What do you think?
La tragedia de la luna
Science fact-in this fascinating volume one of the greatest imaginative writers in the world of science fiction turns his attention to science fact. Far from the drabness of scientific textbooks, here is a mind bending trip into the world as it is-and as it might have been. What would life on earth be like if we didn't have a moon?
Why don't we follow the clear logic of a seasonal calender? Must we computerize the world because we have grown too lazy to run it in any other way? Scientist or non scientist, layman or specialist, asimov invites you to join him on a trip back into the past and forward into the future.
Why don't we follow the clear logic of a seasonal calender? Must we computerize the world because we have grown too lazy to run it in any other way? Scientist or non scientist, layman or specialist, asimov invites you to join him on a trip back into the past and forward into the future.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,431 books28.8k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 26, 2019
Ο Isaac Asimov αφήνει την επιστημονική φαντασία και ασχολείται με τις επιστήμες. Θέτει ερωτήματα όπως πως θα ήταν η ζωή στη Γη αν δεν υπήρχε το φεγγάρι, πως θα είχε εξελιχθεί η ανθρωπότητα αν η Αφροδίτη είχε δικό της δορυφόρο, αν θα μπορούσε να υπάρξει μορφή ζωής που να μην είναι βασισμένη στον άνθρακα και γιατί δε χρησιμοποιούμε ένα πιο λογικό και πρακτικό ημερολόγιο. Ασχολείται επίσης με τη φυσική, τη χημεία και τη βιολογία.
Ένα βιβλίο που θα κατανοήσει και θα ευχαριστηθεί ακόμα και κάποιος με ελλιπείς γνώσεις στις θετικές επιστήμες.
Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο blog μου.
Ένα βιβλίο που θα κατανοήσει και θα ευχαριστηθεί ακόμα και κάποιος με ελλιπείς γνώσεις στις θετικές επιστήμες.
Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο blog μου.
January 13, 2021
Rereading the F&SF essay collections by the Good Doctor (who in one of the essays calls himself the Bob Hope of Science Fiction) is always a pleasure. Although a bit disturbing because I realize how little I remember. So, for example, what exactly is the tragedy of the Moon Asimov refers to in the title essay?
It is because of the moon that a heliocentric view of the universe was hard to accept. Since the moon rotated around the Earth it was hard to imagine that Earth and Moon together would circle the sun. If he were a Greek, he says, he would have voted for a geocentric view.
And from the geocentric view, all evils emerge. So "the average person is geocentric, anthropocentric, ethnocentric, and egocentric."
On the other hand, if there were no moon, or better yet Venus had a moon the size of ours the heliocentric view would have necessarily emerged earlier. People would have seen it (it would have the brightness of Saturn) circling Venus (in apparent Sun’s diameter distance). The identity of morning and evening star would have been apparent etc. And "Aristotle would have been perfectly capable of doing Newton’s work." "Experimental science and technology would be perhaps two to four thousand years further advanced than they are now." And we would have our Galactic Empire now.
Maybe Asimov let himself get carried away a bit here. But surely a fascinating thought experiment.
The next chapter on the Triumph of the Moon is rather boring in comparison. Well, without the Moon and tides life would probably not have reached the land and so there would have been no mankind. Second without the Moon no concept of other worlds and certainly no Space flight.
The Clock in the Sky is the story of how the speed of light was established. Then there are a couple of essays on Carbon. All of them good, but maybe not of prime importance.
Next brilliant one The Cinderella Compound tells us the story of how it was found out that it was nucleic acid that was the important factor in the chromosomes, not proteins. And the unsung hero Oswald Theodore Avery not even got the Nobel prize, "a miscarriage of scientific justice".
In Lost in Non-Translation Asimov delivers one of his most effective sermons. It is the story of Ruth (later expanded to a whole book). What is lost in non-translation is the meaning of Moabite woman. We do not really grasp the Biblical story if we do not know the meaning. So he suggests we should read the entire story substituting "black" for "Moabite" to get the meaning. Only then the essence of the story a plea for tolerance becomes really clear. Very good one.
