Customer Reviews

Yours, Isaac Asimov: A Life in Letters

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was truly excited when I saw this book. Isaac Asimov was one of the first SF authors I discovered, and one who left a lasting impression on me; so to get a glimpse behind the fiction (and nonfiction) into the mind of the man who wrote so much stimulating, intelligent prose was a rare treat indeed.

Unfortunately, a glimpse is all that is offered. These are not the complete letters of Isaac Asimov, revealing his thoughts in the full context of his correspondence; rather, they are selected paragraphs excerpted from his letters. The book contains not the mind of Isaac Asimov as he wished to reveal it to his correspondents, but only a few sparkling facets carefully chosen by the editor (Asimov's brother).

Ironically, in one of the paragraphs selected, Asimov reveals that he elected not to write for television or movies because he dreaded the inevitable rewrites and editing of his creations, a decimation of his ideas perpetrated outside of his control. I cannot help but wonder if those words even registered upon his brother's consciousness as he dropped that paragraph, ripped from its surrounding context, into that book full of similar contextual decimations of Asimov's ideas.

To get even those brief glimpses into the mind of Asimov was undeniably enjoyable. However, I cannot but hope that, some day, someone will release a book that DOES contain the letters of Isaac Asimov, rather than mere brief excerpts therefrom.

This was a wonderful book. I have read this compilation three times now and I enjoy it more each time I am lost in it. What a wonderful glimpse into one of the Great Grand Masters of Science Fiction. Isaac's brother Stanley finished compiling and editing the letters to and from Isaac, which make up this book, shortly before his own death in 1995. Stanley Asimov was a Vice President at Newsday before his retirement in I believe 1992 and you can sure tell the way his professionalism comes through. Stanley had done his brother proud and given the rest of us true treasure.

I loved and still love Isaac's science fiction work and some of his non-fiction work. Reading this book I came to the realization that I abhorred the good Doctors political views. You know what. It doesn't matter. I like Asimov more after reading this book then before. Asimov's candor, honesty and optimism surpass ideology.

This is a very similar book to Grumbles from the Grave by Heinlein. The Heinlein book was a failure for reasons outlined in a review at Amazon about the book by me. The Asimov book is great. The letters are categorized by type rather then year making it easy to read and follow. The commentary is light so as not to be distracting but very helpful and insightful when it was put there.

Thank you Stanley for a great piece of editing work.

This book was compiled by Isaac Asimov's brother Stanley from Isaac's letters deposited at Boston University. Most of the "letters" are short snippets of only a few lines in length, with some ocassional longer material included. These snippets provide a very enjoyable insight into the life of a highly prolific, and eccentric, writer. I wrote a letter to Asimov around 1985, and received a postcard from him in return. It is one of my treasures. And while it did not make the cut for this book, I did look for it, and enjoyed the book no less because it was not there.

Yours Isaac Asimov: A Lifetime of Letters is a collection of cards and letters written by the late author and scientist. Topics cover a wide variety of subjects including replies to fan mail, dealings with scientific and literary peers, views on religion and politics and personal notes to family and friends. Many letters also include humerous and often risque limericks. This book is a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is also an easy book to read in small doses (You know, for those hectic times when you want something to read but can only spare a few moments here and there). I came away from this book with the feeling that I had genuinely known Dr. Asimov while he was alive. Witty and thought-provoking with a down-to-earth nature that is rare among those with but half his level of success, even a non science fiction fan who has never read an Isaac Asimov novel can find a shared opinion or two in his letters.

This volume consists of excerpts, most of them a paragraph or two, from letters written from the late 1950s (Asimov destroyed most of his earlier correspondence) until shortly before his death in the spring of 1992. Anyone who has read Asimov's various autobiographical writings will find few surprises but will get to visit once again with a familiar character: Asimov displays his comic self-mocking arrogance, generally nerdish behavior, obsessive writing habits, various phobias (particularly flying and travel), and combination of feminist sympathies with a habit of what he calls "flirting" with women (but it's likely to make a contemporary reader think of sexual harassment lawsuits). This collection also continues Asimov's odd mix of self-revelation and concealment; you will learn a lot about his kidney stones but little about his troubled relationship with his son (Asimov often and conspicuously refers to only his "wife and daughter" when talking about his family). Overall, though, this book focuses more on his ideas and opinions than on providing a narrative of his life. For someone unfamiliar with Asimov, this book may not offer much. But, for anyone entertained by his other writings and who admired his clear and smooth writing style, this book offers another dose.

This book is a total delight. Shortly after Isaac Asimov died his brother Stanley began sorting through his exorbitant amount of personal correspondence. Asimov had thousands upon thousands of letters he had donated to his archives at Boston University. Well it took Stanley nearly two years to read through them but he has produced some true gems for our personal enjoyment.

The book itself is divided into segments or headings, which contain letters dealing with the heading's subject. For instance, "Youth" would deal with letters from Asimov describing his youth and so forth. Some of the other headings are; Shakespeare, limericks, editors, publishers, celebrities, friends, fans. We are able to read Asimov's witty and sometimes highly humorous responses to all sorts of odd letters and flattering requests.

Personally I enjoyed this book because it's essentially a book written by Isaac himself. You sense his personal warmth, dedication to his writing, and honest nature more than anything. His honesty spills forth in his candid descriptions about death and his own mortality and also his forthright feelings about being an atheist. You feel as if you are reading letters from your surrogate Grandfather and you can't help but feel an emotional sense of compassion for the man who tried like no other to educate and make people feel good about themselves. Other aspects about this book I enjoyed are Asimov's descriptions of his personal idiosyncrasies such as his phobia about flying and traveling, his penchant for flirting with just about any woman he met, and his fastidiousness in paying debts. You'll definitely come away from this book feeling wiser and happier for having read it.

I am only 1/4 of the way through this, and I am really enjoying it (to my surprise). Stanley Asimov did a great job pulling thousands of Isaac's letters together (from over many years), and editing them for presentation. This is a great book for any fan of Isaac's writing. You may not agree with every view he wrote in his many letters, but you will have a new found respect for his incredible work (in quality & quantity).

Given his prodigious literary output, it is astonishing that Isaac Asimov also wrote an enormous number of letters. This book is a compilation of the letters that his younger brother Stanley considered most interesting. According to the blurb, Stanley spent almost two years reading through more than a half-ton of letters. Anyone familiar with the personal nature of Asimov's writing style would recognize the author if they were presented with the letters without context. Therefore, while there are a few new points about Isaac Asimov in these letters, the fundamental positions of his private correspondence is completely consistent with his public literary persona.
Isaac Asimov was and remains interesting an interesting celebrity due to the force of his opinions and the manner in which he expressed them. George Gamow once called him a national and natural resource, a point with which few can disagree. While there is little new exposure of Asimov the person, the letters are still very interesting as they illustrate another side of his enormous output.