Descriptive Summary and Abstract
Cushing Memorial Library
College Station, TX 77843-5000
Asimov,
Isaac
Inventory of the Isaac
Asimov Collection:
1957-1992.
1.5 linear ft.
An assortment of
manuscripts and correspondence of Isaac Asimov, including short stories,
novels, non-fiction and correspondence with publishers.
SCI-FI MSS 00175
English.
Biographical Note
Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russia in
1920, emigrated to the United States with his family in 1923, and resided in
New York for the remainder of his life. He attended Columbia University,
attaining a B. S. in Chemistry in 1939, followed by an M. A. and a Ph. D. While
in college, he published his first profession story,
Marooned of Vesta, in Amazing Stories
in 1939.
Asimov served in World War II, and returned to teach
in the Boston University School of Medicine.
Asimov attained his greatest success with his
Foundation series, published in book
form as
Foundation,
Foundation and Empire, and
Second Foundation. This future history of
a galactic empire was avidly followed by science fiction fans as it was
published, and continues to be popular within the science fiction community
today. His robot stories were equally popular, and introduced his
Three Laws of Robotics, an ethical
and moral code to be followed by robots. His fiction was well-crafted and
featured both technological realty and believable technological advancement. In
addition to positing near-sentient robots,
Asimov dealt with the social issues of robotics, and
the implications of intelligent machines.
Perhaps as important as his fiction,
Asimov was a prolific popularizer of science,
writing many nonfiction pieces for
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science
Fiction and other sources. He had the gift of both simplifying complex
scientific concepts and presenting them in an interesting and accessible way,
so the general reader could comprehend and enjoy contemporary science topics.
In his day, he was one of the more successful popularizers of science.
Asimov authored over 500 fiction and nonfiction
books, many short stories, and extensive science articles.
Scope and Content Note
An assortment of manuscripts and correspondence of
Isaac Asimov, including short stories, novels,
non-fiction and correspondence with publishers. The segment on the submission
of
Stay, Oh Fleeting Moment, a
nonfiction piece on time and the subsequent correspondence, internal
documentation of
Playboy editors and readers, and the rejection of the
article provides an informative look at the working of a major magazine.
Organization of the Papers
This collection is organized into 3 series:
- Series 1. Manuscripts, September 1957-1981, undated.
- Series 2. Correspondence, March 1981-September 1, 1992,
undated.
- Series 3. Additional Books and Manuscripts, 1964-1987,
undated.
Access
No restrictions.
Usage Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or
their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Online Catalog Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog of Cushing Memorial Library. Researchers wishing to find related
materials should search the catalog under these index terms.
Names
Asimov, Isaac
Subjects
Playboy
Provenance
Purchased from unknown sources.
Processing Information
Processed by Hal Hall in
2005.
Detailed Description of the Collection:
Papers are arranged as received, generally related to item title.
Series 1. Manuscripts,
September
1957-1981, undated.
1/10
Asimov, Isaac. Galleys of
Change!. Houghton, Mifflin Co.
1981. 71 sheets.
1/20
Asimov, Isaac. Manuscript of
Fact and Fancy. Typed, 269
leaves, with printer's marks.
1/30
Asimov, Isaac. Reader's set of galleys for
Fact and Fancy.
August 11,
1961.
1/40
Asimov, Isaac. Original manuscript of The Unrare Earths
published in Fantastic Universe. September 1957. Original manuscript, 7 leaves.
The Unrare Earths publisher's
galley. 1 leaf.
Series 2. Correspondence,
March 1981-September 1, 1992,
undated.
2/10
Gulotta, Victor [Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY] to Isaac
Asimov [New York, NY]. November 13, 1982. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached to:
Marketing Questionnaire regarding The Roving Mind.
November 9, 1982. Typed responses.
Original Envelope.
Gulotta, Victor [Auburndale, MA] to Charles Apfelbaum
[Valley Stream, NY]. September 1, 1992. TLS, 1 leaf, photocopy.
2/20
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. August 29, 1982. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. July 28, 1982. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. July 5, 1981. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
2/30
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. March 30, 1981. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. August 13, 1982. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. April 4, 1981. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
2/40
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. July 10, 1982. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. November 3, 1983. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. March 31, 1983. TLS, 1 leaf. Attached is
original envelope.
2/50
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. December 22, 1982. TLS, 1 postcard.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. February 8, 1987. TLS, 1 leaf.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. February 18, 1987. TLS, 1 leaf.
2/60
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. June 29, 1982. TLS, 1 leaf.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. September 12, 1982. TLS, 1 leaf.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. January 20, 1983. TLS, 1 leaf.
2/70
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. March 18, 1984. TLS, 1 leaf.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. March 11, 1984. TLS, 1 leaf.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. September 19, 1986. TLS, 1 leaf.
2/80
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. November 26, 1986. TLS, 1 leaf.
Asimov, Isaac [New York, NY] to Victor Gulotta
[Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY]. October 24, 1986. TLS, 1 leaf.
2/90
Asimov, Isaac. Original manuscript of The Roving Mind.
Typed, 520 leaves, carbon copies,
undated.
2/100
Asimov, Isaac. First Edition of
The Roving Mind. Included is
original dust jacket,
1983.
Series 3. Additional Books and Manuscripts,
1964-1987, undated.
3/10
Asimov, Isaac. Original manuscript of
Past, Present, Future. Typed,
550 leaves, carbon copies,
undated.
3/20
Asimov, Isaac. First Edition of
Past, Present, Future. Included
is original dust jacket,
1987.
3/30
Playboy Rejects Asimov.
Stay, Oh Fleeting Moment.
Original typescript essay with authorial corrections in ink, with corrected
carbon copy and typed letter signed (
Isaac) to Playboy magazine
editor Murray Fisher, together with 13 additional letters to Playboy editors
Fisher (6), James Goode (6), and A.C. Spectorsky (2), retained copies of
Playboy correspondence, internal memos, and readers' reports. West Newton,
Mass: August 22 1962-December 15, 1967. In the early and middle 1960s, Playboy
editors repeatedly sought articles on scientific topics from Isaac Asimov, the
prolific science and science fiction writer, on subjects including relativity
and time travel, robotics, and genetic manipulation. Asimov (1920-1992) wrote
Stay, Oh Fleeting Moment an
1800-word essay on the effects of time dilation for
Playboy in early 1963. The associated
correspondence documents the editorial response that led to the piece's
rejection. Two further pieces were commissioned in 1964 and 1967. Interesting
archive of Asimov material.