Next Asimov tells us about The Ancient and the Ultimate. The book. It starts with a very funny talk he gave once about the future of (video) "cassettes". At the time (the early 70s) the ultimate gimmick. And pointing out how this device could be advanced (make it lighter, without the need for charging, mind-controlled, etc.) he comes, of course, to the conclusion, that it is in fact the book that is the most advanced model of a cassette. Nice but not extraordinary. But Asimov goes on the paint a pretty gloomy picture of society. On his rather pessimistic view, only about 1% of the (US) population can be considered literate. That is being able to read a book, not being able to decipher a No Smoking sign. That surprised me. And he says that instead of reading single letters and putting them together to words and connecting words to sentences he would glance at a line of print to get the meaning. I wish I could do that. (I am only a word reader. Sigh.)
By the Numbers I consider being the best and most important (and surely most controversial) essay. And when I said that I did not remember anything about the book, I am sure that my personal view on "digitalization" goes back to this essay.
Asimov talks about hypocrisy here. It is an old argument but it needs to be retold again and again. If we talk about the good old days, we are thinking about Roman senators or Southern Gentlemen, not the slaves. And the way to establish equality is through digitalization. "I want to see every man receive a long and complicated code of identification, with symbols representing age, income, education, housing, occupation, family size, hobbies, political views, sexual tastes, everything that can conceivably be coded."
Would that be an invasion of privacy? Of course. But "we lost that fight long ago." And to those who want a simple society, he says "Hypocrite! You just want to be comfortable and to hell with everyone else."
It is, of course, a tiny bit more complicated, we do not want to live in a Chinese society. But in the end, I do agree. It is a scandal that we can not even get ourselves a Corona App that does a decent job.
On a lighter side, we get The Cruise and I about him watching the launch of Apollo 17. And it is very, very funny. The 'ship of fools' running gag alone is worth getting this book.
It is because of the moon that a heliocentric view of the universe was hard to accept. Since the moon rotated around the Earth it was hard to imagine that Earth and Moon together would circle the sun. If he were a Greek, he says, he would have voted for a geocentric view.
And from the geocentric view, all evils emerge. So "the average person is geocentric, anthropocentric, ethnocentric, and egocentric."
On the other hand, if there were no moon, or better yet Venus had a moon the size of ours the heliocentric view would have necessarily emerged earlier. People would have seen it (it would have the brightness of Saturn) circling Venus (in apparent Sun’s diameter distance). The identity of morning and evening star would have been apparent etc. And "Aristotle would have been perfectly capable of doing Newton’s work." "Experimental science and technology would be perhaps two to four thousand years further advanced than they are now." And we would have our Galactic Empire now.
Maybe Asimov let himself get carried away a bit here. But surely a fascinating thought experiment.
The next chapter on the Triumph of the Moon is rather boring in comparison. Well, without the Moon and tides life would probably not have reached the land and so there would have been no mankind. Second without the Moon no concept of other worlds and certainly no Space flight.
The Clock in the Sky is the story of how the speed of light was established. Then there are a couple of essays on Carbon. All of them good, but maybe not of prime importance.
Next brilliant one The Cinderella Compound tells us the story of how it was found out that it was nucleic acid that was the important factor in the chromosomes, not proteins. And the unsung hero Oswald Theodore Avery not even got the Nobel prize, "a miscarriage of scientific justice".
In Lost in Non-Translation Asimov delivers one of his most effective sermons. It is the story of Ruth (later expanded to a whole book). What is lost in non-translation is the meaning of Moabite woman. We do not really grasp the Biblical story if we do not know the meaning. So he suggests we should read the entire story substituting "black" for "Moabite" to get the meaning. Only then the essence of the story a plea for tolerance becomes really clear. Very good one.
