellent list, I am currently on a reading streak with my new e-reader and this list will certainly keep me going. My favourite Asimov essay must be "The Relativity of Wrong" [1], possibly since it resonates so strongly with my views on the pitfalls of the teacher/student relationship when it comes to tests. [1]: http://hermiene.net/essays-trans/relativity_of_wrong.html http://hermiene.net/essays-trans/relativity_of_wrong.html
gambler 11y ago
Ah, Asimov. I still consider him the most important SF writer in history, rivaled only by Phillip K. Dick. It's not that any single one of Asimov's stories stunned me or changed my mind in a profound way. It's more about the cumulative effect of many works combined. He shaped the science-related mindset of at least two generation. The echoes of his writing are still seen everywhere in science fiction, but many people no longer recognize them as such. It really disturbs me that a lot of people in US consider Asimov "no longer relevant". One, his works aged really well - as long as you don't expect stories about smartphones and cat videos. Two, his works are huge outside of English-speaking countries. In that context they seem to be far more popular than most books that Americans consider "American classics". (Just look at all the references in Anime, for example.) That ought to tell you something.
- dudul 11y ago
  How can anyone call him "irrelevant" when we keep reading about 50% of jobs disappearing due to robots?
- tgb 11y ago
  I consider "The Dead Past", a short story by Asimov, to be one of those remarkable stories that is wholly more relevant today than when it was written. I don't want to say more, since the story has multiple levels of relevance some of which are not immediately obvious, but even the last couple years have made it a more important story than ever before. I leave it as an exercise to find a copy of this story... I'm sure it's easy to do. It's really worth it.
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    Seconded. It's excellent. And if you liked that one make sure you don't miss 'Nightfall', either as a short or the novel.
    - monkeyshelli 11y ago
      And also 'The Last Question' is superb!
paozac 11y ago
You might also enjoy his Robots/Foundation timeline: http://www.sikander.org/foundation.php http://www.sikander.org/foundation.php http://kaedrin.com/fun/asimov/aguide.html http://kaedrin.com/fun/asimov/aguide.html
- sikander-hn 11y ago
  hey, thanks! I haven't updated that Foundation page since early 2000s.
sizzzzlerz 11y ago
I knew the man was a prolific writer, but even death couldn't stop him from publishing books. He died in 1992 and the list shows new books up to 1996.
- astrodust 11y ago
  He once famously quipped that if he was diagnosed with something fatal the only thing he'd do is write faster.
  - dsr_ 11y ago
    And, in fact, he was: he acquired HIV from a blood transfusion in 1983. He then wrote/edited 180+ books in the next ten years.
azraomega 11y ago
That's really inspiring how much passion he has for his work... such talent and work ethic. Back to work! Umph!
fitzwatermellow 11y ago
There's also tons of stuff on Internet Archive, including, just in time for Easter, Asimov's Guide to the Bible ;) I love the opening sentence of "Lastborn" from Galaxy Magazine 1958: Edith Fellowes smoothed her working smock as she always did before opening the elaborately locked door and stepping across the dividing line between the "is" and the "is not"
mojoe 11y ago
Cool list! I don't think I've ever seen them all in one place before. I cannot stress enough what an incredible force for good Asimov had (and hopefully continues to have) on society. I remember reading "the World of Carbon" and not being able to put it down -- a non-fiction organic chemistry book! The high quality and sheer volume of work he output are each impressive on their own, but combined are astounding.
todd8 11y ago
Asimov's method to being so productive is instructive. Basically, write everyday and use a straightforward style. See https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23/lifetimes/asi-v-profile.html https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23/lifetimes/asi-v-profi...
- riffraff 11y ago
  I just finished re-reading an Asimov book after a hiatus of maybe a decade. It is very refreshing to see how high the important-stuff/useless-details ratio is compared to some modern authors.
dannylandau 11y ago
My favorite book of his is actually his Memoir, one of the most memorable books I've ever read -- http://www.amazon.com/I-Asimov-A-Memoir-Isaac/dp/055356997X http://www.amazon.com/I-Asimov-A-Memoir-Isaac/dp/055356997X
troymc 11y ago
Another source: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?5 http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?5
rpgmaker 11y ago
I started to read Asimov relatively recently and I've found that I prefer his short stories over his novels. There is a very good and comprehensive collection that I've been reading for a while now, reading one or two stories every once in a while. I really recommend it: http://www.amazon.com/Isaac-Asimov-Complete-Stories-Vol/dp/038541627X http://www.amazon.com/Isaac-Asimov-Complete-Stories-Vol/dp/0... http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Stories-Vol-2/dp/0385420781 http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Stories-Vol-2/dp/0385420781
madengr 11y ago
Definitely my favorite author, and my bucket list is to read all of his books. So far: Foundation series Nightfall I, Robot Asimov on Chemistry Asimov on Physics Nemesis (almost finished)
tibbon 11y ago
Is there any documentation of just how he was able to be so prolific? That's an incredible list.
ratfacemcgee 11y ago
you know that old saying, "Poor Asimov had writers block once; it was the worst 30 seconds of his life"

