Opus 200

Rating:
Summary: Excerpts from his second hundred books
Review: While others wrote more than Isaac Asimov did, no one can match the breadth of his writing. To many people, he was a science fiction writer, but in fact that was only a small percentage of his output. Furthermore, all of writings were well done. None were scholarly works by any means, but it is clear that he knew what he was talking about. A chemist by training, he wrote about all areas of science, history, literature, religion, and social and political commentary.
In this book, he has put together a collection of what he considers the high points of his second hundred books. He has split the excerpts into fifteen groups, which demonstrates the wide range of topics that emerged from his fertile mind.

* Astronomy
* Robots
* Mathematics
* Physics
* Chemistry
* Biology
* Words
* History
* The bible
* Short-shorts
* Humor
* Social sciences
* Literature
* Mysteries
* Autobiography

In reading this book, you cannot help but be impressed by the quantity and quality of his writing. He can take topics ordinarily considered either incomprehensible or dull and uninteresting and make them come alive. I was most impressed by his forays into explaining literature, especially Shakespeare. It is still some of the greatest dialog in the history of the English language, but few of us can appreciate the plays in their historical context. Asimov supplies that in his "Guide to Shakespeare" and it is very interesting to read of the historical events that provide the backdrop to most of the plays.
If you are unfamiliar with the work of Isaac Asimov, this book will give you an excellent sampling of his writing. In some areas, his books are the best way to begin a process of study.