Editing Isaac Asimov (section)

== Writings ==
{{blockquote|[T]he only thing about myself that I consider to be severe enough to warrant psychoanalytic treatment is my compulsion to write ... That means that my idea of a pleasant time is to go up to my attic, sit at my electric typewriter (as I am doing right now), and bang away, watching the words take shape like magic before my eyes.|Asimov, 1969<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/nightfallotherst00asim#page/204/mode/2up|title=Nightfall, and other stories|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|date=1969|publisher=Doubleday|pages=205, 244}}</ref>}}

=== Overview ===
{{Robotic laws}}
Asimov's career can be divided into several periods. His early career, dominated by science fiction, began with short stories in 1939 and novels in 1950. This lasted until about 1958, all but ending after publication of ''[[The Naked Sun]]'' (1957). He began publishing nonfiction as co-author of a college-level textbook called ''Biochemistry and Human Metabolism''. Following the brief orbit of the first human-made satellite [[Sputnik I]] by the USSR in 1957, he wrote more nonfiction, particularly [[popular science]] books, and less science fiction. Over the next quarter-century, he wrote only four science fiction novels, and 120 nonfiction books.

Starting in 1982, the second half of his science fiction career began with the publication of ''[[Foundation's Edge]]''. From then until his death, Asimov published several more sequels and prequels to his existing novels, tying them together in a way he had not originally anticipated, making a unified series. There are many inconsistencies in this unification, especially in his earlier stories.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=[[Prelude to Foundation]] |publisher=Bantam Books |date=1988 |pages=xiii–xv}}</ref> [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] and [[Houghton Mifflin]] published about 60% of his work up to 1969, Asimov stating that "both represent a father image".{{r|nichols19690803}}

Asimov believed his most enduring contributions would be his "[[Three Laws of Robotics]]" and the [[Foundation Series|''Foundation'' series]].<ref>''Yours, Isaac Asimov'', p. 329.</ref> The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' credits his science fiction for introducing into the English language the words "[[robotics]]", "[[positronic brain|positronic]]" (an entirely fictional technology), and "[[psychohistory (fictional)|psychohistory]]" (which is also used for a [[Psychohistory|different study]] on historical motivations). Asimov coined the term "robotics" without suspecting that it might be an original word; at the time, he believed it was simply the natural analogue of words such as [[mechanics]] and [[hydraulics]], but for [[robot]]s. Unlike his word "psychohistory", the word "robotics" continues in mainstream technical use with Asimov's original definition. ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' featured [[android (robot)|androids]] with "[[positronic brain]]s" and the first-season episode "[[Datalore]]" called the positronic brain "Asimov's dream".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Seiler |first1=Edward |last2=Hatcher |first2=Richard |url=http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#series12 |title=Is Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation an Asimovian robot? |publisher=Isaac Asimov Home Page |date=2014 |access-date=August 3, 2016 |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016074817/http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#series12 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Asimov was so prolific and diverse in his writing that his books span all major categories of the [[Dewey Decimal Classification]] except for category 100, [[philosophy]] and [[psychology]].<ref name="AsimovFAQ-DeweyDecimal"/> However, he wrote several essays about psychology,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Seiler |first1=Edward |last2=Hatcher |first2=Richard |url=http://www.asimovonline.com/oldsite/Essays/psychology.html |title=Asimov essays about psychology |publisher=Isaac Asimov Home Page |date=1995 |access-date=May 13, 2013 |archive-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121190158/http://www.asimovonline.com/oldsite/Essays/psychology.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and forewords for the books ''The Humanist Way'' (1988) and ''In Pursuit of Truth'' (1982),<ref name="Popper"/> which were classified in the 100s category, but none of his own books were classified in that category.<ref name="AsimovFAQ-DeweyDecimal">{{cite web |last1=Seiler |first1=Edward |last2=Hatcher |first2=Richard |url=http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#others11 |title=Did you know that Asimov is the only author to have published books in all ten categories of the Dewey Decimal System? |date=2014 |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016074817/http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#others11 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[UNESCO]]'s ''Index Translationum database'', Asimov is the world's 24th-most-translated author.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Index Translationum|url=https://www.unesco.org/xtrans/bsstatexp.aspx?crit1L=5&nTyp=min&topN=50|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=www.unesco.org|language=en}}</ref>

=== Science fiction ===
{{blockquote|No matter how various the subject matter I write on, I was a science-fiction writer first and it is as a science-fiction writer that I want to be identified.|Asimov, 1980<ref>{{Cite book |title=In Joy Still Felt|last= Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Avon |year=1980 |location= New York|pages= 286–287}}</ref>}}

[[File:GXY5101 0000fc.jpg|thumb|right|The first installment of Asimov's ''Tyrann'' was the cover story in the fourth issue of ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction]]'' in 1951. The novel was issued in book form later that year as ''[[The Stars Like Dust]]''.]]
[[File:Galaxy 195310.jpg|thumb|right|The first installment of Asimov's ''[[The Caves of Steel]]'' on the cover of the October 1953 issue of ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction]]'', illustrated by [[Ed Emshwiller]]]]
[[File:Weird Tales September 1950.jpg|thumb|right|The novelette "Legal Rites", a collaboration with [[Frederik Pohl]], the only Asimov story to appear in ''[[Weird Tales]]'']]

Asimov became a science fiction fan in 1929,<ref name="earlyyears1_9">{{Cite book |url= https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/n11/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first= Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=1–9}}</ref> when he began reading the [[pulp magazine]]s sold in his family's candy store.<ref>{{cite video |year=1988 |title=Video: Asimov at 391 (1988) |url= https://archive.org/details/openmind_ep48 |publisher=[[The Open Mind (TV series)]] |access-date=February 21, 2012}}</ref> At first his father forbade reading pulps until Asimov persuaded him that because the [[science fiction magazine]]s had "Science" in the title, they must be educational.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |year=1975 |title= Before the Golden Age |publisher=Orbit |volume=1 |page=14 |isbn=0-86007-803-5}}</ref> At age 18 he joined the [[Futurians]] [[science fiction fandom|science fiction fan club]], where he made friends who went on to become science fiction writers or editors.<ref>Asimov, Isaac. ''In Memory Yet Green'' (Avon Books), pp. 208–212.</ref>

