The Written Works of Isaac Asimov

Science Fiction Short Stories

I, Robot

Asimov's first collection of short stories, all dealing with his beloved robots. The 9 stories are:

• Robbie (1940)
• Runaround (1942)
• Reason (1941)
• Catch That Rabbit (1944)
• Liar! (1941)
• Little Lost Rabbit (1947)
• Escape! (1945)
• Evidence (1946)
• The Evitable Conflict (1950)

"The Martian Way" and Other Stories

Mining the skies for water, putting your life in the hands of a teenaged human computer, building a new world beneath the surface of a strange planet, and making pets out of explorers explorers -- those are the stories in this collection of four novellas.

• The Martian Way (1952)
• Youth (1952)
• The Deep (1952)
• Sucker Bait (1954)

Earth Is Room Enough

A collection of short stories telling fascinating and sometimes frightening tales of Earth's future. The 18 stories are:

• The Dead Past (1956)
• The Foundations of Science Fiction Success (1954)
• Franchise (1955)
• Gimmicks Three (1956)
• Kid Stuff (1953)
• The Watery Place (1956)
• Living Space (1956)
• The Message (1955)
• Satisfaction Guaranteed (1951)
• Hell-Fire (1956)
• The Last Trump (1955)
• The Fun They Had (1957)
• Jokester (1956)
• The Immortal Bard (1953)
• Someday (1956)
• The Author's Ordeal (1957)
• Dreaming Is a Private Thing (1955)

Nine Tomorrows

Nine stories, nine visions of the future, from the 21st Century Olympics to a suicidal computer to a boy taken from 40,000 years in the past. The nine stories are:

• Profession (1957)
• The Feeling of Power (1957)
• The Dying Night (1956)
• I'm in Marsport without Hilda (1957)
• The Gentle Vultures (1957)
• All the Troubles in the World (1958)
• Spell My Name with and "S" (1958)
• The Last Question (1956)
• The Ugly Little Boy (1958)

The Rest of the Robots

Another collection of Asimov's robot short stories. The eight stories are:

• Robot AL-76 Goest Astray (1941)
• Victory Unintentional (1942)
• First Law (1956)
• Let's Get Together (1956)
• Satisfaction Guaranteed (1950)
• Risk (1955)
• Lenny (1957)
• Galley Slave (1957)

Through a Looking Glass, Clearly

Information not available

"Nightfall" and Other Stories

The headliner of this collection is "Nightfall," Asimov's classic story of a planet where the sun never sets. The 20 stories are:

• Nightfall (1941)
• Green Patches (1950)
• Hostess
• Breeds There a Man...? (1951)
• C-Chute (1951)
• In a Good Cause (1951)
• What If... (1952)
• Sally (1953)
• Flies (1953)
• Nobody Here But... (1953)
• It's Such a Dreadful Day (1954)
• Strikebreaker (1956)
• Insert Knob A in Hole B (1957)
• The Up-to-Date Sorcerer (1958)
• Unto the Fourth Generation (1959)
• What Is This Thing Called Love? (1961)
• The Machine That Won the War (1961)
• My Son, the Physicist (1962)
• Eyes Do More Than See (1965)
• Segregationist (1968)

The Best New Thing

Information not available

The Early Asimov

A massive collection of short stories written by Asimov during the period of 1940 to 1950. In paperback form, this collection was published in two volumes. The 27 stories are:

• The Callistan Menace (1940)
• Ring Around the Sun (1940)
• The Magnificent Possession (1940)
• Trends (1939)
• The Weapons Too Dreadful to Use (1939)
• Black Friar of the Flame (1942)
• Half-Breed (1940)
• The Secret Sense (1941)
• Homo Sol (1940)
• Half-Breed on Venus (1940)
• The Imaginary (1942)
• Heredity (1941)
• History (1941)
• Christmas on Ganymede (1942)
• The Little Man on the Subway (1950)
• The Hazing (1942)
• Super-Neutron (1941)
• Not Final! (1941)
• Legal Rites (1950)
• Time Pussy (1942)
• Author! Author! (19??)
• Death Sentence (1943)
• Blind Alley (1945)
• No Connection (1948)
• The Endocrine Properties of Resublimated Thiatimoline (1948)
• The Red Queen's Race (1949)
• Mother Earth (1949)

