Favorite Asimov passages from non-Sci-Fi book

[CrossHair]

Isaac Asimov is one of my favorite authors, but not his Sci-Fi books. I consider his Non-fiction writing to be better than his Fiction. However, I did run accross a "Murder Mystery" book he wrote which contains a very interesting passage. This was written in 1976, so that makes it 30 years old now.

Firstly, he is writing about a murder committed at a conference. The story is told by a writter named Darius Just that is attending this conference. It just so happens that Isaac Asimov is also attending the conference (it is a book seller's conference). During this conference Isaac Asimov takes part in a panel discussion that includes: Asimov, Carl Sagan, Uri Geller, and Charles Berlitz (wrote a book on the "Bermuda Triangle"). At the end of this panel discussion Asimov has this to say:

-------------------------------------------
"I do not wish to speak specifically of Mr. Geller, though this applies to him, for it is true of anyone who invades the area lying outside the narrow and constricted boundaries of what scientists will, without serious argument, accept.
"The parascientific fringes are intrinsically glamorous, they are exciting and delightful, and they court belief. Million will grant the belief and will not be deterred by anything scientists will say, especially since scientists cannot counter with anything equally evocative but can only grumble a spolsport 'It isn't so!'
"In fact, so eager are people to believe the essentially incredible that they will resent, even with violence, any effort to advance evidence in favor of disbelief. It some mystic, with a wide and ardent following, were to disown all his previous statements, if he were to declare his miracles frauds, and his beliefs charlatanry, he would lose scarcely a desciple, since one and all would say he had made his statements under compulsion or under a sudden stroke of lunacy. The world will believe anything a mystic will say, however foolish, except an admission of fakery. They actively refuse to disbelieve.
"Is there, therefore, anything to be accomplished by arguing against mystics, or by trying to analyze their beliefs rationally? As a healthful exercise to improve and strengthen one's own rationality, certainly. As a hope to reform fools, never."
---------------------------------

I am just glad that if Isaac ever expressed this opinion to Mr. Randi, that he never headed the advice. Certainly many people WILL reform themselves, although it is not common. Also, it was largely through Mr. Randi's efforts that the very Uri Geller mentioned in this book, was discredited, and largely seen as the faker he is.

What other non-Sci-Fi Asimov books have you enjoyed?

[orpheus]

The list is long! I vividly remember my parents buying me the essay collection "Of Matters Great and Small" when I was in sixth grade. I devoured it, and that began something of an obsession: for about a decade, anytime I was in a library or bookshop, first thing I did was see if there was a paperback essay collection of his I hadn't yet read. The ones I still own occupy a nice bit of shelf space.

Someone in these forums (can't remember where) mentioned the essay "The Relativity of Wrong", which is the last essay in the book of the same name. That one alone is worth the price of admission. His 1966 book "The Universe", though certainly dated, remains one of the clearest and most exciting introductions to astronomy. (IMHO, one good thing about it being dated is that it doesn't suffer from the affliction of so many recent books on cosmology: the "this concept is too hard for you [or maybe for me, the author?!] to understand, so I'm just going to dumb it down and gloss over anything that threatens to go below a surface explanation" syndrome. Quite the contrary, Asimov digs right in, and with his customary clarity it's something anyone can follow. It's really good.)

On a humorous note, this passage, from the essay "Look Long Upon a Monkey" in Of Matters Great and Small. This is a footnote to a sentence that begins "I suspect that if man...":

"Anyone who reads these essays knows that I am a women's-libber, but I also have a love for the English language. I try to circumlocute 'man' when I mean 'human being' but the flow of sound suffers sometimes when I do. [I]Please[I] accept, in this article, 'man' in the general, embracing 'woman.' (Yes, I know what I said.)"

[Meffy]

The passage would be simply "How do you justify your existence?"

The Black Widowers are a club who have a new guest at each meeting; said guest is (almost?) invariably asked to justify his [or her] existence as payment for the fine meal, wine, and company. Oddly enough, a mystery just as invariably (or more so) unfolds, which the Black Widowers generally solve handily over cordials or whatever the heck well-off prandiators are wont to take postprandially.

He got some good bits into some of those magazine essays available in various paperback collections.

P.S.: IIRC, each member of the Black Widowers is modelled after a person Asimov knew well, people in the publishing world, writers, etc.