Asimov began writing at the age of 11, imitating ''[[The Rover Boys]]'' with eight chapters of ''The Greenville Chums at College''. His father bought him a used typewriter at age 16.{{r|nichols19690803}} His first published work was a humorous item on the birth of his brother for Boys High School's literary journal in 1934. In May 1937 he first thought of writing professionally, and began writing his first science fiction story, "Cosmic Corkscrew" (now lost), that year. On May 17, 1938, puzzled by a change in the schedule of ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]'', Asimov visited its publisher [[Street & Smith Publications]]. Inspired by the visit, he finished the story on June 19, 1938, and personally submitted it to ''Astounding'' editor [[John W. Campbell]] two days later. Campbell met with Asimov for more than an hour and promised to read the story himself. Two days later he received a detailed rejection letter.{{r|earlyyears1_9}} This was the first of what became almost weekly meetings with the editor while Asimov lived in New York, until moving to Boston in 1949;{{r|earlyyears560_564}} Campbell had a strong formative influence on Asimov and became a personal friend.<ref>{{cite book |title=Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction |last=Gunn |first=James |author-link=James Gunn (author) |date=1982 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=[[Oxford]], England |isbn=0-19-503059-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isaacasimovfound00gunn/page/12 12–13, 20] |url=https://archive.org/details/isaacasimovfound00gunn/page/12 }}</ref>

By the end of the month, Asimov completed a second story, "[[The Callistan Menace|Stowaway]]". Campbell rejected it on July 22 but—in "the nicest possible letter you could imagine"—encouraged him to continue writing, promising that Asimov might sell his work after another year and a dozen stories of practice.{{r|earlyyears1_9}} On October 21, 1938, he sold the third story he finished, "[[Marooned Off Vesta]]", to ''[[Amazing Stories]]'', edited by [[Raymond A. Palmer]], and it appeared in the March 1939 issue. Asimov was paid $64 ({{Inflation|US|64|1938|fmt=eq}}), or one cent a word.{{r|nichols19690803}}<ref name="earlyyears25_28">{{Cite book |url= https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/24/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first= Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=25–28}}</ref> Two more stories appeared that year, "[[The Weapon Too Dreadful to Use]]" in the May ''Amazing'' and "[[Trends (short story)|Trends]]" in the July ''Astounding'', the issue fans later selected as the start of the [[Golden Age of Science Fiction]].{{r|earlyyears79_82}} For 1940, [[ISFDB]] catalogs seven stories in four different pulp magazines, including one in ''Astounding''.<ref name=isfdb/> His earnings became enough to pay for his education, but not yet enough for him to become a full-time writer.{{r|earlyyears25_28}}

He later said that unlike other Golden Age writers Heinlein and [[A. E. van Vogt]]—also first published in 1939, and whose talent and stardom were immediately obvious—Asimov "(this is not false modesty) came up only gradually".<ref name="earlyyears79_82">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/78/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=79–82}}</ref> Through July 29, 1940, Asimov wrote 22 stories in 25 months, of which 13 were published; he wrote in 1972 that from that date he never wrote a science fiction story that was not published (except for two "special cases"{{efn|The two exceptions were both 1,000-word short stories written in 1941, "Masks" and "[[Big Game (short story)|Big Game]]."<ref>Asimov, ''The Early Asimov'' Frogmore, UK: Panther Books, pp. 147, 230.</ref> The latter was published in 1974.<ref>Asimov, I. (1981). ''In Joy Still Felt.'' Avon Books. p.&nbsp;582.</ref>}}).<ref name="earlyyears245">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/245/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |page=245}}</ref> By 1941 Asimov was famous enough that [[Donald Wollheim]] told him that he purchased "[[The Secret Sense]]" for a new magazine only because of his name,<ref name="earlyyears166_169">{{Cite book |url= https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/166/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=166–169}}</ref> and the December 1940 issue of ''Astonishing''—featuring Asimov's name in bold—was the first magazine to base [[cover art]] on his work,<ref name="earlyyears202_205">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/202/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=202–205}}</ref> but Asimov later said that neither he nor anyone else—except perhaps Campbell—considered him better than an often published "third rater".{{r|earlyyears335_339}}

Based on a conversation with Campbell, Asimov wrote "[[Nightfall (Asimov short story)|Nightfall]]", his 32nd story, in March and April 1941, and ''Astounding'' published it in September 1941. In 1968 the [[Science Fiction Writers of America]] voted "Nightfall" the best science fiction short story ever written.<ref name=obit/><ref name="earlyyears335_339">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/334/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, New York|pages=335–339}}</ref> In ''[[Nightfall and Other Stories]]'' Asimov wrote, "The writing of 'Nightfall' was a watershed in my professional career ... I was suddenly taken seriously and the world of science fiction became aware that I existed. As the years passed, in fact, it became evident that I had written a 'classic'."<ref>Asimov, I. ''Nightfall and Other Stories''  (1969)  (Grafton Books 1991 edition, pp. 9–10)</ref> "Nightfall" is an archetypal example of [[social science fiction]], a term he created to describe a new trend in the 1940s, led by authors including him and Heinlein, away from [[gadget]]s and [[space opera]] and toward speculation about the [[human condition]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Modern Science Fiction: Its Meaning and Its Future |last=Bretnor |first=Reginald |author-link=Reginald Bretnor |date=1953 |publisher=Coward-McCann |location=New York |pages=157–197}}</ref>

After writing "[[Victory Unintentional]]" in January and February 1942, Asimov did not write another story for a year. He expected to make chemistry his career, and was paid $2,600 annually at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, enough to marry his girlfriend; he did not expect to make much more from writing than the $1,788.50 he had earned from the 28 stories he had already sold over four years. Asimov left science fiction fandom and no longer read new magazines, and might have left the writing profession had not Heinlein and de Camp been his coworkers at the Navy Yard and previously sold stories continued to appear.<ref name="earlyyears390_397">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/390/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=390–397}}</ref>

In 1942, Asimov published the first of his ''Foundation'' stories—later collected in the [[Foundation Trilogy|''Foundation'' trilogy]]: ''[[Foundation (Isaac Asimov novel)|Foundation]]'' (1951), ''[[Foundation and Empire]]'' (1952), and ''[[Second Foundation]]'' (1953). The books describe the fall of a vast [[Galactic Empire (Asimov)|interstellar empire]] and the establishment of its eventual successor. They feature his fictional science of [[Psychohistory (fictional)|psychohistory]], whose theories could predict the future course of history according to dynamical laws regarding the statistical analysis of mass human actions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/cole_11_12/ |title=Clarkesworld Magazine&nbsp;– Science Fiction & Fantasy |work=Clarkesworld Magazine |access-date=March 18, 2016 |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320053324/http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/cole_11_12/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Campbell raised his rate per word, [[Orson Welles]] purchased rights to "[[Evidence (short story)|Evidence]]", and anthologies reprinted his stories. By the end of the war Asimov was earning as a writer an amount equal to half of his Navy Yard salary, even after a raise, but Asimov still did not believe that writing could support him, his wife, and future children.<ref name="earlyyears442_443">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/442/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=442–443}}</ref><ref name="earlyyears466_470">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/466/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=466–470}}</ref>