Next Asimov tells us about The Ancient and the Ultimate. The book. It starts with a very funny talk he gave once about the future of (video) "cassettes". At the time (the early 70s) the ultimate gimmick. And pointing out how this device could be advanced (make it lighter, without the need for charging, mind-controlled, etc.) he comes, of course, to the conclusion, that it is in fact the book that is the most advanced model of a cassette. Nice but not extraordinary. But Asimov goes on the paint a pretty gloomy picture of society. On his rather pessimistic view, only about 1% of the (US) population can be considered literate. That is being able to read a book, not being able to decipher a No Smoking sign. That surprised me. And he says that instead of reading single letters and putting them together to words and connecting words to sentences he would glance at a line of print to get the meaning. I wish I could do that. (I am only a word reader. Sigh.)
By the Numbers I consider being the best and most important (and surely most controversial) essay. And when I said that I did not remember anything about the book, I am sure that my personal view on "digitalization" goes back to this essay.
Asimov talks about hypocrisy here. It is an old argument but it needs to be retold again and again. If we talk about the good old days, we are thinking about Roman senators or Southern Gentlemen, not the slaves. And the way to establish equality is through digitalization. "I want to see every man receive a long and complicated code of identification, with symbols representing age, income, education, housing, occupation, family size, hobbies, political views, sexual tastes, everything that can conceivably be coded."
Would that be an invasion of privacy? Of course. But "we lost that fight long ago." And to those who want a simple society, he says "Hypocrite! You just want to be comfortable and to hell with everyone else."
It is, of course, a tiny bit more complicated, we do not want to live in a Chinese society. But in the end, I do agree. It is a scandal that we can not even get ourselves a Corona App that does a decent job.
On a lighter side, we get The Cruise and I about him watching the launch of Apollo 17. And it is very, very funny. The 'ship of fools' running gag alone is worth getting this book.
April 4, 2021
Some of the essays are very good, some - ok, but, unfortunately, Asimov's attempts to write two humorous biographical sketches failed miserably.
November 12, 2011
A set of short essays, written in the early 1970's. These are non-fiction, science essays, mostly rather speculative, but some of them really describing basic science.
The title of the book comes from the first essays which describe Asimov's speculations on what would have been the effect on scientific and cultural advancement had the Earth lacked a moon. Of particular interest was his quite plausible speculations on how science would have advanced much more quickly if Venus had a moon the size of Earth's moon.
The middle section of the book had essays on microorganisms, on carbon as a basis for life, and on hormones. I read these too quickly, but they are nice, well-written vignettes of the history of science. Quite enjoyable, but some are somewhat dated (especially the microorganisms essays) forty years later.
The best essay is "By The Numbers" on the advantage of having a completely computerized society. This was written well before the advent of the internet, and is prescient in many ways. It is difficult to fully share his unalloyed enthusiasm for the government tracking everyone and everything by computers, but nonetheless he makes a compelling argument. (For a more modern version of this utopian view of the internet, see Brin.)
The last two essays were a lot of fun, especially the essay "Academe and I" about his academic appointment in Biochemistry at Boston University, and how well (or not) it meshed with his outside writing career, for which he is justly famous.
The title of the book comes from the first essays which describe Asimov's speculations on what would have been the effect on scientific and cultural advancement had the Earth lacked a moon. Of particular interest was his quite plausible speculations on how science would have advanced much more quickly if Venus had a moon the size of Earth's moon.
The middle section of the book had essays on microorganisms, on carbon as a basis for life, and on hormones. I read these too quickly, but they are nice, well-written vignettes of the history of science. Quite enjoyable, but some are somewhat dated (especially the microorganisms essays) forty years later.
The best essay is "By The Numbers" on the advantage of having a completely computerized society. This was written well before the advent of the internet, and is prescient in many ways. It is difficult to fully share his unalloyed enthusiasm for the government tracking everyone and everything by computers, but nonetheless he makes a compelling argument. (For a more modern version of this utopian view of the internet, see Brin.)
The last two essays were a lot of fun, especially the essay "Academe and I" about his academic appointment in Biochemistry at Boston University, and how well (or not) it meshed with his outside writing career, for which he is justly famous.