147 points by dedalus 11y ago

Note that this is just the books published, and doesn't include the stories that he had published earlier (and presumably later?). For example, on of Asimov's great short stories/novels, "Nightfall" - was published in 1941 - about 9 years before this list begins.

khrm 11y ago
Quite correct. But his stories are also published as anthology. Nightfall is there (1969). So that list might be complete.
- B1FF_PSUVM 11y ago
  Chances are the story is reprinted in several anthologies, to boot.
tgb 11y ago
Ah interesting. I read this list thinking "Wow, he really published so much of his greatest works early on, except Nightfall so I guess he kept it going throughout his career." So it's interesting to hear that Nightfall was super early.
nix0n 11y ago
Asimov's Nightfall exists in 2 versions, as a short story and as a novel. #460 on this list is "The Complete Stories Volume 1" which includes the short story version (as well as many other all-time-classic stories).

abecedarius 11y ago

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Physics-Magnetism-Electricity-Electron/dp/0880292512 http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Physics-Magnetism-Electr... was a surprisingly good alternative to my high school physics text. He wrote more than stories and essays. (And it really ought to be free: 50 years old, by a writer 25 years dead now.)

ddoran 11y ago
He died April 1992 - not quite 25 years ago.

sohkamyung 11y ago

Ah, the list brings back memories of being involved with Ed Seiler. I originally helped to convert the Asimov FAQ on his website into HTML (1.0?) format [1]. It was manually done, and I enjoyed doing it. [1] http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html

ninjin 11y ago

Excellent list, I am currently on a reading streak with my new e-reader and this list will certainly keep me going. My favourite Asimov essay must be "The Relativity of Wrong" [1], possibly since it resonates so strongly with my views on the pitfalls of the teacher/student relationship when it comes to tests. [1]: http://hermiene.net/essays-trans/relativity_of_wrong.html http://hermiene.net/essays-trans/relativity_of_wrong.html

gambler 11y ago

Ah, Asimov. I still consider him the most important SF writer in history, rivaled only by Phillip K. Dick. It's not that any single one of Asimov's stories stunned me or changed my mind in a profound way. It's more about the cumulative effect of many works combined. He shaped the science-related mindset of at least two generation. The echoes of his writing are still seen everywhere in science fiction, but many people no longer recognize them as such. It really disturbs me that a lot of people in US consider Asimov "no longer relevant". One, his works aged really well - as long as you don't expect stories about smartphones and cat videos. Two, his works are huge outside of English-speaking countries. In that context they seem to be far more popular than most books that Americans consider "American classics". (Just look at all the references in Anime, for example.) That ought to tell you something.

