Yours, Isaac Asimov

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.

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).

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.