October 6, 2018
This collection of articles starts off on a terrific high and goes downhill at a constant rate until its finale. The eponymous starter, The Tragedy of the Moon, is worth the price of entry alone. The succeeding The Triumph of the Moon is a worthy adjunct and counterpoint. Things get religious for a chapter, then The Week Excuse provides interesting food for thought. The rest (thirteen more articles/chapters) have odd nuggets of interest, but are weak by comparison. By the Numbers, late on, is an interesting take on the ubiquitous presence of computers written well before it became a reality.
Asimov elides personal anecdotes here and there – especially at the start of chapters – which I presume he thought were quirky and humorous, but instead come across as conceit. He enjoys name-dropping and preening to an irritating degree. This was written in a different age, so perhaps circumstances dictated this.
Asimov elides personal anecdotes here and there – especially at the start of chapters – which I presume he thought were quirky and humorous, but instead come across as conceit. He enjoys name-dropping and preening to an irritating degree. This was written in a different age, so perhaps circumstances dictated this.
August 23, 2026
A typically erudite and engaging collection of essays from Isaac Asimov, covering subjects ranging from astronomy, chemistry, microbiology, before even delving into some religious history. Asimov has a very unique style with his non-fiction works, it is wordy without being verbose, relaxed without being informal. As always, his work is always clearly very well researched and explained in a very accessible way.
The book begins with The Tragedy of the Moon and The Triumph of the Moon, two companion pieces which discuss the impact the moon has on the Earth, the role it played in the evolution of species and development of civilization. Asimov poses the hypothetical question of how would the Earth have developed, were the moon not there, or what if it had been a satellite of Venus instead? Interesting food for thought.
A trio of essays discuss microbiology, including the initial discovery of microorganisms and observation using a microscope (and other indirect methods of observation). Asimov expands on this further in Down From The Ameoba, describing viruses, and debating their classification as "life" or a highly sophisticated biological compound. As a keen wordsmith, Asimov always enthusiastically shares the etymology of words, for example microbiological terms like bacillus, coccus and virus. I've never had much interest in microbiology, but Asimov has a way of making it interesting.
Then there are some autobiographical chapters too. Doctor, Doctor, Cut My Throat is inspired by a surgery he had to remove a thyroid tumour. He takes the opportunity to explain the role of the thyroid gland and its influence on the pituitary gland. My personal highlight is The Cruise and I, in which he shares his experience of a cruise he took south from New York to witness the Apollo 17 launch. He shared the ship with fellow science fiction writers, such as Robert Heinlein and Theodore Sturgeon, as well as scientists such as Carl Sagan and Marvin Minsky, sharing his interactions with them. Asimov, a man seldom lost for words, struggles to encapsulate the amazing sight of the launch itself. But somehow, the grandeur and magnificence of it comes across in the text - as well as Asimov's passion for science, exploration and discovery.
I think this collection is a must-read for fans of Asimov, and this ultimately influenced my rating. I can't deny that the now-dated science, immodest boasting and occasionally self-indulgent tangents would not spoil this book for non-fans however.
The book begins with The Tragedy of the Moon and The Triumph of the Moon, two companion pieces which discuss the impact the moon has on the Earth, the role it played in the evolution of species and development of civilization. Asimov poses the hypothetical question of how would the Earth have developed, were the moon not there, or what if it had been a satellite of Venus instead? Interesting food for thought.
A trio of essays discuss microbiology, including the initial discovery of microorganisms and observation using a microscope (and other indirect methods of observation). Asimov expands on this further in Down From The Ameoba, describing viruses, and debating their classification as "life" or a highly sophisticated biological compound. As a keen wordsmith, Asimov always enthusiastically shares the etymology of words, for example microbiological terms like bacillus, coccus and virus. I've never had much interest in microbiology, but Asimov has a way of making it interesting.