[CrossHair]

The "Black Widowers" is GREAT! I have two paperback compilations of the series. Each mystery is short and sweet. Some better than others but overall great bed-time reading.

I also enjoy Isaac's non-fiction, such as "The stars In Their Courses", and other's which are written in a clear and simple manner. He has written a huge volume chronicaling events in the Bible which is extremely interesting and pretty detailed. I only had a short time to flip through it because I gave it to a friend of mine that is a bible literalist. He is a generaly a reasonable person, except something happened in his life which made him believe the bible literally. Maybe one day he will be curious and read through the "Asimov's Guide to the Bible" and gain some perspective. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for it though.

[Dragonrock]

He wrote one called Asimov Laughs Again which was more than just a joke book. He would tell the joke, then break it down to figure out what made the joke funny and the best ways to tell it. It was funny, informative, and rather hard to put down.

[Meffy]

There's also "Lecherous Limericks," a little book I have somewhere around here but can't figure quite where. So no quotation from it, sorry.

[Beady]

Asimov wrote one of the most poignant things I've ever seen. I have no idea where I read it, and can't quote it accurately, but it ran something like, "People are talking about the coming millennium. It's artificial and no big deal but, now that it's beginning to look like I'll live to see it, I'm starting to get excited, too."

All I remember for sure is that I read that not too long after he died, and well before 1/1/2000.

[Meffy]

Ah. :-(

[Dragonrock]

He died in 1992. It was the first time that I ever felt something after a celebrity's death.

[Meffy]

Like Seldon, he returns. But rather more frequently. *glances over at "Foundation and Empire"*

[Beady]

ISTR that the passage I read was in the forward to one of his own larger works, and I remember reading it in a book store. The mid to late '90s was a period where I couldn't afford more than an expensive paperback, so I tend to think it was one of his more major works. I want to say his Guide to the Bible, but I just can't be sure.

[brooklyn44]

I was privileged to work with Stanley Asimov, Isaac's younger brother who edited " Yours, Isaac Asimov: A Life in Letters," published in 1995. If one hasn't read any of IA's autobiographies, these 1,000 letters to people of all stripes and circumstances is a swell intro to his genius.

[Lord Muck oGentry]

I have fond memories of his collections of essays, particularly The Left Hand of the Electron:
http://homepage.mac.com/jhjenkins/Asimov/Books/Book119.html

[CrossHair]

I was lucky enough to see Isaac speak twice, both times at the University I was attending. This was the late 70's, probably '78 and '79 and, at that time, on of his topics of concern was over-population. He also discussed his popular fiction, since that was what most people were interrested in, but all I remember was that he noted he was the first one to actually write about a character using a pocket calculator (he wrote about it in the '50's sometime)? Anyone happen to know what character in what fifties Sci-fi book Isaac wrote that pulled out a pocket calculator?

[alfaniner]

I believe I have a few pics somewhere of Isaac in the late 1970's. He was at a sci-fi convention. This was before I'd read much of his work. I did read the Foundation series out of some obligation, and the later books, well... My mind kept screaming "Doesn't he have an editor?? Geez!!"

"Yet you chose Gaia."

I really liked his Black Widower books, and some other stuff, but my preference lies with Arthur C. Clarke instead.

[CrossHair]

OK, found it

Seldon removed his calculator pad from the pouch at his belt. Men said he kept one beneath his pillow for use in moments of wakefulness. Its gray, glossy finish was slightly worn by use.

From Foundation, by Isaac Asimov.
Published by Doubleday in 1951

[CrossHair]

Other Asimov "paper" inventions

Invention Source Work (Publication Date)

Automatic Ticket Machine - your ticket to the stars Second Foundation (1953)
Calculator Pad - grandfather of the pocket calculator Foundation (1951)
Directional Ticket - the ticket guides you Foundation (1951)
Disinto - a disintegrating ray Robot AL-76 Goes Astray (1941)
Force-Field Penknife - origin of the Lightsaber? Foundation (1951)
Gravitic Repulsion Elevator - going up Foundation (1951)
Pocket Nucleo-Bulb - better than those LED flashlights Foundation (1951)
Positronic Brain I, Robot (1950)
Prime Radiant - the ultimate conference projector Second Foundation (1953)
Robbie - mechanical child companion Robbie (1940)
The Jump - is travel through hyperspace possible? Foundation (1951)
Transcriber - an automated transcriptionist Second Foundation (1953)
Ultrawave Relay (or Hyperwave Relay) - first use of FTL communication Foundation (1951)