The Best of Isaac Asimov

A collection of short stories acclaimed by critics as being among Asimov's best, plus one new story. The 12 stories are: (* = previously published)

• Marooned Off Vesta (1939) *
• Nightfall (1941) *
• C-Chute (1951) *
• The Martian Way (1952) *
• The Deep (1952) *
• The Fun They Had (1954) *
• The Last Question (1956) *
• The Dead Past (1956) *
• The Dying Night (1956) *
• Anniversary (1959) *
• The Billiard Ball (1967) *
• Mirror Image (1972)

Have You Seen These?

Information not available

"Buy Jupiter" and Other Stories

Advertising in space, the last zoo on Earth, neighbors who absolutely do not like the rain, and a computer that demands human courtesy are among the fun-filled topics of this collection. The 24 stories are:

• Darwinian Pool Room (1950)
• Day of the Hunters (1950)
• Shah Guido G. (1951)
• Button, Button (1952)
• The Monkey's Finger (1952)
• Everest (1953)
• The Pause (1954)
• Let's Not (1954)
• Each an Explorer (1956)
• Blank! (1957)
• Does a Bee Care? (1957)
• Silly Asses (1957)
• Buy Jupiter (1958)
• A Statue for Father (1958)
• Rain, Rain, Go Away (1959)
• Founding Fathers (1965)
• Exile to Hell (1968)
• Key Item (1968)
• The Proper Study (1968)
• 2430 A.D. (1970)
• The Greatest Asset (1971)
• Take a Match (1972)
• Thiotimoline to the Stars (1973)
• Light Verse (1973)

The Heavenly Host

Information not available

Good Taste

Information not available

"The Bicentennial Man" and Other Stories

The highlight of this collection of stories is "The Bicentennial Man," a domestic robot who decides that he wants to become human. "The Bicentennial Man" was the basis of a 1999 movie starring Robin Williams as the robot Andrew. The 12 stories are:

• The Prince of Life (1966)
• Feminine Intuition (1969)
• Waterclap (1970)
• That Thou Are Mindful of Him (1974)
• Stranger in Paradise (1974)
• The Life and Times of Multivac (1975)
• The Winnowing (1976)
• The Bicentennial Man (1976)
• Marching In (1976)
• Old-fashioned (1976)
• The Tercentennary Incident (1976)
• Birth of a Notion (1976)

Three by Asimov

Information not available

The Complete Robot

Information not available

"The Winds of Change" and Other Stories

Another collection of entertaining short stories from the master. The 21 stories are:

• About Nothing (1977)
• A Perfect Fit (1981)
• Belief (1953)
• Death of a Foy (1980)
• Fair Exchange (1978)
• For the Birds (1980)
• Found! (1978)
• Good Taste (1976)
• How It Happened (1976)
• Ideas Die Hard (1957)
• Ignition Point!(1981)
• It Is Coming (1979)
• The Last Answer (1979)
• The Last Shuttle (1981)
• Lest We Remember (1982)
• Nothing for Nothing (1979)
• One Night of Song (1982)
• The Smile That Loses (1982)
• Sure Thing (1977)
• To Tell at a Glance (1983)
• The Winds of Change (1982)

The Edge of Tomorrow

A collection of 12 short stories and 12 essays, including a new mystery story from the "Black Widowers." The 12 stories are: (* = previously published)

• Unique Is Where You Find It (1985) (A "Black Widower" story)
• The Feeling of Power (1957) *
• Found! (1978) *
• Pate de Foie Gras (1956) *
• Belief (1953) *
• The Billiard Ball (1967) *
• The Winds of Change (1982) *
• The Dead Past (1956) *
• Breeds There a Man...? (1951) *
• Nightfall (1941) *
• The Ugly Little Boy (1958) *
• The Last Question (1956) *
• (Also includes 12 non-fiction essays)