His [[Robot series|"positronic" robot stories]]—many of which were collected in ''[[I, Robot]]'' (1950)—were begun at about the same time. They promulgated a set of rules of [[ethics]] for robots (see [[Three Laws of Robotics]]) and intelligent machines that greatly influenced other writers and thinkers in their treatment of the subject. Asimov notes in his introduction to the short story collection ''[[The Complete Robot]]'' (1982) that he was largely inspired by the tendency of robots up to that time to fall consistently into a [[Frankenstein]] plot in which they destroyed their creators. The ''Robot'' series has led to film adaptations. With Asimov's collaboration, in about 1977, [[Harlan Ellison]] wrote a screenplay of ''I, Robot'' that Asimov hoped would lead to "the first really adult, complex, worthwhile [[science fiction film]] ever made". The screenplay has never been filmed and was eventually published in book form in 1994. The 2004 movie ''[[I, Robot (film)|I, Robot]]'', starring [[Will Smith]], was based on an unrelated script by [[Jeff Vintar]] titled ''Hardwired'', with Asimov's ideas incorporated later after the rights to Asimov's title were acquired.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/bottom/56.html |title=The Bottom of Things |first=Michael |last=Sampson |date=January 14, 2004 |access-date=January 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212180512/http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/bottom/56.html |archive-date=February 12, 2007 }}</ref> (The title was not original to Asimov but had previously been used for [[I, Robot (short story)|a story]] by [[Eando Binder]].) Also, one of Asimov's robot short stories, "[[The Bicentennial Man]]", was expanded into a novel ''[[The Positronic Man]]'' by Asimov and [[Robert Silverberg]], and this was adapted into the 1999 movie ''[[Bicentennial Man (film)|Bicentennial Man]]'', starring [[Robin Williams]].<ref name="theguardian.com"/>

In 1966 the ''Foundation'' trilogy won the [[Hugo Award]] for the all-time best series of science fiction and fantasy novels,<ref>[http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1966.html The Long List of Hugo Awards, 1966] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403182439/http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1966.html|date=April 3, 2016}} at nesfa.org (retrieved April 24, 2016).</ref> and they along with the [[Robot series|''Robot'' series]] are his most famous science fiction. Besides movies, his ''Foundation'' and ''Robot'' stories have inspired other derivative works of science fiction literature, many by well-known and established authors such as [[Roger MacBride Allen]], [[Greg Bear]], [[Gregory Benford]], [[David Brin]], and [[Donald Kingsbury]]. At least some of these appear to have been done with the blessing of, or at the request of, Asimov's widow, [[Janet Asimov]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?4327 |title=Series: Isaac Asimov's Robot Mysteries |website=isfdb.org |publisher=ISFDB |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917014414/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?4327 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?3792 |title=Series: Second Foundation Trilogy |website=isfdb.org |publisher=ISFDB |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917013954/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?3792 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?26941 |title=Publication: Psychohistorical Crisis |website=isfdb.org |publisher=ISFDB |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917013833/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?26941 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1948, he also wrote a spoof chemistry article, "[[Thiotimoline|The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline]]". At the time, Asimov was preparing his own doctoral [[dissertation]], which would include an oral examination. Fearing a prejudicial reaction from his graduate school evaluation board at [[Columbia University]], Asimov asked his editor that it be released under a pseudonym. When it nevertheless appeared under his own name, Asimov grew concerned that his doctoral examiners might think he wasn't taking science seriously. At the end of the examination, one evaluator turned to him, smiling, and said, "What can you tell us, Mr. Asimov, about the thermodynamic properties of the compound known as thiotimoline". Laughing hysterically with relief, Asimov had to be led out of the room. After a five-minute wait, he was summoned back into the room and congratulated as "Dr. Asimov".<ref name="earlyyears488_501">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/488/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=488–501}}</ref>

Demand for science fiction greatly increased during the 1950s, making it possible for a genre author to write full-time.<ref name="latham2009">{{Cite book |title=The Routledge Companion to Science Fiction |last=Latham |first=Rob |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-135-22836-1 |editor-last=Bould |editor-first=Mark |pages=80–89 |chapter=Fiction, 1950-1963 |editor-last2=Butler |editor-first2=Andrew M. |editor-last3=Roberts |editor-first3=Adam |editor-last4=Vint |editor-first4=Sherryl |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7CNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA80 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126075634/https://books.google.com/books?id=y7CNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA80 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1949, book publisher [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]]'s science fiction editor Walter I. Bradbury accepted Asimov's unpublished "Grow Old with Me" (40,000 words), but requested that it be extended to a full novel of 70,000 words. The book appeared under the Doubleday imprint in January 1950 with the title of ''[[Pebble in the Sky]]''.<ref name="earlyyears560_564">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/560/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=560–564}}</ref> Doubleday published five more original science fiction novels by Asimov in the 1950s, along with the six juvenile [[Lucky Starr series|Lucky Starr novels]], the latter under the pseudonym "Paul French".<ref>''In Memory Yet Green'', p. 627.</ref> Doubleday also published collections of Asimov's short stories, beginning with ''[[The Martian Way and Other Stories]]'' in 1955. The early 1950s also saw [[Gnome Press]] publish one collection of Asimov's positronic robot stories as ''[[I, Robot]]'' and his ''[[The Foundation Series|Foundation]]'' stories and novelettes as the three books of the ''Foundation trilogy''. More positronic robot stories were republished in book form as ''[[The Rest of the Robots]]''.

Book publishers and the magazines ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction|Galaxy]]'' and ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction|Fantasy & Science Fiction]]'' ended Asimov's dependence on ''Astounding''. He later described the era as his "'mature' period". Asimov's "[[The Last Question]]" (1956), on the ability of humankind to cope with and potentially reverse the process of [[entropy]], was his personal favorite story.<ref name="asimov1973">{{Cite book |title=The Best of Isaac Asimov |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Sphere Books |year=1973 |isbn=0-385-05078-X |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bestofisaacasimo00asim/page/ ix–xiv] |chapter=Introduction |lccn=74-2863 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/bestofisaacasimo00asim#page/n11/mode/2up |url=https://archive.org/details/bestofisaacasimo00asim/page/ }}</ref>

In 1972, his stand-alone novel ''[[The Gods Themselves]]'' was published to general acclaim, winning Best Novel in the [[Hugo Award for Best Novel|Hugo]],<ref name="Jupiter174">Asimov (1975) ''Buy Jupiter and Other Stories'', VGSF (1988 ed.), p. 174.</ref> [[Nebula Award for Best Novel|Nebula]],<ref name="Jupiter174"/> and [[Locus Award for Best Novel|Locus]] Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Locus1973.html|title=1973 Awards|work=The Locus Index to SF Awards|access-date=September 8, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001063632/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Locus1973.html|archive-date=October 1, 2013}}</ref>

