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Describes the origin, composition, and historical and modern uses of petroleum.Tags
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In this series Asimov found his metier. These books, are clear, fascinating, and quite simple. No details to get lost in, but plenty to satisfy the curious adult reader who knows nothing about the subject, like me!
This one is especially good, covering the nature and origins of petroleum, the use of its products in ancient and more contemporary times, the innovation of actually drilling for it, the dependence on foreign oil of many populous nations, and the question of where to go from here as petroleum reserves are depleted. I believe that "fracking" is also forecasted, although not under that name. As in a prior book "How Did We Find out about Nuclear Power?" Asimov anticipates nuclear fusion power, optimistically.
David Wool had become show more the regular illustrator on this series. He did his usual excellent work, with diagrams of molecules, portraits of significant individuals, a diagram of a nuclear refinery, and several tableaux, as for example a picture of a whale hunt. show less
This one is especially good, covering the nature and origins of petroleum, the use of its products in ancient and more contemporary times, the innovation of actually drilling for it, the dependence on foreign oil of many populous nations, and the question of where to go from here as petroleum reserves are depleted. I believe that "fracking" is also forecasted, although not under that name. As in a prior book "How Did We Find out about Nuclear Power?" Asimov anticipates nuclear fusion power, optimistically.
David Wool had become show more the regular illustrator on this series. He did his usual excellent work, with diagrams of molecules, portraits of significant individuals, a diagram of a nuclear refinery, and several tableaux, as for example a picture of a whale hunt. show less
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Children's Books About Science and Math
461 works; 12 members
Author Information
2,404+ Works 294,152 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
Awards and Honors
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1980
- People/Characters
- Sir Walter Raleigh; Edwin Drake; Thomas Edison; Etienne Lenoir; Nikolaus August Otto; Gottlieb Daimler (show all 11); Karl Benz; Henry Ford; Wilbur Wright; Orville Wright; Rudolph Diesel
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- 27
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- 1,012,575
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.00)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
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- ISBNs
- 4
