'X' Stands For Unknown
by Isaac Asimov
Essay Collections, Science essays for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (21)
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17 essays selected from the magazine "Fantasy and science fiction."Tags
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As a collection of scientific essays, this work offers quite a bit of variety, and a fair amount of depth. Ranging from chemistry to mathematics, and from astronomy to physics and beyond, Asimov's writing balances an exploration of how we've come to know and understand facets of existence and science with questions of why the journey forward toward truth has been so important and varied, as well as with what comes next. Though some of the essays are heavy enough in the terminology of science that they make for slow reading, many of them are not, and Asimov seems to write with the average reader in mind--one who knows a bit about science, and is interested, but hasn't made a career out of it. Thus, though some essays slowed me down more show more than others, I really enjoy wandering through the collection. Basic as the topics are, Asimov's presentation and depth, with a focus on uncovering how we've gotten this far in terms of understanding, was a nice overview and refresher.
All told, yes, I'd recommend it for those who find themselves interested. show less
All told, yes, I'd recommend it for those who find themselves interested. show less
The 17 essays in this collection were originally printed in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. They cover topics in physics, chemistry, astronomy and mathematics. The ending essays deal with the state of science in education and religion. For the most part they covered the major developments and discoveries in these fields from their beginnings to the early 80s and are the basis for technology today. Interesting and informative.
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2,389+ Works 292,601 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
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- Canonical title
- 'X' Stands For Unknown
- Original title
- 'X' Stands For Unknown
- Original publication date
- 1984
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- Members
- 171
- Popularity
- 191,073
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.68)
- Languages
- English, French, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 9