In December 1974, former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[Paul McCartney]] approached Asimov and asked him to write the screenplay for a science-fiction movie musical. McCartney had a vague idea for the plot and a small scrap of dialogue, about a rock band whose members discover they are being impersonated by extraterrestrials. The band and their impostors would likely be played by McCartney's group [[Wings (band)|Wings]], then at the height of their career. Though not generally a fan of rock music, Asimov was intrigued by the idea and quickly produced a treatment outline of the story adhering to McCartney's overall idea but omitting McCartney's scrap of dialogue. McCartney rejected it, and the treatment now exists only in the Boston University archives.<ref>Asimov, I. (1980) ''In Joy Still Felt'' Avon, p. 693.</ref>

Asimov said in 1969 that he had "the happiest of all my associations with science fiction magazines" with ''Fantasy & Science Fiction''; "I have no complaints about ''Astounding'', ''Galaxy'', or any of the rest, heaven knows, but ''F&SF'' has become something special to me".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/nightfallotherst00asim#page/224/mode/2up|title=Nightfall, and other stories|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|date=1969|publisher=Doubleday|page=224}}</ref> Beginning in 1977, Asimov lent his name to ''Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine'' (now ''[[Asimov's Science Fiction]]'') and wrote an editorial for each issue. There was also a short-lived ''[[Asimov's SF Adventure Magazine]]'' and a companion ''Asimov's Science Fiction Anthology'' reprint series, published as magazines (in the same manner as the stablemates ''[[Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine]]''{{'}}s and ''[[Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine]]''{{'}}s "anthologies").<ref>{{cite book| title= I. Asimov: A Memoir| first= Isaac| last= Asimov| pages= 428–429}}</ref>

Due to pressure by fans on Asimov to write another book in his ''Foundation'' series,<ref name="wiredforbooks"/> he did so with ''[[Foundation's Edge]]'' (1982) and ''[[Foundation and Earth]]'' (1986), and then went back to before the original trilogy with ''[[Prelude to Foundation]]'' (1988) and ''[[Forward the Foundation]]'' (1992), his last novel.

He also helped [[Leonard Nimoy]] fleshing out the premise of the science fiction comic [[Primortals]] (1995–1997).<ref>[https://majorspoilers.com/2015/03/03/comics-portal-leonard-nimoys-primortal-comics/ COMICS PORTAL: Leonard Nimoy's Primortal Comics!]</ref>

=== Popular science ===
{{blockquote|Just say I am one of the most versatile writers in the world, and the greatest popularizer of many subjects.|Asimov, 1969<ref name="nichols19690803">{{Cite news |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23/lifetimes/asi-v-profile.html |title=Isaac Asimov: Man of 7,560,000 Words |last=Nichols |first=Lewis |date=1969-08-03 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-09-10 |archive-date=January 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117082824/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23/lifetimes/asi-v-profile.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Asimov and two colleagues published a textbook in 1949, with two more editions by 1969.{{r|nichols19690803}} During the late 1950s and 1960s, Asimov substantially decreased his fiction output (he published only four adult novels between 1957's ''[[The Naked Sun]]'' and 1982's ''[[Foundation's Edge]]'', two of which were mysteries). He greatly increased his nonfiction production, writing mostly on science topics; the launch of Sputnik in 1957 engendered [[Sputnik crisis|public concern over a "science gap"]].<ref>{{cite book |title=I. Asimov: A Memoir |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1995 |publisher=Bantam |location=New York |isbn=0-553-56997-X |pages=252–254}}</ref> Asimov explained in ''The Rest of the Robots'' that he had been unable to write substantial fiction since the summer of 1958, and observers understood him as saying that his fiction career had ended, or was permanently interrupted.<ref name="budrys196506">{{Cite magazine
 |last=Budrys
 |first=Algis
 |date=June 1965
 |title=Galaxy Bookshelf
 |url=https://archive.org/stream/Galaxy_v23n05_1965-06#page/n163/mode/2up
 |magazine=Galaxy Science Fiction
 |pages=164–169
}}</ref> Asimov recalled in 1969 that "the United States went into a kind of tizzy, and so did I. I was overcome by the ardent desire to write popular science for an America that might be in great danger through its neglect of science, and a number of publishers got an equally ardent desire to publish popular science for the same reason".<ref name=nightfall321>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/nightfallotherst00asim#page/320/mode/2up|title=Nightfall, and other stories|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|date=1969|publisher=Doubleday|page=321}}</ref>

''Fantasy and Science Fiction'' invited Asimov to continue his regular nonfiction column, begun in the now-folded bimonthly companion magazine ''[[Venture Science Fiction Magazine]]''. The first of 399 monthly ''F&SF'' columns appeared in November 1958 and they continued until his terminal illness.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asimov Essays From the Mag. of F&SF|url=http://www.asimovonline.com/oldsite/Essays/f_and_sf_essays.html|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=www.asimovonline.com}}</ref>{{efn|name="400th essay"|A 400th essay, a compilation of excerpts from his earlier essays edited by his widow Janet Jeppson Asimov, was published in the magazine in 1994.}} These columns, periodically collected into books by Doubleday,{{r|nichols19690803}} gave Asimov a reputation as a "Great Explainer" of science; he described them as his only popular science writing in which he never had to assume complete ignorance of the subjects on the part of his readers. The column was ostensibly dedicated to popular science but Asimov had complete editorial freedom, and wrote about contemporary social issues{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} in essays such as "Thinking About Thinking"<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=January 1975 |title=Thinking About Thinking |magazine=The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction |location=New York |publisher=Mercury Press, Inc.}}</ref> and "Knock Plastic!".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=November 1967 |title=Knock Plastic! |magazine=The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction |location=New York |publisher=Mercury Press, Inc.}}</ref> In 1975 he wrote of these essays: "I get more pleasure out of them than out of any other writing assignment."<ref>Asimov (1975), ''Buy Jupiter'' (VGSF 1988 edition), p. 125.</ref>

Asimov's first wide-ranging reference work, ''[[The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science]]'' (1960), was nominated for a [[National Book Award]], and in 1963 he won a [[Hugo Award]]—his first—for his essays for ''F&SF''.<ref name="1963hugo">[http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1963.html 1963 Hugo Award winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930112929/http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1963.html |date=September 30, 2017 }} at the New England Science Fiction Association website (retrieved October 22, 2017).</ref> The popularity of his science books and the income he derived from them allowed him to give up most academic responsibilities and become a full-time [[freelance writer]].<ref>''I. Asimov: A Memoir'' chapter 65.</ref> He encouraged other science fiction writers to write popular science, stating in 1967 that "the knowledgeable, skillful science writer is worth his weight in contracts", with "twice as much work as he can possibly handle".<ref name="asimov196708">{{Cite magazine
 |last=Asimov
 |first=Isaac
 |date=August 1967
 |title=S. F. as a Stepping Stone
 |department=Editorial
 |magazine=Galaxy Science Fiction
 |pages=4, 6
}}</ref>