It's Such a Beautiful Day

Information not available

The Best Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov

A collection of the short stories that Asimov himself thinks are his best. The 28 stories are: (* = previously published)

• All the Trouble in the World (1958) *
• A Loint of Paw (1958) *
• The Dead Past (1956) *
• Death of a Foy (1980) *
• Dreaming Is a Private Thing (1955) *
• Dreamworld (1955)
• Eyes Do More Than See (1965) *
• The Feeling of Power (1957) *
• Flies (1953) *
• Found! (1978) *
• The Foundation of Science Fiction Success (1954) *
• Franchise (1955) *
• The Fun They Had (1951) *
• How It Happended (1978) *
• I Just Make Them Up See! (1957)
• I'm in Marsport without Hilda (1957) *
• The Immortal Bard (1953) *
• It's Such a Beautiful Day (1954) *
• Jokester (1956) *
• The Last Answer (1979) *
• The Last Question (1956) *
• My Son, the Physicist (1962) *
• Obituary (1959) *
• Spell My Name with an "S" (1957) *
• Strikebreaker (1957) *
• Sure Thing (1977) *
• The Ugly Little Boy (1958) *
• Unto the Fourth Generation (1959) *

The Alternate Asimovs

For the first time in print, the original, alternate version of three of Asimov's most famous stories, plus the published version of "Belief." The stories are:

• Growing Old Along with Me (1977) (original versions of Pebbles in the Sky)
• The End of Eternity (1954) (original version)
• Belief (1952) (original version)
• Belief (1953) (published version) *

Science Fiction by Asimov

Information not available

Robot Dreams

A collection of many of Asimov's best known robot short stories, plus three new ones. The 21 stories are: (* = previously published)

• Little Lost Robot (1947) *
• Robot Dreams (1986)
• Breeds There a Man...? (1951) *
• Hostess (1951)
• Sally (1953) *
• Strikebreaker (1956) *
• The Machine That Won the War (1961) *
• Eyes Do More Than See (1965) *
• The Martian Way (1952) *
• Franchise (1955) *
• Jokester (1956) *
• The Last Question (1956) *
• Does a Bee Care? (1957) *
• Light Verse (1973) *
• The Feeling of Power (1957) *
• Spell My Name with an "S" (1958) *
• The Ugly Little Boy (1958) *
• The Billiard Ball (1967) *
• True Love (1977)
• The Last Answer (1979) *
• Lest We Remember (1982) *

Other Worlds of Isaac Asimov

Information not available

All the Troubles of the World

Information not available

Franchise

Information not available

Robbie

Information not available

Sally

Information not available

The Asimov Chronicles

Information not available

Robot Visions

A followup to "Robot Dreams," this is a collection of still more robot short stories, including four new ones. The 18 stories are: (* = previously pubished)

• Robot Visions (1990)
• Too Bad! (1989)
• Robbie (1940) *
• Reason (1941) *
• Liar! (1941) *
• Runaround (1942) *
• Evidence (1946) *
• Little Lost Robot (1947) *
• The Evitable Conflict (1950) *
• Feminine Intuition (1969) *
• The Bicentennial Man (1976) *
• Someday (1956) *
• Think! (1977)
• Segregationist (1967) *
• Mirror Image (1972) *
• Lenny (1957) *
• Galley Slave (1957) *
• Christmas without Rodney (1988)
• (Also includes 16 non-fiction essays)

Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection

Published after Asimov's death, this volume contains short stories that had not previously been included in book collections and 38 essays about science fiction and the writing of science fiction. The 15 stories are:

• Cal (1990)
• Left to Right (1987)
• Frustration (1991)
• Hallucination (1995)
• The Instability (1989)
• Alexander the God (1995)
• In the Canyon (1995)
• Good-bye to Earth (1989)
• Battle Hymn (1995)
• Feghoot and the Courts (1995)
• Fault Intolerant (1990)
• Kid Brother (1990)
• The Nations in Space (1995)
• The Smile of the Chipper (1989)
• Gold (1991)
• (Also includes 38 non-fiction essays)

Science Fiction Novels

Pebble in the Sky

Plot: A man strolling down the streets of Chicago is wisked away to a strange world where the 20th Century is ancient history.

