In memory yet green : the autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920-1954

The Good Doctor's two-hundredth book! The amazing Isaac Asimov has once more taken pen in hand to tackle his most fascinating subject to date himself. In this first volume of his autobiography he recounts in his candid and inimitable manner his life's work in science, science fiction, and practically everything else. Beginning in the beginning, Asimov tells of his family's emigration from Russia when he was only three. We see the young Isaac, barely more than a toddler, determined to decipher Brooklynese. Intrigued by signs in the "new" language, he taught himself to read and whizzed through school as a child prodigy, without modesty, getting A's in everything except deportment. In his early years at school he befriended a talkative little boy who held Isaac spellbound with his stories. this was Isaac's first introduction to fiction, and soon afterward he began to borrow science fiction magazines from the rack in his father's candy store, reading them in secret, and returning them still looking like new. Entering college at the age of fifteen, he emerged with a doctorate in chemistry from Columbia University. Then there were his stints at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia during World War II and in the Army (for once the military couldn't fail to recognize a genius!), his first marriage, and his years teaching biochemistry to standing ovations from his classes at Boston University Medical School. All this time he was rising to prominence as a storyteller, author of The Foundation Trilogy and "Nightfall," and laying the groundwork for his future as our most outstanding diverse science writer. In short, this is a book where the man who has been called a "national resource and a natural wonder" tells how he got to be that way. A treasure-trove for Asimov fans of all ages, all walks of life. The amazing Asimov tackles his most fascinating subject – himself! Isaac Asimov, said The New York Times, "has probably done more than anyone else to give scientifically illiterate readers a feeling for the excitement and accomplishment of modern science." Now, in his 200th book, the celebrated author recounts his life— from his emigration to Brooklyn from Russia to his creation of the famous FOUNDATION TRILOGY Here's what the reviewers say: "Everything you need to know about how a genius evolves...a remarkable record. .. Asimov has earned the right to be a phenomenon." - Algis Budrys, Chicago Sun-Times "The development of a unique talent...how he and his favorite early editor, John Wood Campbell Jr., of Astounding Science Fiction, came up with the famous three laws of robotics; how Campbell gave Asimov the idea for 'Nightfall,' popularly considered to be the greatest science fiction story of all time; how he almost wrote a book describing 'black holes' years before they were discovered; how the idea for his great 'Foundation' series came to him while he was riding a subway train....Asimov is a great storyteller and a first-rate explainer. Those qualities shine through in this autobiography of his early years." - Chicago Tribune "A detailed, candid account of his early days in Brooklyn, in the developing field of science fiction...like the author, it is ceaselessly informative and entertaining...it is hard to see how anyone could finish this vigorous autobiography and not be delighted with the dynamo that produced it." – Time With rare photographs and memorabilia. The first volume of the autobiography of a prominent scientist and prolific author, covering the first thirty-four years of his life.