Then there are some autobiographical chapters too. Doctor, Doctor, Cut My Throat is inspired by a surgery he had to remove a thyroid tumour. He takes the opportunity to explain the role of the thyroid gland and its influence on the pituitary gland. My personal highlight is The Cruise and I, in which he shares his experience of a cruise he took south from New York to witness the Apollo 17 launch. He shared the ship with fellow science fiction writers, such as Robert Heinlein and Theodore Sturgeon, as well as scientists such as Carl Sagan and Marvin Minsky, sharing his interactions with them. Asimov, a man seldom lost for words, struggles to encapsulate the amazing sight of the launch itself. But somehow, the grandeur and magnificence of it comes across in the text - as well as Asimov's passion for science, exploration and discovery.
I think this collection is a must-read for fans of Asimov, and this ultimately influenced my rating. I can't deny that the now-dated science, immodest boasting and occasionally self-indulgent tangents would not spoil this book for non-fans however.
October 30, 2020
Colección de ensayos de Asimov, al estilo de El electrón es zurdo (y muchos otros). El principal ensayo de este libro, que le da nombre, argumenta que si la Tierra hubiera tenido dos lunas, o ninguna, sería muy probable que la astronomía, y por ende la ciencia, hubieran avanzado mucho más rápidamente. El maestro argumenta con seriedad pero obviamente dentro de lo especulativo, y aun así es un gusto leerle. Hay trece ensayos en total, sobre curiosidades variadas, incluyendo una predicción hecha hace 60 años sobre un mundo actual plagado de ordenadores que harían todo tipo de tareas. Muy interesante lectura.
April 28, 2020
Me esperaba otra cosa. Tal vez venía condicionada por la lectura de sus otras novelas, pero la he disfrutado y he comprendido cosas que desconocía.
August 7, 2025
Very entertaining collection on a great variety of subjects. Viruses and the discovery of DNA, Biblical exegesis, how the week came to be, etc etc. What I remembered from when I last read it were the first two essays. In the first he argues that if our moon orbited Venus we’d be more advanced technologically. In the second he argues that if our moon orbited Venus land life would never have developed.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read any of Asimov’s non-fiction. I’d forgotten how charming he could be when he writes in his writer-persona. Though the way he recounts his interactions with women… I’d taken them as jokes when I read this in the 90s. Unfortunately the internet has now been created and I can’t read them without having the ‘sexual harassment’ section of his Wikipedia article at the front of my mind.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read any of Asimov’s non-fiction. I’d forgotten how charming he could be when he writes in his writer-persona. Though the way he recounts his interactions with women… I’d taken them as jokes when I read this in the 90s. Unfortunately the internet has now been created and I can’t read them without having the ‘sexual harassment’ section of his Wikipedia article at the front of my mind.
April 23, 2021
Asimov siempre cumple. Y en temas del espacio me parece que es unos de los terrenos en los que más brilla. En éste (cuya edición en español inexplicablemente carece de índice) tiene una primera parte de artículos que dan lugar al título del libro. Sigue después con otros que no están relacionados al espacio sino al carbono, los microorganismos, la glándula tiroides y la sociedad, en esa heterogeneidad a la que nos tiene acostumbrados el autor.
Originalmente publicados en The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction y compilados luego como libro, ofrecen una lectura variada que para nosotros los curiosos del mundo es muy atractiva. En este hojeo para el proyecto observé que dedica una buena cantidad de páginas al calendario, siendo muy similar a como lo trata en La historia de los números. Es decir, hay ciertos intereses puntuales que repite aunque trate temas distintos, como que lograra hablar de lo que quiere aunque no sea exactamente de lo que está escribiendo. Pero el resultado, al menos para mí, sigue siendo satisfactorio.
Más sobre esta reseña y otras en:
https://pablomariafernandez.substack....
Originalmente publicados en The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction y compilados luego como libro, ofrecen una lectura variada que para nosotros los curiosos del mundo es muy atractiva. En este hojeo para el proyecto observé que dedica una buena cantidad de páginas al calendario, siendo muy similar a como lo trata en La historia de los números. Es decir, hay ciertos intereses puntuales que repite aunque trate temas distintos, como que lograra hablar de lo que quiere aunque no sea exactamente de lo que está escribiendo. Pero el resultado, al menos para mí, sigue siendo satisfactorio.