The Stars Like Dust

Plot: The Nebular Kingdoms have been conquered by the cruel Tyranni, and a young man is the key to freedom for his people and a peaceful future for mankind.

Foundation

Plot: The First Empire is crumbling into barbarism, and Hari Seldon must use his skills in psychohistory to create a new Foundation dedicated to art, science, and technology.

David Starr: Space Ranger

Plot: David Starr investigates a pattern of deaths that could be part of an evil conspiracy to cripple Earth's economic life and topple its government.

Foundation and Empire

Plot: In this second book of the original "Foundation" trilody, conflict erupts between the First Empire and the new Foundation.

The Currents of Space

Plot: One man's knowledge of the future could destroy a solar system, so his brain was seared and he was left for dead, but with the help of a young girl, he struggles against his unknown enemies in a race against time itself.

Second Foundation

Plot: In the third book of the original "Foundation" trilogy, the Foundation has replaced the Empire, but a dangerous mutant strain capable of redirecting men's thoughts threatens the future.

Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids

Plot: David "Lucky" Starr heads out to the asteroid belt to battle the evil pirates who threaten Earth.

The Caves of Steel

Plot: Detective Elije Baley is assigned to investigate the murder of Spacetown's leading scientist and his sidekick is R. Daneel Olivaw, robot detective.

Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus

Plot: Lucky travels to Aphrodite, the largest and most beautiful city on Venus, which is threatened by an evil force that preys on the minds of men.

The End of Eternity

Plot: The Eternals were the ruling class of the future and they had total control over who lived and who died, but one of the Eternals committed the unforgivable sin of falling in love.

The Naked Sun

Plot: In this first sequel to "The Caves of Steel," Elijah Baley and his partner R. Daneel Olivaw are called to solve another murder, this one on Solaria, a world with a massive army of robots.

Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury

Plot: The flow of minerals from Mercury has stopped, and Luck is sent to investigate the stories of the terrified miners of phantoms haunting the mine shafts.

Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter

Plot: The secret of a prototype spaceship's hyperatomic engines are leaked to the enemy, and Lucky is sent to the moons of Jupiter to investigate.

Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn

Plot: An interstellar conference is weighted heavily against Earth and Lucky, an officer of the Council of Science, can tip the balance in Earth's favor.

Fantastic Voyage

Plot: Four men and a woman, and their submarine, are miniaturized and injected into the blood stream of a dying man to destroy a deadly blood clot from the inside of his body.

The Gods Themselves

Plot: Mankind has found a potential source of unlimited energy, but that energy source is linked to an unseen alien world and could trigger the ultimate destruction of the universe.

Foundation's Edge

Plot: In this third sequel to "Foundation," almost 500 years have passed since the founding of the Foundation, and two men set out on different paths to find out if Seldon's psychohistory plan for the universe is being followed too perfectly to be real.

The Robots of Dawn

Plot: In this second sequel to "The Caves of Steel," Detective Elijah Baly takes on a case on the planet Aurora, where humans and robots have always existed in harmony -- until now.

Robots and Empire

Plot: In this third sequel to "The Caves of Steel," Elijah Baly is now dead, but his robot partner R. Daneel Olivaw and an extraordinary robot named Giskard confront an evil man intent on destroying Earth.

Foundation and Empire

Plot: In this fourth sequel to "Foundation," Golan Trevize sets out in search of the fabled birthplace of humanity in the hopes of finding the solution to his dilemma of ensuring a peaceful future for mankind.

The Norby Chronicles

Plot: Jeff Wells needed some help at Space Academy with Martian Colony Swahili, so be bought a used robot to be his tutor; but Jeff didn't know the hidden talents of Norby the Robot.

Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain

Plot: A Russian scientist who has the key to one of the most important scientific advances in history is in a comma, and a team of American and Russian doctors are miniaturized to enter the scientist's body to unlock the secrets trapped in his brain.