dudul 11y ago
How can anyone call him "irrelevant" when we keep reading about 50% of jobs disappearing due to robots?
tgb 11y ago
I consider "The Dead Past", a short story by Asimov, to be one of those remarkable stories that is wholly more relevant today than when it was written. I don't want to say more, since the story has multiple levels of relevance some of which are not immediately obvious, but even the last couple years have made it a more important story than ever before. I leave it as an exercise to find a copy of this story... I'm sure it's easy to do. It's really worth it.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  Seconded. It's excellent. And if you liked that one make sure you don't miss 'Nightfall', either as a short or the novel.
  - monkeyshelli 11y ago
    And also 'The Last Question' is superb!

paozac 11y ago

You might also enjoy his Robots/Foundation timeline: http://www.sikander.org/foundation.php http://www.sikander.org/foundation.php http://kaedrin.com/fun/asimov/aguide.html http://kaedrin.com/fun/asimov/aguide.html

sikander-hn 11y ago
hey, thanks! I haven't updated that Foundation page since early 2000s.

sizzzzlerz 11y ago

I knew the man was a prolific writer, but even death couldn't stop him from publishing books. He died in 1992 and the list shows new books up to 1996.

astrodust 11y ago
He once famously quipped that if he was diagnosed with something fatal the only thing he'd do is write faster.
- dsr_ 11y ago
  And, in fact, he was: he acquired HIV from a blood transfusion in 1983. He then wrote/edited 180+ books in the next ten years.

azraomega 11y ago

That's really inspiring how much passion he has for his work... such talent and work ethic. Back to work! Umph!

fitzwatermellow 11y ago

There's also tons of stuff on Internet Archive, including, just in time for Easter, Asimov's Guide to the Bible ;) I love the opening sentence of "Lastborn" from Galaxy Magazine 1958: Edith Fellowes smoothed her working smock as she always did before opening the elaborately locked door and stepping across the dividing line between the "is" and the "is not"

mojoe 11y ago

Cool list! I don't think I've ever seen them all in one place before. I cannot stress enough what an incredible force for good Asimov had (and hopefully continues to have) on society. I remember reading "the World of Carbon" and not being able to put it down -- a non-fiction organic chemistry book! The high quality and sheer volume of work he output are each impressive on their own, but combined are astounding.

todd8 11y ago

Asimov's method to being so productive is instructive. Basically, write everyday and use a straightforward style. See https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23/lifetimes/asi-v-profile.html https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23/lifetimes/asi-v-profi...

riffraff 11y ago
I just finished re-reading an Asimov book after a hiatus of maybe a decade. It is very refreshing to see how high the important-stuff/useless-details ratio is compared to some modern authors.

dannylandau 11y ago

My favorite book of his is actually his Memoir, one of the most memorable books I've ever read -- http://www.amazon.com/I-Asimov-A-Memoir-Isaac/dp/055356997X http://www.amazon.com/I-Asimov-A-Memoir-Isaac/dp/055356997X

troymc 11y ago

Another source: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?5 http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?5

rpgmaker 11y ago

I started to read Asimov relatively recently and I've found that I prefer his short stories over his novels. There is a very good and comprehensive collection that I've been reading for a while now, reading one or two stories every once in a while. I really recommend it: http://www.amazon.com/Isaac-Asimov-Complete-Stories-Vol/dp/038541627X http://www.amazon.com/Isaac-Asimov-Complete-Stories-Vol/dp/0... http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Stories-Vol-2/dp/0385420781 http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Stories-Vol-2/dp/0385420781

madengr 11y ago

Definitely my favorite author, and my bucket list is to read all of his books. So far: Foundation series Nightfall I, Robot Asimov on Chemistry Asimov on Physics Nemesis (almost finished)

tibbon 11y ago

Is there any documentation of just how he was able to be so prolific? That's an incredible list.

ratfacemcgee 11y ago

you know that old saying, "Poor Asimov had writers block once; it was the worst 30 seconds of his life"