The great variety of information covered in Asimov's writings prompted [[Kurt Vonnegut]] to ask, "How does it feel to know everything?" Asimov replied that he only knew how it felt to have the 'reputation' of omniscience: "Uneasy".<ref>Asimov, I. ''[[In Joy Still Felt]]'' (Doubleday, 1980) chapter 30.</ref> [[Floyd C. Gale]] said that "Asimov has a rare talent. He can make your mental mouth water over dry facts",<ref name="gale196008">{{Cite magazine |last=Gale |first=Floyd C. |date=August 1960 |title=Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf |url=https://archive.org/stream/Galaxy_v18n06_1960-08#page/115/mode/2up |magazine=Galaxy Science Fiction |pages=117–121}}</ref> and "science fiction's loss has been science popularization's gain".<ref name="gale196112">{{Cite magazine
 |last=Gale
 |first=Floyd C.
 |date=December 1961
 |title=Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf
 |url=https://archive.org/stream/Galaxy_v20n02_1961-12_modified#page/n42/mode/1up
 |magazine=Galaxy Science Fiction
 |pages=144–147
}}</ref> Asimov said that "Of all the writing I do, fiction, non-fiction, adult, or juvenile, these ''F & SF'' articles are by far the most fun".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/nightfallotherst00asim#page/298/mode/2up|title=Nightfall, and other stories|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|date=1969|publisher=Doubleday|page=299}}</ref> He regretted, however, that he had less time for fiction—causing dissatisfied readers to send him letters of complaint—stating in 1969 that "In the last ten years, I've done a couple of novels, some collections, a dozen or so stories, but that's ''nothing''".{{r|nightfall321}}

In his essay "To Tell a Chemist" (1965), Asimov proposed a simple [[shibboleth]] for distinguishing chemists from non-chemists: ask the person to read the word "unionized". Chemists, he noted, will read ''un''-''[[Ionization|ionized]]'' (electrically neutral), while non-chemists will read ''[[Trade union|union]]-ized'' (belonging to a trade union).

=== Coined terms ===
Asimov coined the term "[[robotics]]" in his 1941 story "[[Liar! (short story)|Liar!]]",<ref>According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary,'' the term "robotics" was first used in the short story "Liar!" published in the May 1941 issue of ''Astounding Science Fiction''.</ref> though he later remarked that he believed then that he was merely using an existing word, as he stated in ''[[Gold (Asimov book)|Gold]]'' ("The Robot Chronicles"). While acknowledging the Oxford Dictionary reference, he incorrectly states that the word was first printed about one third of the way down the first column of page 100 in the March 1942 issue of ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science Fiction]]'' – the printing of his short story "[[Runaround (story)|Runaround]]".<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |author-link=Isaac Asimov |title=Gold |publisher=Voyager <!-- was Eos --> |date=1996 <!-- was 2003 --> |orig-year=1995 |location=London |isbn=0-00-648202-3 |pages=224–225 |chapter=The Robot Chronicles}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |author-link=Isaac Asimov |title=Counting the Eons |chapter=4 The Word I Invented |publisher=Doubleday |date=1983 |quote=Robotics has become a sufficiently well developed technology to warrant articles and books on its history and I have watched this in amazement, and in some disbelief, because I invented ... the word|title-link=Counting the Eons |bibcode=1983coeo.book.....A }}</ref>

In the same story, Asimov also coined the term "positronic" (the counterpart to "electronic" for [[positron]]s).<ref>[https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/positronic Oxford Dictionary website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529191116/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/positronic |date=May 29, 2019 }} entry for "positronic"</ref>

Asimov coined the term "[[psychohistory (fictional)|psychohistory]]" in his [[Foundation (book series)|''Foundation'']] stories to name a fictional branch of science which combines [[history]], [[sociology]], and [[mathematical statistics]] to make general predictions about the future behavior of very large groups of people, such as the [[Galactic Empire (Asimov)|Galactic Empire]]. Asimov said later that he should have called it psychosociology. It was first introduced in the five short stories (1942–1944) which would later be collected as the 1951 [[fix-up]] novel ''[[Foundation (Isaac Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=Psychohistory |magazine=Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction |volume=12 |issue=7 |pages=4–8 |publisher=Davis Publications |date=July 1988 |issn=0162-2188}}</ref> Somewhat later, the term "[[psychohistory]]" was applied by others to research of the effects of psychology on history.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Noland |first=Richard W. |date=1977 |title=Psychohistory, Theory and Practice |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25088736 |journal=The Massachusetts Review |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=295–322 |jstor=25088736 |pmid=11614903 |issn=0025-4878}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shepherd |first1=Michael |title=Clio and Psyche: The Lessons of Psychohistory |journal=Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine |date=June 1978 |volume=71 |issue=6 |pages=406–412 |doi=10.1177/014107687807100604 |pmid=359805 |pmc=1436484 }}</ref>

=== Other writings ===
In addition to his interest in science, Asimov was interested in history. Starting in the 1960s, he wrote 14 popular history books, including ''The Greeks: A Great Adventure'' (1965),<ref>{{cite book |title=The Greeks: A Great Adventure |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1965 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston}}</ref> ''The Roman Republic'' (1966),<ref>{{cite book |title=The Roman Republic |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1966 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston}}</ref> ''The Roman Empire'' (1967),<ref>{{cite book |title=The Roman Empire |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1967 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston}}</ref> ''The Egyptians'' (1967)<ref>{{cite book |title=The Egyptians |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1967 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston}}</ref> ''The Near East: 10,000 Years of History'' (1968),<ref>{{cite book |title=The Near East: 10,000 Years of History |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1968 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston}}</ref> and ''[[Asimov's Chronology of the World]]'' (1991).<ref>{{cite book |title=Asimov's Chronology of the World |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1991 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York}}</ref>

He published ''[[Asimov's Guide to the Bible]]'' in two volumes—covering the [[Old Testament]] in 1967 and the [[New Testament]] in 1969—and then combined them into one 1,300-page volume in 1981. Complete with maps and tables, the guide goes through the books of the Bible in order, explaining the history of each one and the political influences that affected it, as well as biographical information about the important characters. His interest in literature manifested itself in several annotations of literary works, including ''[[Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare]]'' (1970),{{efn|Asimov, ''In Joy Still Felt'' (1980), pp. 464–465: "Of all the books I have ever worked on, I think ''Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare'' gave me the most pleasure, day in, day out. For months and months I lived and thought Shakespeare, and I don't see how there can be any greater pleasure in the world—any pleasure, that is, that one can indulge in for as much as ten hours without pause, day after day indefinitely."}} ''Asimov's Annotated Don Juan'' (1972), ''Asimov's Annotated Paradise Lost'' (1974), and ''The Annotated Gulliver's Travels'' (1980).<ref>''I. Asimov: A Memoir'' chapter 112.</ref>

