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From Earth to Heaven
Book by Isaac Asimov
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
5 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,337 books27.8k 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 7, 2019
The introduction to this book was so good it send tingles of pleasure down my spine. All that stuff about poetry and science really got to me. What is even better this beautiful introduction was followed by quite a few interesting essays. Some of these articles I found endlessly fascinating, some quite interesting and some a bit less interesting. However, taken as a whole, From Earth to Heaven was a very enjoyable read.
I probably won't surprise anyone by saying that my favourite essay in the book was the one about science fiction. 'Future?Tense!' I believe it was called. In this article, Asimov speaks about his future predication but also about why science fiction is important. Asimov had some really good arguments in that one, 'upon my honor as a science fiction fan'.
I must admit that some of the less 'interesting' articles took some effort to get through. Sometimes Asimov seemed a bit self-indulgent in choosing his topics and going about them. You can tell that he wrote many of this essays for himself. Not that I blame him, if someone paid me to write about thing I found interesting, I would jumped at the chance. Still, it can get a bit tiresome at times. Not just because I don't care or don't agree with some of the arguments ( for example I don't see the point in organizing Nobel winners by the language that is used at the University they studied at ) because we can't always be on the same page, but because I feel like I'm a being a bit ignored as a reader .
Despite being really good at presenting and organizing facts, Asimov doesn't always engage the reader in this book, at times he just sort of wonders of. So, yes some of these essays weren't all that, but the rest more than made up for it. Besides Asimov is charming even when he is a but self-indulgent. It is a pleasure to read him. Asimov had a beautifully curious mind and I always end up enjoying his works, even non fiction one.
I probably won't surprise anyone by saying that my favourite essay in the book was the one about science fiction. 'Future?Tense!' I believe it was called. In this article, Asimov speaks about his future predication but also about why science fiction is important. Asimov had some really good arguments in that one, 'upon my honor as a science fiction fan'.
I must admit that some of the less 'interesting' articles took some effort to get through. Sometimes Asimov seemed a bit self-indulgent in choosing his topics and going about them. You can tell that he wrote many of this essays for himself. Not that I blame him, if someone paid me to write about thing I found interesting, I would jumped at the chance. Still, it can get a bit tiresome at times. Not just because I don't care or don't agree with some of the arguments ( for example I don't see the point in organizing Nobel winners by the language that is used at the University they studied at ) because we can't always be on the same page, but because I feel like I'm a being a bit ignored as a reader .
Despite being really good at presenting and organizing facts, Asimov doesn't always engage the reader in this book, at times he just sort of wonders of. So, yes some of these essays weren't all that, but the rest more than made up for it. Besides Asimov is charming even when he is a but self-indulgent. It is a pleasure to read him. Asimov had a beautifully curious mind and I always end up enjoying his works, even non fiction one.
August 1, 2009
Another great collection, almost as good as
Adding a Dimension
. So compelling that I ate it up on two weeknights.
Only one essay is in drastic need of revision, and that is also the one with by far the worst title: "Squ-u-u-ush!", originally published in November, 1965. It's mostly sound, but near the end Asimov postulates that black hole singularities would distort spacetime such that they pinched off a "sphere" around themselves, ceasing interaction with the rest of the universe. Obviously we know today that that is wrong; black holes do massively distort spacetime but they emphatically do not isolate themselves from the universe. Their gravitational effects are all too real. Unfortunately, I haven't the background in general relativity to explain why singularities don't pinch themselves off in the manner Asimov describes.
Still, black hole science, in the popular conception at least, was in its infancy in 1965, so this failing is no poor reflection on the author. In fact, I am led to wonder why singularities don't isolate themselves. If we don't already know this, maybe the scientists at Large Hadron Collider can tell us in another ten years or so...
Only one essay is in drastic need of revision, and that is also the one with by far the worst title: "Squ-u-u-ush!", originally published in November, 1965. It's mostly sound, but near the end Asimov postulates that black hole singularities would distort spacetime such that they pinched off a "sphere" around themselves, ceasing interaction with the rest of the universe. Obviously we know today that that is wrong; black holes do massively distort spacetime but they emphatically do not isolate themselves from the universe. Their gravitational effects are all too real. Unfortunately, I haven't the background in general relativity to explain why singularities don't pinch themselves off in the manner Asimov describes.
Still, black hole science, in the popular conception at least, was in its infancy in 1965, so this failing is no poor reflection on the author. In fact, I am led to wonder why singularities don't isolate themselves. If we don't already know this, maybe the scientists at Large Hadron Collider can tell us in another ten years or so...
July 29, 2013
I first came across these essays from the old Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy pulps. I glanced at a few and thought that they were really interesting.
Instead of collecting large groups of these pulps, I decided to read the book in collected form. I really enjoyed these and for the most part, the science is still valid almost 50 years after it was written.
What is most enjoyable about these essays is Isaac's style of writing. Here is an example of a paragraph that I really enjoy: "Consequently, you may imagine my chagrin when, faced with a simple geographic question, I came up with what I was told was the wrong answer. I have been fuming about it ever since". That is how I feel when I give an wrong answer or response, especially when I should have known better.
Instead of collecting large groups of these pulps, I decided to read the book in collected form. I really enjoyed these and for the most part, the science is still valid almost 50 years after it was written.
What is most enjoyable about these essays is Isaac's style of writing. Here is an example of a paragraph that I really enjoy: "Consequently, you may imagine my chagrin when, faced with a simple geographic question, I came up with what I was told was the wrong answer. I have been fuming about it ever since". That is how I feel when I give an wrong answer or response, especially when I should have known better.
June 3, 2016
Well Well Well..... All those Science freaks.. geeks , dorks, and physicists or wanna be physicists ... this Book is MUST for u .....
i enjoyed most of it .. but few things went above my head though....
Caution: If you are not one among the those whom i have mentioned above and still you try to read the book , there is a high chance that you will think tat the author is a CRAZY NUT.. {which he warns you anyways in the first chapter only ;) ;) }....
i enjoyed most of it .. but few things went above my head though....
Caution: If you are not one among the those whom i have mentioned above and still you try to read the book , there is a high chance that you will think tat the author is a CRAZY NUT.. {which he warns you anyways in the first chapter only ;) ;) }....
July 23, 2017
This is an essay collection covering all sorts of physical science topics. The geology section at the beginning was my favorite, but the second and third sections were very technical with equations abounding! They were hard to get through. Asimov says in the introduction that scientists don't always explain themselves like Shakespeare, but the answers are beautiful in themselves. I love that.
January 31, 2013
took a bit to get into the book as it wasn't exactly what I expected, although, I am not sure what I expected. It was more rambling, loosley connected essays on science themes regarding earth and everything and space and everything. It had some very interesting ideas and thoughts and I certainly learned a lot. It was refreshing after reading some vapid, mind candy.
October 7, 2011
A very clever and fresh look at the world we live on, even though it is 45 years old. And Asimov includes all the details and numbers you would want him to.
May 16, 2017
The historical descriptions of chemical discoveries were amazing.
April 8, 2023
Versão pt - Da Terra ao Céu - Edições DH
Demasiados números que não me interessam.
Demasiados números que não me interessam.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews