The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science
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''The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' is a general guide to the sciences by the American writer and scientist
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
. It was first published in 1960 by
Basic Books Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1950 and located in New York, now an imprint of Hachette Book Group. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and history. H ...
. Revised versions were published as ''The New Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' (1965), ''Asimov's Guide to Science'' (1972), and ''Asimov's New Guide to Science'' (1984). The book received positive reviews, praising it as a well-written work on science.


Background and publication history

Asimov was first contacted by Leon Svirsky of Basic Books in 1959 about the possibility of writing a book that would provide an overview of
science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
, and the two met at Asimov's home on 13 May to discuss the details. Six days later, Asimov received a contract for the book, along with a $1500 advance. At this point in his life, it had been just over a year since Asimov had given up his teaching duties at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
and taken up writing full-time. He had published 11 nonfiction books, including books on
chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
,
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
,
astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
, a college-level
biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
textbook, and a collection of science essays. However, he was momentarily daunted by the prospect of writing a major book on all of science, and he delayed signing the contract until 15 July, after receiving encouragement from his friend (and future wife) Janet Jeppson. The book's title was Svirsky's, chosen as a deliberate homage to
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
's ''
The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism ''The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism'' is a non-fiction book written by the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. The book employs socialist and Marxist thought. It was written in 1928 after his sister-in-law, Mary Stewart ...
'' (1928). Asimov feared the title would be seen as elitist and condescending, and he suggested ''Everyone's Guide to Science'' as an alternative, but Svirsky refused. Years later, when he was confronted by annoyed feminists who asked why the book was restricted to men, Asimov would claim that the "intelligent man" of the title referred to himself; thus anticipating the title ''Asimov's Guide to Science'' adopted for the third edition. Svirsky also wanted the book confined to scientific advances made in the 20th century. Asimov, however, preferred to approach each field in a historical manner, starting with the ancient Greeks or, at the very least,
Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...
. As often happened when Asimov was given editorial directions he disagreed with, he ignored them, and wrote the book just as he wanted to. In organizing the various fields of science, Asimov chose to begin with the universe as a whole and work inward in narrowing circles until he was inside the brain at the end. Asimov began work on the book on 2 October, and found that he had no trouble with it at all, writing anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 words a day without any sense of strain. By 27 January 1958, Asimov was able to deliver the first half of the completed manuscript to Basic Books, but at a meeting a month later, Svirsky suggested cutting the book in half so it could fit in one volume. At that point, Asimov was only two chapters shy of finishing the book, but saw no reason to complete it if it would be subjected to such radical abridgment, and halted work. He resumed work after being informed on 11 March that Svirsky would not try to reduce the book by half, but would instead publish it in two volumes. Svirsky also insisted that the book include an introduction by the geneticist
George Beadle George Wells Beadle (October 22, 1903 – June 9, 1989) was an American geneticist. In 1958 he shared one-half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Edward Tatum for their discovery of the role of genes in regulating biochemical even ...
. Asimov felt that his work didn't need an introduction by anyone else, and even though he found Beadle's introduction to be very elegant, he still resented its inclusion. Asimov delivered the final chapters to Basic Books on 21 April, and the appendices on 4 May. When he began proofing the book's galleys, Asimov was horrified to find that Svirsky still cut out some 30% of the book's material. Asimov reinserted as much information into the galley proofs as he could, but he remained unhappy with the book. ''The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' was first published in 1960 by
Basic Books Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1950 and located in New York, now an imprint of Hachette Book Group. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and history. H ...
. It was published, in revised editions, as ''The New Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' in 1965, ''Asimov's Guide to Science'' in 1972, and ''Asimov's New Guide to Science'' in 1984.


Reception

''The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' received positive reviews from the physicist
Derek J. de Solla Price Derek John de Solla Price (22 January 1922 – 3 September 1983) was a British physicist, historian of science, and information scientist. He was known for his investigation of the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek planetary computer, and ...
in ''
Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
'' and Floyd C. Gale in ''
Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...
'', and a mixed review from John Pfeiffer in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. Price considered Asimov's work a novelty in popular science writing. He credited Asimov with surveying the whole of modern science. Gale credited Asimov with writing well and making difficult concepts easy to understand. Gale considered the book well-written and credited Asimov with helping to make even difficult concepts easy to understand. Pfeiffer wrote that Asimov tried to discuss too many aspects of science in the limited space available to him and compressed material "to a point where the result is almost a listing of developments with inadequate transitions in between". He concluded that Asimov had "prepared a good introduction to modern research" that "would have been better if he had allowed himself more space for the unique, imaginative writing of which he is so obviously capable." ''The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' was nominated for a
National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...
in the nonfiction category, losing to the journalist William L. Shirer's '' The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'' (1960). Asimov has stated that ''The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' led to his recognition as a major figure in the field of science writing. ''Asimov's Guide to Science'' was reviewed by John Cheney in '' Contemporary Physics''. ''Asimov's New Guide to Science'' received positive reviews from Paul Stuewe in '' Quill & Quire'', Margrett J. McFadden in '' Voice of Youth Advocates'', and Robert H. Bell in ''Science Books & Films'', and a mixed review from E. L. Williams in ''Choice''. The book was also reviewed by Jim Pirie in ''Chemical Engineer'' and the geneticist
H. Bentley Glass Hiram Bentley Glass (January 17, 1906 – January 16, 2005) was an American geneticist and noted columnist. Career Born in China to missionary parents, he attended college at Baylor University in Texas. He then furthered his education at th ...
in '' The Quarterly Review of Biology''. Stuewe considered the book well-written, and credited Asimov with covering developments in technology since the publication of ''Asimov's Guide to Science''. McFadden considered the book enjoyable to read, and praised Asimov for presenting new information "from dinosaurs to robots, the solar system to new physics discoveries". Bell considered the book thorough and engaging, crediting Asimov with "encyclopedic knowledge of astronomy, geology, physics, and chemistry" and "considerable understanding and knowledge of organic chemistry, cellular function and theory, microbiology, the human body and its needs, evolution, and the mind", and providing useful "figures, sketches, and maps". Williams complimented Asimov for his updated treatment of artificial intelligence, computers, cancer, the solar system, quasars, black holes, evolution, and the energy crisis, but considered it disappointing that there was no update on genetic engineering. Williams also commented that, "There are fewer photographs and their quality is not as good as in the 1972 edition. The table of contents has been divided into very helpful subheadings, making it easy to use as a quick reference. The name and subject indexes are good."


See also

* Isaac Asimov bibliography * Isaac Asimov bibliography (alphabetical) *
Isaac Asimov bibliography (chronological) In a writing career spanning 53 years (1939–1992), science fiction and popular science author Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) wrote and published 40 novels, 383 short stories, over 280 non-fiction books, and edited about 147 others. In this articl ...


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

;Books * * ;Journals * * * * * * * *


External links


Floyd C. Gale's review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intelligent Man's Guide to Science, The 1960 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Basic Books books Books about science Books by Isaac Asimov English-language books