Asimov was also a noted mystery author and a frequent contributor to ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine''. He began by writing science fiction mysteries such as his Wendell Urth stories, but soon moved on to writing "pure" mysteries. He published two full-length mystery novels, and wrote 66 stories about the [[Black Widowers]], a group of men who met monthly for dinner, conversation, and a puzzle. He got the idea for the Widowers from his own association in a stag group called the Trap Door Spiders, and all of the main characters (with the exception of the waiter, Henry, who he admitted resembled Wodehouse's Jeeves) were modeled after his closest friends.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=Puzzles of the Black Widowers |publisher=Bantam Books |date=1991 |page=xiii }}</ref> A parody of the Black Widowers, "An Evening with the White Divorcés," was written by author, critic, and librarian Jon L. Breen.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Breen |first1=Jon L. "An Evening with the White Divorcés" |title=Hair of the Sleuthhound |date=1982 |publisher=Scarecrow |location=Metuchen, NJ |pages=125–131}}</ref> Asimov joked, "all I can do ... is to wait until I catch him in a dark alley, someday."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Breen |first1=Jon L. "An Evening with the White Divorcés" |title=Hair of the Sleuthhound |date=1982 |publisher=Scarecrow |location=Metuchen, NJ |page=131}}</ref>

Toward the end of his life, Asimov published a series of collections of [[limerick (poetry)|limericks]], mostly written by himself, starting with ''[[Lecherous Limericks]]'', which appeared in 1975. ''Limericks: Too Gross'', whose title displays Asimov's love of [[pun]]s, contains 144 limericks by Asimov and an equal number by [[John Ciardi]]. He even created a slim volume of [[Sherlock Holmes|Sherlockian]] limericks. Asimov featured [[Yiddish]] humor in ''[[Azazel (Asimov)|Azazel, The Two Centimeter Demon]]''. The two main characters, both Jewish, talk over dinner, or lunch, or breakfast, about anecdotes of "George" and his friend Azazel. Asimov's ''[[Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor|Treasury of Humor]]'' is both a working joke book and a treatise propounding his views on [[Theory of humor|humor theory]]. According to Asimov, the most essential element of humor is an abrupt change in point of view, one that suddenly shifts focus from the important to the trivial, or from the sublime to the ridiculous.<ref name="Asimov 1971">{{cite book |title=Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1971 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=New York |isbn=0-395-12665-7}}</ref><ref name="Asimov 1992">{{cite book|title=Asimov Laughs Again |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1992 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=London |isbn=0-06-016826-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/asimovlaughsagai00isaa }}</ref>

Particularly in his later years, Asimov to some extent cultivated an image of himself as an amiable lecher. In 1971, as a response to the popularity of sexual guidebooks such as ''[[The Sensuous Woman]]'' (by "J") and ''[[The Sensuous Man]]'' (by "M"), Asimov published ''The Sensuous Dirty Old Man'' under the byline "Dr. 'A{{'"}}<ref>''In Joy Still Felt'', p. 569.</ref> (although his full name was printed on the paperback edition, first published 1972). However, by 2016, Asimov's habit of groping women was seen as [[sexual harassment]] and came under criticism, and was cited as an early example of inappropriate behavior that can occur at science fiction conventions.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/dont-look-away-fighting-sexual-harassment-in-the-scifi-1785704207|title=Don't Look Away: Fighting Sexual Harassment in the Scifi/Fantasy Community|last=Hines|first=Jim C.|date=August 29, 2016|work=io9|access-date=December 18, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=November 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123220020/https://io9.gizmodo.com/dont-look-away-fighting-sexual-harassment-in-the-scifi-1785704207|url-status=live}}</ref>

Asimov published [[Autobiographies of Isaac Asimov|three volumes of autobiography]]. ''In Memory Yet Green'' (1979)<ref>{{cite book |title=In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920–1954 |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1979 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |isbn=0-385-13679-X}}</ref> and ''In Joy Still Felt'' (1980)<ref>{{cite book |title=In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954–1978 |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1979 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |isbn=0-385-13679-X}}</ref> cover his life up to 1978. The third volume, ''I. Asimov: A Memoir'' (1994),<ref>{{cite book|title=I. Asimov: A Memoir |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1994 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |isbn=0-385-41701-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/iasimovmemoir00asim_0 }}</ref> covered his whole life (rather than following on from where the second volume left off). The epilogue was written by his widow [[Janet Asimov]] after his death. The book won a [[Hugo Award]] in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 26, 2007|title=1995 Hugo Awards|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1995-hugo-awards/|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=The Hugo Awards|language=en-US}}</ref> Janet Asimov edited ''[[It's Been a Good Life]]'' (2002),<ref>{{cite book|title=It's Been a Good Life |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=2002 |publisher=Prometheus Books |location=New York |isbn=1-57392-968-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/itsbeengoodlife00asim }}</ref> a condensed version of his three autobiographies. He also published three volumes of retrospectives of his writing, ''[[Opus 100]]'' (1969),<ref name="Asimov 1969">{{cite book |title=Opus 100 |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1969 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston}}</ref> ''[[Opus 200]]'' (1979),<ref name="Asimov 1979">{{cite book|title=Opus 200 |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1979 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston |isbn=0-395-27625-X |url=https://archive.org/details/opus20000asim }}</ref> and ''[[Opus 300]]'' (1984).<ref name="Asimov 1984">{{cite book |title=Opus 300 |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1984 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston |isbn=0-395-36108-7}}</ref>