[Hutch]

Other Asimov "paper" inventions

Invention Source Work (Publication Date)

Automatic Ticket Machine - your ticket to the stars Second Foundation (1953)
Calculator Pad - grandfather of the pocket calculator Foundation (1951)
Directional Ticket - the ticket guides you Foundation (1951)
Disinto - a disintegrating ray Robot AL-76 Goes Astray (1941)
Force-Field Penknife - origin of the Lightsaber? Foundation (1951)
Gravitic Repulsion Elevator - going up Foundation (1951)
Pocket Nucleo-Bulb - better than those LED flashlights Foundation (1951)
Positronic Brain I, Robot (1950)
Prime Radiant - the ultimate conference projector Second Foundation (1953)
Robbie - mechanical child companion Robbie (1940)
The Jump - is travel through hyperspace possible? Foundation (1951)
Transcriber - an automated transcriptionist Second Foundation (1953)
Ultrawave Relay (or Hyperwave Relay) - first use of FTL communication Foundation (1951)

And of course, the Three Laws of Robotics (although Issac credited the first use of the term to the editor John W. Campbell).

[grunion]

Elsewhere on these forums I mentioned my admiration and joy whenever rereading the collection of science articles called "Miracles Of Science," originally published as "Only A Trillion." I found it in the trash when I was about twelve years old and it remains one of my favorite reads. Several of the pieces devote themselves to taking unimaginably mind-boggling concepts (like super-large numbers, teeny weeny atoms and the meaning of "average") and putting them into terms for our minds to be able to grasp them. It is like giving your brain a great workout, and fun, too!

I liked many of his other science books as well, and share them with my kids whenever I get the chance. I enjoyed reading Asimov's history of the ancient Greek civilization "A Great Adventure," and often refer to his Annotated Gilbert And Sullivan as a definitive reference work for some of my favorite operettas.

In short I think it's a damn shame that I never got a chance to meet the guy. I think we share a lot of common interests (i.e. pretty much everything) and he sure seems to me to be someone who was willing to share his views in about as honest and clear a manner as is possible to do.

[alfaniner]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the Black Widowers ever solved any mystery. They were all solved by Henry (I think), the waiter.

[Meffy]

IIRC he was considered an honorary Black Widower of sorts. If not, color me corrected.

BTW, for an even longer list of paper inventions, check out Hugo Gernsback's own 1911 novel, Ralph 124C 41+. Terrible story but it's got more gizzies than you can shake a telephot at.

[chracatoa]

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent" (Salvor Hardin in Foundation).

I liked the Black Widowers series, but I wish he had written a mystery novel (maybe he has - I don't know. He wrote so many books!). They actually had very few murders to solve, most of it were little problems.

I think that "The End of Eternity" is his masterpiece, and I also loved the Aurora novels, although I find it hard to believe that people would live only underground.

ETA: Foundation is a Sci-fi book, so this is a little off-topic

[CrossHair]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the Black Widowers ever solved any mystery. They were all solved by Henry (I think), the waiter.
Actually it was always "Griswald" that solved the problem/mystery. He was the old gent that was always half asleep sitting in a chair holding a scotch. The stories usually involved the other gents at the club mentioning some mystery to see if Griswald would take the bait and wake up to tell some fantastic story about his past life as a spy/agent.

In my OP I wrote a long quote from an Asimov "Mystery" called "Murder At The ABA" which IS actually a standard murder mystery book. At the very end of the book Asimov reveals that he actually DID say the quote I listed at the American Booksellers Association in 1975, and that the panel mentioned actually DID occur with the listed panelists!!

[alfaniner]

Actually it was always "Griswald" that solved the problem/mystery. He was the old gent that was always half asleep sitting in a chair holding a scotch. The stories usually involved the other gents at the club mentioning some mystery to see if Griswald would take the bait and wake up to tell some fantastic story about his past life as a spy/agent.
...

(checks library)

Nope, sorry. Griswold was a character in The Union Club Mysteries, very similar in format to the Black Widowers stories.

And it was Henry.

[CrossHair]

(checks library)

Nope, sorry. Griswold was a character in The Union Club Mysteries, very similar in format to the Black Widowers stories.

And it was Henry.
OK, I guess my memory just ran the two series together. The Union Club Mysteries I have re-read more recently.