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The Big Three
--- Isaac Asimov
------ Introduction
------ Bibliography
------ Foundation
------ Multivac
--- Arthur C. Clarke
--- Robert A. Heinlein

J.R.R. Tolkien

Lin Carter

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Richard C. Meredith

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A Brief Biography of Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books.

Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russia, sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920. Exactly when he was not sure, but he knew it was no later than the Second of January, which he celebrated as his birthday.

He was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and over 9,000 letters and postcards. His works have been published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System. (The sole exception being the 100s: philosophy and psychology, although he did write a foreword for The Humanist Way, which is published in the 100s).

Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers during his lifetime. His most famous work is the Foundation series; other major series being the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation series to create a unified "future history" for his stories, much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson.

He wrote many short stories, among them Nightfall, which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America to be the best short science fiction story of all time. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile SF novels using the pen name Paul French and later, with his wife Janet, the Norby Chronicles for younger readers.

The prolific Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as non-fiction. Most of his popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as numerous works on astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare and chemistry.

Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, a Brooklyn elementary school, and a literary award are all named in his honor.

References
- Wikipedia - Isaac Asimov - retrieved 24 June 2011 - the text above is a revised and reduced version of that found on Wikipedia
- The Internet Speculative Fiction Database - Isaac Asimov - Summary Bibliography - retrieved 5 June 2011

Lists of the first publications of Isaac Asimov 's non-magazine published fiction appear below along with a selection of autobiographical writings.
Titles in black are novels and chapterbooks, while those in blue are collections.

• Asimov's Robots
• Asimov's Foundation
• Asimov's Galactic Empire
• Lucky Starr
• The Norby Chronicles
• Other Novels
• Chapbooks
• The Black Widowers
• Other Collections
• Autobiographical

An illustrated bibliography is in preparation and will appear in the future.

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