In 1987, the Asimovs co-wrote ''How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort''. In it they offer advice on how to maintain a positive attitude and stay productive when dealing with discouragement, distractions, rejection, and thick-headed editors. The book includes many quotations, essays, anecdotes, and husband-wife dialogues about the ups and downs of being an author.<ref>{{cite book|title=How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort |last1=Asimov |first1=Janet |author-link=Janet Asimov |last2=Asimov |first2=Isaac |date=1987 |publisher=Walker & Co. |location=New York |isbn=0-8027-0945-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/howtoenjoywritin00asim_0 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asimovreviews.net/Books/Book362.html |title=How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort |publisher=John H. Jenkins |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-date=August 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803195159/http://asimovreviews.net/Books/Book362.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Asimov and ''[[Star Trek]]'' creator [[Gene Roddenberry]] developed a unique relationship during ''Star Trek''{{'}}s initial launch in the late 1960s. Asimov wrote a critical essay on ''Star Trek''{{'}}s scientific accuracy for ''[[TV Guide]]'' magazine. Roddenberry retorted respectfully with a personal letter explaining the limitations of accuracy when writing a weekly series. Asimov corrected himself with a follow-up essay to ''TV Guide'' claiming that despite its inaccuracies, ''Star Trek'' was a fresh and intellectually challenging [[science fiction on television|science fiction television]] show. The two remained friends to the point where Asimov even served as an advisor on a number of ''Star Trek'' projects.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/06/getting-star-trek-on-air-was-impossible.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627222403/http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/06/getting-star-trek-on-air-was-impossible.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 27, 2012 |title=Letters of Note: Getting Star Trek on the air was impossible |date=June 25, 2012 }}</ref>

{{anchor|Calendar}}
In 1973, Asimov published a proposal for [[calendar reform]], called the World Season Calendar. It divides the year into four seasons (named A–D) of 13 weeks (91 days) each. This allows days to be named, e.g., "D-73" instead of December 1 (due to December 1 being the 73rd day of the 4th quarter). An extra 'year day' is added for a total of 365 days.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |author-link=Isaac Asimov |chapter=The Week Excuse |title=The Tragedy of the Moon |pages=48–58 |publisher=Doubleday and Co |date=1973 |isbn=0-440-18999-3|title-link=The Tragedy of the Moon }}</ref>