Norby, Robot for Hire

Plot: Jeff and Norby embark on two adventures, one to search for a missing princess and the other to recover a friendly, fire-breathing dragon who was kidnapped from his home planet.

Prelude to Foundation

Plot: In thie prequel to "Foundation," a young scientist named Hari Seldon travels to the capital of the Galactic Empire to deliver a paper on psychohistory, a remarkable theory for predicting the future, little realizing the far-reaching changes he will cause throughout the galaxy.

Norby Through Time and Space

Plot: Jeff and Norby are taken prisoners by a group of aliens from a distant universe and later find themselves in Earth's past, at the time of the French Revolution.

Norby Down to Earth

Plot: Information not available

Norby and Yobo's Great Adventure

Plot: Jeff and Norby are sent on a wild safari photo shoot in Earth's distant past, but when they get their, they find this in chaos.

Nemesis

Plot: In the 23rd Century a group of colonists decide to strike out away from Earth and start a new life for themselves in orbit around a rogue star two light years from Earth that is called Nemesis.

Nightfall

Plot: This novel expands on Asimov's short story "Nightfall" by telling the story of what happens when the sun sets on a distant planet for the first time in two thousand years.

Norby and the Oldest Dragon

Plot: Jeff and Norby plan a birthday bash -- very carefully -- for the fire-breathing Grand Dragon of the planet Jamyn.

Norby and the Court Jester

Plot: Information not available.

The Ugly Little Boy

Plot: This novel expands on Asimov's short story "The Ugly Little Boy" by telling the full heart-wrenching story of a young boy pulled forward 40,000 years in time from his Neanderthal family and the scientist who becomes his surrogate mother.

The Positronic Man

Plot: This novel expands on Asimov's short story "The Bicentennial Man" by telling the full story of domestic robot NDR-113, also known as Andrew Martin, who becomes self-aware and develops the capacity to enjoy art and to love.

Forward the Foundation

Plot: In this second prequel and final novel of the "Foundation" series, Hari Seldon finds himself at the center of a raging conflict for control of his powers of psychohistory, and he sets out in search of a true heir with his dream of forming a new Foundation to replace the Galactic Empire.

Mystery Short Stories

Asimov's Mysteries

A hint of science fiction and a big dose of mystery. This was Asimov's first collection of mystery short stories. The 13 stories are: (* = previously published)

• The Singing Bell (1954)
• The Talking Stone (1955)
• What's in a Name (1956)
• The Dying Night (1956)
• Pate de Foie Gras (1956)
• The Dust of Death (1956)
• A Loint of Paw (1957)
• I'm in Marsport without Hilda (1957) *
• Marooned Off Vesta (1939) *
• Anniversary (1959)
• Obituary (1959)
• Star Light (1962)
• The Key (1966)
• The Billiard Ball (1967)

Tales of the Black Widowers

Six professional men met regularly at the Milano Restaurant and, with their faithful waiter Henry, challenged each other to solved tantalizing mysteries that they had come upon since their last meeting. They were the "Black Widowers," and these are the first of their tales of mystery. The 12 stories are:

• The Acquisitive Chuckle (1972)
• PH as in Phony (1972)
• Truth to Tell (1972)
• Go, Little Book! (1972)
• Early Sunday Morning (1973)
• The Obvious Factor (1973)
• The Pointing Finger (1973)
• Miss What? (1973)
• The Lullaby of Broadway (1973)
• Yankee Doodle Went to Town (1972)
• The Curious Omission (1973)
• Out of Sight (1973)

More Tales of the Black Widowers

The title tells it all. The 12 new stories are:

• When No Man Pursueth (1974)
• Quicker Than the Eye (1974)
• The Iron Gem (1974)
• The Three Numbers (1974)
• Nothing Like Murder (1974)
• No Smoking (1974)
• Season's Greetings! (1974)
• The One and Only East (1975)
• Earthset and Evening Star (1975)
• Friday the Thirteenth (1975)
• The Unabridged (1976)
• The Ultimate Crime (1976)

"The Key Word" and Other Mysteries

Information not available

Casebook of the Black Widowers

Another dozen mysteries. The 12 stories are:

