Isaac Asimov used to have a column in the Science Digest magazine where the readers will place before him different questions like "How long will the Sun last?" or "What is the antigravity?" and his task was to make his explanations in very lay terms, so that any one with a very basic science background would be able to understand them. In the book he compiled what he believes are the most relevant 100 questions he answered, or that anyone who is curious about science will ask himself at one point or another. Eventhough it was written a long time ago (1973) the validity of its explanations still stand at least to the general public.

This nifty little book (32 pages, if you include the title page, index, etc.) was originally written by the illustrious Isaac Asimov, and has been revised and updated by Richard Hantula. Crammed full of colorful pictures, this book gives the reader a taste of all of what is known about this double-planet. It is geared toward very young readers, and does an excellent job of informing and fascinating them. If you have a young reader in your life, who is interested in Pluto, then I highly recommend that you get him or her this book!

Asimov as usual turns the complex into the easy. This book starts with the first thoughts of math and how it logically evovled. A must for anyone who lacks number sense. Invaluable for the elementary school teacher.

The companion volume to the seminal "I, Robot". This is a further collection of short stories, much in the same style. Vintage Asimov, not the latter day diluted stuff!

Very funny history from the Science Fiction Master. If you reading the others Asimov's Fundation Book, you need read this.

Read like a thriller, this expertly written piece of non-fiction rates in my view with the best of Asimov.

The book has the right mix of facts and interpretation, of soberness and humor, of political, economical, cultural and personal events and processes.

Do not miss!

Set almost a melenium in the future, in a universe where man has left a ruined Earth and is stratified into three distinct sects (The Christians, Communists, and Arabs) and has yet to encounter an "equivalent society", Barnes spins a captivating yarn on the freshly discovered world of Randall. In the Christian sphere of influence a world has been discovered where there are three intelegent species living in symbios. This is a great discovery for those who study alien life, since nothing of the sort has ever been encountered, but for the church there are more impotant considerations--such as converting the heathen aliens and opening the world to settlement.

Against what is a quite serious look at mankind's tendency to repeat his mistakes (It's been done before, yes, but Barnes does it quite well here) and a Resnick-like parable of 18th century European expansion (though focusing on the missionary aspect of it), Barnes has written an engrosing adventure novel that moves at quite a clip and is considerably more impressive than his first novel, The Man Who Pulled Down the Sky (not that that was a bad book by any stretch).

My one complaint would be a somewhat hasty ending--and looking at his first novel and other Asimov Presents that I've glanced at, which all clock in at 250 pages, I imagine that may have been forced by editorial guidelines. And while I'm mentioning editorial stuff: DON'T READ THE INTRODUCTION! Asimov blows a revelation that Barnes does his best to disguise for 240 pages.

Now go find it Barnes fans.

This is a collection of seventeen Issac Asimov essays that he published as part of a monthly column for a sci-fi magazine. As usual, Asimov manages to take what potentially could be VERY boring concepts and tells them in a way that makes them understandable and interesting! I always feel smarter after reading his books, and this one was no exception. These essay books are typically science essays, but I liked this book in particular because it focused more on astronomy and our solar system(hence the title).

If you are interested in learning new things, you can't go wrong with Asimov or this book. He has a way of writing that makes it easy to follow!

Ive had this book since 1989. Most collections of short stories have a few interesting stories and the rest are filler but thats not the case here. The sheer number of excellent stories in this one volume is a shock. the common thread being that each had space vessels in it, Though the stories have little more in common than that, except being excellent. My favorites would have to be Far Centaurus by A.E. Van Voght, a moving tale of a suspended animation ship. A Chance Encounter by A. Bertram Chandler, a romantic first contact story. The Oceans are Wide- a really cool novella from Frank M. Robinson on one of my favorite subjects-generation ships. Avoidance Situation by James McConnell
a chilling tale of First Contact with the Dakn Empire. If you can find this collection, buy it!

A well-trod theme, this book chooses the best stories about time travelling from the first decade and change of IAsfm and compiles them for your benefit. Every angle has been done before, of course, but that's what makes this one so good -- you know what you're getting yourself into and you can ride that boat as long as she'll float. Light a fire, chill the champagne, and settle in for a good evening's read.