=== Awards and recognition ===
Asimov won more than a dozen annual awards for particular works of science fiction and a half-dozen lifetime awards.<ref name=SFAwards>[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit5.html#179 "Asimov, Isaac"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016200502/http://locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit5.html |date=October 16, 2012 }}. ''The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Literary Nominees''. [[Locus Publications]]. Retrieved March 24, 2013.</ref>
He also received 14 [[honorary doctorate]] degrees from universities.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Seiler |first1=Edward |last2=Hatcher |first2=Richard |url=http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#literary3 |title=What awards did he win for his writing? |date=2014 |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016074817/http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#literary3 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1955 – Guest of Honor at the 13th [[Worldcon|World Science Fiction Convention]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Long List of Worldcons|url=http://www.smofinfo.com/LL/TheLongList.html|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=www.smofinfo.com}}</ref>
* 1957 – [[Thomas Alva Edison]] Foundation Award for best science book for youth, for ''Building Blocks of the Universe''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Building Blocks of the Universe|url=http://www.asimovreviews.net/Books/Book022.html|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=www.asimovreviews.net}}</ref>
* 1960 – [[Howard W. Blakeslee]] Award from the [[American Heart Association]] for ''The Living River''<ref>Asimov, I. (1980) In Joy Still Felt Avon, p. 210.</ref>
* 1962 – [[Boston University]]'s Publication Merit Award<ref>Asimov, I. (1980) ''In Joy Still Felt'' Avon, p. 278.</ref>
* 1963 – A special [[Hugo Award]] for "adding science to science fiction," for essays published in ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction]]''<ref name="1963hugo"/>
* 1963 – Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]]<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web |title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter A |url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterA.pdf |publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences |access-date=April 25, 2011 |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005182401/http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterA.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1964 – The [[Science Fiction Writers of America]] voted "Nightfall" (1941) the all-time best science fiction short story<ref name=obit/>
* 1965 – James T. Grady Award of the [[American Chemical Society]] (now called the [[James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry]])<ref>[https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/awards/national/bytopic/james-t-grady-james-h-stack-award-for-interpreting-chemistry-for-the-public.html James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018051603/https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/awards/national/bytopic/james-t-grady-james-h-stack-award-for-interpreting-chemistry-for-the-public.html |date=October 18, 2017 }} at the American Chemical Society website (retrieved October 22, 2017).</ref>
* 1966 – Best All-time Novel Series Hugo Award for the ''[[Foundation (book series)|Foundation]]'' trilogy<ref>[http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1966.html 1966 Hugo Award winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403182439/http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1966.html |date=April 3, 2016 }} at the New England Science Fiction Association website (retrieved October 22, 2017).</ref>
* 1967 – [[Edward E. Smith Memorial Award]]<ref>[http://www.nesfa.org/awards/skylark.html The E. E. Smith Memorial Award] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204000351/http://www.nesfa.org/awards/skylark.html |date=December 4, 2008 }} at the New England Science Fiction Association website (retrieved October 22, 2017).</ref>
* 1967 – [[American Association for the Advancement of Science|AAAS]]-[[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] [[American Association for the Advancement of Science#Awards and fellowships|Science Writing Award for Magazine Writing]], for essay "Over the Edge of the Universe"{{efn|Reprinted as "The Birth and Death of the Universe" in ''Is Anyone There?'' (Doubleday, 1967)}} (in the March 1967 ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'')<ref>[https://docslide.com.br/documents/aaas-westinghouse-science-writing-awards.html AAAS-Westinghouse Science Writing Award] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023010637/https://docslide.com.br/documents/aaas-westinghouse-science-writing-awards.html |date=October 23, 2017 }} at docslide.com (retrieved October 22, 2017) (scroll down).</ref>
* 1972 – [[Nebula Award for Best Novel]] for ''[[The Gods Themselves]]''<ref name="WWE">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?ID=20 |title=The Gods Themselves |work=Worlds Without End |access-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-date=July 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724112819/https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?id=20 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1973 – [[Hugo Award for Best Novel]] for ''The Gods Themselves''<ref name="WWE"/>
* 1973 – [[Locus Award for Best Novel]] for ''The Gods Themselves''<ref name="WWE"/>
* 1975 – Golden Plate Award of the American [[Academy of Achievement]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement|website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration|access-date=May 20, 2020|archive-date=December 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215023909/https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1975 – [[Klumpke-Roberts Award]] "for outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Past Recipients of the Klumpke-Roberts Award « Astronomical Society|url=https://www.astrosociety.org/about-us/awards/past-recipients-of-the-klumpke-roberts-award/|access-date=December 29, 2022|archive-date=November 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112021739/https://www.astrosociety.org/about-us/awards/past-recipients-of-the-klumpke-roberts-award/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 1975 – [[Locus Award]] for Best Reprint Anthology for ''[[Before the Golden Age]]''<ref name="sfadb.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfadb.com/Isaac_Asimov|title=sfadb : Isaac Asimov Awards|website=www.sfadb.com|access-date=September 15, 2018|archive-date=September 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928050747/http://www.sfadb.com/Isaac_Asimov|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1977 – [[Hugo Award for Best Novelette]] for ''[[The Bicentennial Man]]''<ref>[http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1977.html 1977 Hugo Award winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929005713/http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1977.html |date=September 29, 2017 }} at the New England Science Fiction Association website (retrieved October 22, 2017).</ref>
* 1977 – [[Nebula Award for Best Novelette]] for ''The Bicentennial Man''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfadb.com/Nebula_Awards_1977 |title=Nebula Awards 1977 |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]] |access-date=December 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025042352/http://www.sfadb.com/Nebula_Awards_1977 |archive-date=October 25, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1977 – [[Locus Award for Best Novelette]] for ''The Bicentennial Man''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1977|title=sfadb: Locus Awards 1977|website=www.sfadb.com|access-date=September 14, 2018|archive-date=September 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915002155/http://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1977|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1981 – An asteroid, [[5020 Asimov]], was named in his honor<ref name="asteroid"/>
* 1981 – [[Locus Award]] for Best Non-Fiction Book for ''[[Autobiographies of Isaac Asimov|In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954–1978]]''<ref name="sfadb.com"/>
* 1983 – [[Hugo Award for Best Novel]] for ''[[Foundation's Edge]]''<ref name="WWE-1983">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1983 |title=1983 Award Winners & Nominees |work=Worlds Without End |access-date=June 30, 2009 |archive-date=July 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722201338/https://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1983 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1983 – Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel for ''Foundation's Edge''<ref name="WWE-1983"/>
* 1984 – [[Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism|Humanist of the Year]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Humanist of the Year |url=http://www.americanhumanist.org/AHA/Humanists_of_the_Year |publisher=American Humanist Association |access-date=May 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114082408/http://www.americanhumanist.org/AHA/Humanists_of_the_Year |archive-date=January 14, 2013 }}</ref>
* 1986 – The [[Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America]] named him its 8th [[SFWA Grand Master]] (presented in 1987).<ref name=SFWA>[http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/events-program/grandmaster/ "Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123091612/http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/nebula-weekend/events-program/grandmaster/ |date=January 23, 2013 }} Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). (Retrieved March 24, 2013.)</ref>
* 1987 – [[Locus Award]] for Best Short Story for "[[Robot Dreams (short story)|Robot Dreams]]"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Award Category: Best Short Story (Locus Poll Award)|url=https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category.cgi?378+0|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=Internet Speculative Fiction Database}}</ref>
* 1992 – [[Hugo Award for Best Novelette]] for "[[Gold (short story)|Gold]]"<ref>[http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1992.html 1992 Hugo Award winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608015505/http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1992.html |date=June 8, 2008 }} at the New England Science Fiction Association website (retrieved October 22, 2017).</ref>
* 1995 – [[Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book]] for ''[[Autobiographies of Isaac Asimov|I. Asimov: A Memoir]]''<ref>[http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1995.html 1995 Hugo Award winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901081925/http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1995.html |date=September 1, 2017 }} at the New England Science Fiction Association website (retrieved October 22, 2017).</ref>
* 1995 – [[Locus Award]] for Best Non-Fiction Book for ''[[Autobiographies of Isaac Asimov|I. Asimov: A Memoir]]''<ref name="sfadb.com"/>
* 1996 – A 1946 Retro-Hugo for Best Novel of 1945 was given at the 1996 WorldCon for "[[Foundation and Empire#The Mule|The Mule]]", the 7th Foundation story, published in ''Astounding Science Fiction''<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 26, 2007|title=1946 Retro-Hugo Awards|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1946-retro-hugo-awards/|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=The Hugo Awards|language=en-US}}</ref>
* 1997 – The [[EMP Museum#Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame|Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame]] inducted Asimov in its second class of two deceased and two living persons, along with [[H. G. Wells]].<ref name=sfhof-old>[http://www.midamericon.org/halloffame/ "Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521070009/http://www.midamericon.org/halloffame/ |date=May 21, 2013 }}. Mid American Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions, Inc. Retrieved March 24, 2013. This was the official website of the hall of fame to 2004.</ref>
* 2000 – Asimov was featured on a stamp in Israel<ref>[http://israelphilately.org.il/en/catalog/stamps/1633/Science%20Fiction%3a%20Robotics%2c%20Travel%20in%20Time%2c%20Travel%20in%20Space Israel Philatelic Federation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023011301/http://israelphilately.org.il/en/catalog/stamps/1633/Science%20Fiction%3a%20Robotics%2c%20Travel%20in%20Time%2c%20Travel%20in%20Space |date=October 23, 2017 }} (retrieved October 22, 2017).</ref>
* 2001 – The [https://www.amnh.org/our-research/hayden-planetarium/asimov-debate Isaac Asimov Memorial Debates] at the [[Hayden Planetarium]] in New York were inaugurated
* 2009 – A crater on the planet Mars, [[Asimov (crater)|Asimov]],<ref name=crater/> was named in his honor
* 2010 – In the US Congress bill about the designation of the National Robotics Week as an annual event, a tribute to Isaac Asimov is as follows:
** "Whereas the second week in April each year is designated as 'National Robotics Week', recognizing the accomplishments of Isaac Asimov, who immigrated to America, taught science, wrote science books for children and adults, first used the term robotics, developed the Three Laws of Robotics, and died in April 1992: Now, therefore, be it resolved ..."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/house-resolution/1055/text |title=H.Res.1055 – Supporting the designation of National Robotics Week as an annual event. |date=March 9, 2010 |publisher=Congress.gov |access-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-date=January 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113101906/https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/house-resolution/1055/text |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2015 – Selected as a member of the [[New York State Writers Hall of Fame]].<ref>[https://www.nyla.org/max/userfiles/documents/hallfame15release.pdf "2015 Inductees to the NYS Writers Hall of Fame Announced"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626191825/https://www.nyla.org/max/userfiles/documents/hallfame15release.pdf |date=June 26, 2017 }}, New York Library Association website. (Retrieved March 26, 2016.)</ref>
* 2016 – A 1941 [[Hugo Award|Retro-Hugo]] for Best Short Story of 1940 was given at the 2016 WorldCon for ''[[Robbie (short story)|Robbie]]'', his first positronic robot story, published in ''[[Super Science Stories]]'', September 1940<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 29, 2015|title=1941 Retro-Hugo Awards|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1941-retro-hugo-awards/|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=The Hugo Awards|language=en-US}}</ref>
* 2018 – A 1943 [[Hugo Award|Retro-Hugo]] for Best Short Story of 1942 was given at the 2018 WorldCon for ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)#"The Encyclopedists"|Foundation]]'', published in ''[[Astounding Science-Fiction]]'', May 1942<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 30, 2018|title=1943 Retro-Hugo Awards|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1943-retro-hugo-awards/|access-date=December 29, 2022|website=The Hugo Awards|language=en-US}}</ref>