Isaac asimov how many books

If anything besides sheer productivity defined Asimov, it was a thirst for knowledge. I had to keep a program of self-education in process.

And, as I went on to discover, each time I wrote a book on some subject outside my immediate field it gave me courage and incentive to do another one that was perhaps even farther outside the narrow range of my training…I advanced from chemical writer to science writer, and, eventually, I took all of my learning for my subject or at least all that I could cram into my head — which, alas, had a sharply limited capacity despite all I could do.

As I did so, of course, I found that I had to educate myself. I had to read books on physics to reverse my unhappy experiences in school on the subject and to learn at home what I had failed to learn in the classroom — at least up to the point where my limited knowledge of mathematics prevented me from going farther. When the time came, I read biology, medicine, and geology. I collected commentaries on the Bible and on Shakespeare. I read history books. Everything led to something else.

I became a generalist by encouraging myself to be generally interested in all matters. As I look back on it, it seems quite possible that none of this would have happened if I had stayed at school and had continued to think of myself as, primarily, a biochemist…[so] I was forced along the path I ought to have taken of my own accord if I had had the necessary insight into my own character and abilities.

Still interested? Read Next. People Reading Time: 8 minutes. In other words, the man was a writer through and through, leading to a question that begs to be asked: What can we mortals learn from the Prolific Mr. As Asimov became a professional writer, he kept the heroic schedule for himself: I wake at five in the morning. He demurred on all of them: SW: Do you have any time left for other things besides writing? In a separate posthumously published autobiography , Asimov reflected on his highly independent nature: I never found true peace till I turned my whole working life into self-employment.

Nov 30, PM. Velichka Draganska. Why SF? Born in Russia, studied in Boston May 8, AM. Andy the educated troglodyte. Apr 2, AM. Where there are numbers it seems the biggest is frequetly correct.

Feb 15, AM. Janice Lea Vanlandingham, Must have been important to someone. Wayne Linburg. Feb 7, PM. Janice Lea Vanlandingham. They counted his post cards? Jan 27, AM. Jan 10, AM. To quote from an online Asimov FAQ site : the most complete Asimov bibliography which Asimov himself had a hand in preparing is the catalogue in I. If we only count a full novel as a book, then how many books would Asimov have written? How many novels did Isaac Asimov write? How many individual stories did Isaac Asimov write?

Improve this question. Even being that conservative, you have to deal with short stories such as "Nightfall" that were later expanded into novels. Are you asking strictly about SF?

He didn't write a lot of non-genre material, but he IIRC he did produce a couple of books worth of Black Widowers stories. ISFDb lists 6 collections. Are you counting Foundation as a novel, or a collection of short stories? DavidW - See the question and my previous comments. I don't have any iron hard criteria for those things, just looking for a number that doesn't have the problems I've listed with Asimov's number.

As long as it does that then you should be good. Feel free to deal with the grey areas in any way that you wish. Golding - You're welcome to a post a more complete answer.

Show 12 more comments. Active Oldest Votes. Trying to answer your question according to its spirit, I would say The truth is, all of us have ideas. Little seeds of creativity waft in through the windowsills of the mind. The difference between Asimov and the rest of us is that we reject our ideas before giving them a chance. Asimov was fully against the pursuit of perfectionism. Trying to get everything right the first time, he says, is a big mistake. Think of yourself as an artist making a sketch to get the composition clear in his mind, the blocks of color, the balance, and the rest.

With that done, you can worry about the fine points. Lower your standards. Make a test product, a temporary sketch, or a rough draft. Rather, he has to love his own writing. Believe in your creations. True confidence is about pushing boundaries, failing miserably, and having the strength to stand back up again. By then he has already sold several others and is working on still others and it is these that concern him.

This intensifies the peace and calm of his life. It hurts less when something flops. Diversity is insurance of the mind.