Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
by Isaac Asimov
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Each numbered entry gives short to lengthy biographical information. Chronological arrangement. Most biographies from previous editions have been expanded as new information became available to author. Subject and name index.Tags
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waltzmn Isaac Asimov's dictionary of scientists is a lot of fun -- probably the most readable book of its type available. But, apart from the fact that it is now out of date, it is the work of only one man, and the topic is just too large for that. Porter's Biographical Dictionary is not quite as readable -- but it is more detailed and, it seems to me, more accurate as well.
Member Reviews
Sometimes the Good Doctor fell just a little short of great.
The idea here is excellent: Capsule biographies of the world's greatest scientists, written in Isaac Asimov's clear and straightforward style. It is a useful compendium, and probably the best-written set of short scientific biographies available.
There are a few problems, though. One is the obvious one that the book is now dramatically out-of-date -- with science progressing so fast, many extremely important scientists are not included. To take an obvious example, there is no entry on Peter Higgs, who proposed the Higgs Boson and was the most recent Nobel winner for physics as of when this review was written. Higgs simply came along too late to be included.
Of course, the book show more could be updated, or information about more recent scientists could be found online. That's really rather minor. More disturbing to me is the lack of insight into the characters of the people involved. Take Marie Curie. Curie was probably autistic, certainly depressive, obsessive, and very possibly had a love affair after her husband's death. Asimov couldn't have known she was autistic, but he should have described the depression and at least mentioned the Langevin affair -- it brought her a lot of very bad publicity. The "biography" of Curie falls dramatically short of true biography. This is probably true of some of the other biographies as well, although I can't always judge the matter.
And there are some factual errors. Not a lot -- I don't remember the relatively few examples I saw, whereas I certain remember a number of the whitewashes. But there were enough that I think one must always check another source before quoting Asimov's facts.
That doesn't change the fact that this is a good introduction to the lives and accomplishments of scientists, or the fact that it is highly readable. If you want a casual reference, go for it. Just don't treat it as the last word. show less
The idea here is excellent: Capsule biographies of the world's greatest scientists, written in Isaac Asimov's clear and straightforward style. It is a useful compendium, and probably the best-written set of short scientific biographies available.
There are a few problems, though. One is the obvious one that the book is now dramatically out-of-date -- with science progressing so fast, many extremely important scientists are not included. To take an obvious example, there is no entry on Peter Higgs, who proposed the Higgs Boson and was the most recent Nobel winner for physics as of when this review was written. Higgs simply came along too late to be included.
Of course, the book show more could be updated, or information about more recent scientists could be found online. That's really rather minor. More disturbing to me is the lack of insight into the characters of the people involved. Take Marie Curie. Curie was probably autistic, certainly depressive, obsessive, and very possibly had a love affair after her husband's death. Asimov couldn't have known she was autistic, but he should have described the depression and at least mentioned the Langevin affair -- it brought her a lot of very bad publicity. The "biography" of Curie falls dramatically short of true biography. This is probably true of some of the other biographies as well, although I can't always judge the matter.
And there are some factual errors. Not a lot -- I don't remember the relatively few examples I saw, whereas I certain remember a number of the whitewashes. But there were enough that I think one must always check another source before quoting Asimov's facts.
That doesn't change the fact that this is a good introduction to the lives and accomplishments of scientists, or the fact that it is highly readable. If you want a casual reference, go for it. Just don't treat it as the last word. show less
This is a great introduction to science through biographies. Asimov is highly readable as always. He gives short biographies of 1500 of the greatest scientists in history. This is a worthy addition to the shelf of any fan of history, science, or biography.
Such books are useful even in these times of 'Google research.'
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Author Information
2,396+ Works 292,490 Members
Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russia, on January 2, 1920. His family emigrated to the United States in 1923 and settled in Brooklyn, New York, where they owned and operated a candy store. Asimov became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of eight. As a youngster he discovered his talent for writing, producing his first original fiction at show more the age of eleven. He went on to become one of the world's most prolific writers, publishing nearly 500 books in his lifetime. Asimov was not only a writer; he also was a biochemist and an educator. He studied chemistry at Columbia University, earning a B.S., M.A. and Ph.D. In 1951, Asimov accepted a position as an instructor of biochemistry at Boston University's School of Medicine even though he had no practical experience in the field. His exceptional intelligence enabled him to master new systems rapidly, and he soon became a successful and distinguished professor at Columbia and even co-authored a biochemistry textbook within a few years. Asimov won numerous awards and honors for his books and stories, and he is considered to be a leading writer of the Golden Age of science fiction. While he did not invent science fiction, he helped to legitimize it by adding the narrative structure that had been missing from the traditional science fiction books of the period. He also introduced several innovative concepts, including the thematic concern for technological progress and its impact on humanity. Asimov is probably best known for his Foundation series, which includes Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. In 1966, this trilogy won the Hugo award for best all-time science fiction series. In 1983, Asimov wrote an additional Foundation novel, Foundation's Edge, which won the Hugo for best novel of that year. Asimov also wrote a series of robot books that included I, Robot, and eventually he tied the two series together. He won three additional Hugos, including one awarded posthumously for the best non-fiction book of 1995, I. Asimov. "Nightfall" was chosen the best science fiction story of all time by the Science Fiction Writers of America. In 1979, Asimov wrote his autobiography, In Memory Yet Green. He continued writing until just a few years before his death from heart and kidney failure on April 6, 1992. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1972
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- Members
- 263
- Popularity
- 122,726
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.35)
- Languages
- English, German, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 8