Más sobre esta reseña y otras en:
https://pablomariafernandez.substack....
December 1, 2017
En mi adolescencia estudié historia con los libros de Asimov y, de cierta manera, me maravilló con su estilo pedagógico y entusiamo en su narración.
¡Entusiasmo, energía e inteligencia! era eso lo que me inspiraba al leerlo y hoy, con este libro lo vuelvo a sentir. Dicen que es una de sus obras más personales, en las que deja entrever más su personalidad y en parte, su biografía. De comienzo a fin sé que el autor está inspirado y ama lo que hace, cree en lo que escribe, sabe de qué habla.
Me gusta la sencillez con qué explica temas de la química o de biología, a pesar de (o gracias a) su experticia en esos campos del saber. Aunque, dado el título, esperaba ciencia ficción, resultó una mezcla de ensayos y anécdotas que valieron la pena. Mi favorito es el capítulo en que se refiere a los libros como tecnología de punta y vaticina que en el futuro tendríamos libros digitales (en su mente la pantalla sería un televisor, un poco alejado de los e-readers portátiles de hoy) pero aún con tanto adelanto estos serían irremplazables. Nada como un buen libro, ¿cierto?
¡Entusiasmo, energía e inteligencia! era eso lo que me inspiraba al leerlo y hoy, con este libro lo vuelvo a sentir. Dicen que es una de sus obras más personales, en las que deja entrever más su personalidad y en parte, su biografía. De comienzo a fin sé que el autor está inspirado y ama lo que hace, cree en lo que escribe, sabe de qué habla.
Me gusta la sencillez con qué explica temas de la química o de biología, a pesar de (o gracias a) su experticia en esos campos del saber. Aunque, dado el título, esperaba ciencia ficción, resultó una mezcla de ensayos y anécdotas que valieron la pena. Mi favorito es el capítulo en que se refiere a los libros como tecnología de punta y vaticina que en el futuro tendríamos libros digitales (en su mente la pantalla sería un televisor, un poco alejado de los e-readers portátiles de hoy) pero aún con tanto adelanto estos serían irremplazables. Nada como un buen libro, ¿cierto?
April 19, 2020
A series of lunacy stories
Of course this is a pun, as Asimov also mentioned "lunatics" as influenced by the moon.
This series of essays revolves arround the moon, its history; how it has influenced the Earth, humans and society; and also what would it be if we didn't have a moon.
I remember to have read this book like 10 years ago, and back then I didn't understand everything as I was just in secondary school. This second time, I find it fascinating, with the eloquent, yet humorous, style of Asimov. We could say that many things written in this book are obsolete because of the advances in science & technology since this book was written, but I think that many of the essays are everlasting.
I specially loved the anecdote about the evolution of VHS .
A great book, like most of Asimov's.
Of course this is a pun, as Asimov also mentioned "lunatics" as influenced by the moon.
This series of essays revolves arround the moon, its history; how it has influenced the Earth, humans and society; and also what would it be if we didn't have a moon.
I remember to have read this book like 10 years ago, and back then I didn't understand everything as I was just in secondary school. This second time, I find it fascinating, with the eloquent, yet humorous, style of Asimov. We could say that many things written in this book are obsolete because of the advances in science & technology since this book was written, but I think that many of the essays are everlasting.
I specially loved the anecdote about the evolution of VHS .
A great book, like most of Asimov's.
January 20, 2018
Una recopilación de ensayos de Isaac Asimov; entre los más relevantes para la lectura están los relacionados al "carbono", como elemento de la vida. No es de ciencia ficción, más bien es de divulgación científica.
October 27, 2017
Surprisingly great book about physics, chemistry, and the universe! It was good to read such after finishing school a long time ago...!!
June 13, 2018
I'm not sure if I've read this or not, but I remember reading "Lost in Nontranslation"
January 12, 2021
Muy interesante, se aprenden muchas cosas, me gusta la manera que tiene Asimov de explicarlo.
