The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science
Encyclopedia
The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science is a general guide to the sciences written by Isaac Asimov
. It was first published in 1960 by Basic Books
in two volumes, Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences, though some subsequent editions were published as single volumes. Later, updated editions were The New Intelligent Man's Guide to Science (1965), Asimov's Guide to Science (1972), and Asimov's New Guide to Science (1984). A paperback edition was published in 1969 by Washington Square Press in two volumes under the titles The Intelligent Man's Guide to the Physical Sciences and The Intelligent Man's Guide to the Biological Sciences.
, and the two met at Asimov's home on 13 May to discuss the details. Six days later, Asimov received a contract for the book, along with a $1500 advance. At this point in his life, it had been just over a year since Asimov had given up his teaching duties at Boston University
and taken up writing full time. He had published eleven nonfiction books, including books on chemistry
, physics
, astronomy
, a college-level biochemistry
textbook, and a collection of science essays. However, he was momentarily daunted by the prospect of writing a major book on all of science, and he delayed signing the contract until 15 July, after receiving encouragement from his friend Janet Jeppson.
The book's title was Svirsky's, chosen as a deliberate homage to George Bernard Shaw
's The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism
. Asimov feared the title would be seen as elitist and condescending, and he suggested Everyone's Guide to Science as an alternative, but Svirsky refused. Years later, when he was confronted by annoyed feminists who asked why the book was restricted to men, Asimov would claim that the "intelligent man" of the title referred to himself. Svirsky also wanted the book confined to scientific advances made in the 20th century. Asimov, however, preferred to approach each field in a historical manner, starting with the ancient Greeks or, at the very least, Galileo. As often happened when Asimov was given editorial directions he disagreed with, he ignored them, and wrote the book just as he wanted to. In organizing the various fields of science, Asimov chose to begin with the universe as a whole and work inward in narrowing circles until he was inside the brain at the end.
Asimov began work on the book on 2 October, and found that he had no trouble with it at all, writing anywhere from 6000 to 10,000 words a day without any sense of strain. By 27 January 1958, