Galaxy magazine had a monthly science column written by Willy Ley. Ley was born in Germany in 1906 but fled that county in the mid-1930s and settled in the US. When Isaac Asimov was the toastmaster at a science fiction convention and Willy Ley was in the audience, he spent some time making Willy Ley … Continue reading A Yard of String
Asimov
The Caves of Steel
So the word is coming down that there might be a movie version of Isaac Asimov’s novel The Caves of Steel. I would probably have been excited to hear that, say, oh, maybe 40 years ago, when there was a chance, a slim one, but still a chance, that there might be a reasonably faithful adaptation … Continue reading The Caves of Steel
Sixty Minutes
In the last year or so before he died, Isaac’s wife Janet convinced him to bring his memoirs up to date. He ended up putting more of his opinions into the writing than he had in his earlier autobiography. But he still had plenty of stories about his brother Stan. My brother, Stan, set … Continue reading Sixty Minutes
Where Was Isaac When the Lights Went Out?
Here’s a post that I’ve been holding for a while. It’s another excerpt from Asimov’s autobiography, this one from 1965. The photo is from a 1967 New York convention. That’s Isaac’s daughter Robyn at the left and I think that’s his son David with his back to the camera. His wife Gertrude is the … Continue reading Where Was Isaac When the Lights Went Out?
A Memorable Physical
I keep telling myself that I’m going to relate the tales of my autobiography in chronological sequence, but I never seem to get around to it. Meanwhile, I feel like mentioning a particularly memorable physical. It was shortly after I had moved to Philadelphia in August of 1980 and went to work at what was … Continue reading A Memorable Physical
The Isaac Asimov Collection
The following passage appears in Isaac Asimov’s autobiography around the November 1965 timeframe. At about this time, Boston University expressed a wish to collect my papers. Dr. Howard Gotlieb, the head of special collections, wrote to ask me for them and I thought he was joking. To be sure, I had been giving copies of … Continue reading The Isaac Asimov Collection
Isaac and Stanley
Throughout his autobiography Isaac Asimov frequently mentions his younger brother Stanley. How he would assume baby sitting duties shortly after Stanley was born, reading a book while pushing Stanley’s baby carriage, etc. Later on, of course, there are many anecdotes involving Stanley, but one of the best is the following. I sometimes consent to take … Continue reading Isaac and Stanley
The Foundation Timeline
In the Winter 1955 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories, Isaac Asimov published a timeline for his Foundation stories and tied together a bunch of his other stories as well, some of which were set in the timeline of the Galactic Empire and some of which had been written with no thought of being in the … Continue reading The Foundation Timeline
The Question
By 1955 Isaac Asimov was sufficiently well known, at least in science fiction circles, and his last name was so unusual, that his family members began to receive inquiries. On July 22, I received a letter from Stanley telling me that he was virtually engaged to a divorcee with an eight-year-old son. On the thirty-first, … Continue reading The Question
Asimov’s Views on Israel
Another excerpt from Isaac Asimov’s autobiography that I think is especially relevant right now: That evening I went to Park Avenue and Ninety-fourth Street and visited my old friend Sidney Cohen from the days of Seth Low Junior College. For the first time, I met his wife, Lea, an Israeli woman with a delightful accent … Continue reading Asimov’s Views on Israel