May 15, 2021
4.75
December 24, 2021
-Gregory Kerkman
September 19, 2022
El libro es muy ingenioso. Isaac Asimov como siempre explica la ciencia de una manera entretenida para todo pública. Tiene una personalidad carismática, recomendaría la lectura a cualquiera!!!
January 9, 2024
Pajas mentales de asimov
March 27, 2024
Tremendo ensayo
October 12, 2024
Gotta call it. DNF. I wanted to read this for a while but I just can't, it's been like a year lol. Oh well.
February 5, 2025
Creo que hasta el momento es de mis libros favoritos, divulgación cientifica, pero con toques divertidos y personales muy comunes en la escritura de Asimov en estos temas
October 5, 2018
Asimov suggests that the moon's cycle had just the right number of days to induce humans to learn to count. I remember a later book by Leonard Shlain saying much the same thing, so perhaps Shlain got the idea from Asimov. Although Shlain tightens his hypothesis by saying that it was also the fact that the lunar cycle coincided with the menstrual cycle that served as very strong, indeed life-or-death, incentive, for humans, indeed women, to start counting. Both authors then go on with the obvious corollary: counting led to math, science, technology...
January 10, 2016
Probably my favourite book from him. This book is about Asimov, we can get a glimpse how his mind works, I must say it works rather marvellously.He has such complexity and capacity for great thoughts and such humour, I was laughing my head off.Rather narcissistic but gotta love the Dude.I would make this a school book in chemistry.After reading this, kids would start to be more interested for sure!Asimov was a chemist and since in this book we get an insight to his life we come across chemistry as well. but with such easiness and playfulness that makes you wanting to know more from this subject. Excellent book!
March 1, 2022
Un libro de Asimov. Cuenta la historia de un futuro no tan distante, en el cual hay una base de humanos-selenitas (el nombre de nuestra luna es Selene, luna es un adjetivo que describe un satálite natural) que viven y nacen ahi. Cuenta como serían las personalidades al vivir en la luna y lo distante en ciertos aspectos de los terricolas.
Un libro que abre la mente y muestra el shock entre dos culturas. Podria ser semejante a cualquier otra situacion en la cual se haya producido algo similar (Europa y América en 1492 por ejemplo).
No es el mejor de Asimov, pero es una historia entretenida, que atrapa y te deja una enseñanza detrás de todas las palabras.
5 estrellas.
Un libro que abre la mente y muestra el shock entre dos culturas. Podria ser semejante a cualquier otra situacion en la cual se haya producido algo similar (Europa y América en 1492 por ejemplo).
No es el mejor de Asimov, pero es una historia entretenida, que atrapa y te deja una enseñanza detrás de todas las palabras.
5 estrellas.
September 7, 2008
Asimov's breadth of scientific knowledge is instantly recognizable. The Tragedy of the Moon brings science to a wide readership though a congenial tone and accessible language. Asimov treats his reader with respect, as if she were an intelligent sort willing to go the distance. The stable prose style provides a steady foundation useful in relating aspects of spatial relations in the cosmos and the peculiarities of relativity.
August 25, 2007
A great collection of scientific essays by Asimov ranging from topics such as himself (as always), the moon and how it's effected society in more ways than we can imagine, carbon compounds, and robots. Always with the robots. Very fun read-- his ideas are always refreshing and make you look at things in a bit of a different light.
November 27, 2015
Siempre es un placer leer al “Buen Doctor”, su narrativa me resulta incomparable e irresistible ya sean sus escritos sobre historia o ciencia, se trate de cuentos o sus famosas novelas de Ciencia Ficción.
Estos artículos escritos a principios de la década del ’70 mantienen una enorme vigencia y abarcan diversas temáticas, incluido el tema preferido de Asimov, él mismo.
Estos artículos escritos a principios de la década del ’70 mantienen una enorme vigencia y abarcan diversas temáticas, incluido el tema preferido de Asimov, él mismo.
January 29, 2010
Science fact from a well-loved science-fiction writer. This book is a little treasure, which contains a number of Asimov's short essays from the 1970s. I enjoyed some of them more than others, but I believe there is something for anyone with an interest in science here.
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