• The Cross of Lorraine (1976)
• The Family Man (1976)
• The Sports Page (1977)
• Second Best (1980)
• The Missing Item (1977)
• The Next Day (1978)
• Irrelevance! (1979)
• None So Blind (1979)
• The Backward Look (1979)
• What Time Is It? (1980)
• Middle Name (1980)
• To the Barest (1979)

The Union Club Mysteries

Four old gents relax in the library of their men's club to wait for old Griswold to awaken from his nap and recount some of his most unusual mysteries. The 30 stories, all written between 1980 to 1983, are:

• No Refugee Could Save
• The Telephone Number
• The Men Who Wouldn't Talk
• A Clear Shot
• Irresistible to Women
• He Wasn't There
• The Thin Line
• Mystery Tune
• Hide and Seek
• Gift
• Hot or Cold
• The Thirteenth Page
• 1 to 999
• Twelve Years Old
• Testing, Testing!
• The Appleby Story
• Dollars and Cents
• Friends and Allies
• Which Is Which?
• The Sign
• Catching the Fox
• Getting the Combination
• The Library Book
• The Three Goblets
• Spell It?
• Two Women
• Sending a Signal
• The Favorite Piece
• Half a Ghost
• There Was a Young Lady

Banquets of the Black Widowers

The Black Widowers are back with another batches of mysteries. The 12 stories are:

• Sixty Million Trillion Combinations (1980)
• The Woman in the Bar (1980)
• The Driver (1984)
• The Good Samaritan (1980)
• The Year of the Cectian (1980)
• Can You Prove It? (1981)
• The Phoenician Bauble (1982)
• A Monday in April (1983
• Neither Bruts Nor Humans (1984)
• The Redhead (1984)
• The Wrong House (1984)
• The Intrusion (1984)

"The Disappearing Man" and Other Mysteries

Information not available

The Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov

Information not available

Azazel

An eccentric linguist named George stumbles upon an ancient incantation that calls forth a two-centimeter tall demon who does George's wishes. Unfortunately, things still usually don't turn out as George expected. The 18 stories are:

• The Two-Centimeter Demon
• One Night of Song
• The Smile That Loses
• To the Victor
• The Dim Rumble
• Saving Humanity
• A Matter of Principle
• The Evil Drink Does
• Writing Time
• Dashing Through the Snow
• Logic Is Logic
• He Travels the Fastest
• The Eye of the Beholder
• More Things in Heaven and Earth
• The Mind's Construction
• The Fights of Spring
• Galatea
• Flights of Fancy

Puzzles of the Black Widowers

Information not available

Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection

Published after Asimov's death, this volume contains short stories that had not previously been included in book collections and 20 essays about science fiction and the writing of science fiction. The 11 stories are:

• To Your Health
• The Critic on the Hearth
• It's a Job
• Baby, It's Cold Outside
• The Time Traveler
• Wine Is a Mocker
• The Mad Scientist
• The Fable of the Three Princes
• March Against the Foe
• Northwestward
• Prince Delightful and the Flameless Dragon
• (Also include 20 non-fiction essays)

Mystery Novels

A Whiff of Death (aka "The Death Dealers")

Plot: A young chemist is killed in a lab experiment, but his professor can't accept that his student was that careless. Was it a case of murder?

Murder at the ABA

Plot: A famous science fiction author attend the annual conventions of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and finds himself in the middle of real life murder mystery.

Selected Nonfiction

During his life, Isaac Asimov published more than 280 nonfiction books in such diverse topics as general science, mathematics, astronomy, earth sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, physics, biology, history, the Bible, literature, humor and satire, and other general topics. Here is a list of the few nonfiction books by Asimov that I have in my collection.

• The Universe: From Flat Earth to Quasar (1966)
• The Collapsing Universe: The Story of Black Holes (1977)
• Lecherous Limericks (1975)
• Opus 100 (1969)
• Opus 200 (1979)
• Opus 300 (1984)
• I, Asimov (1994)
• Yours, Isaac Asimov (1995 posthumously)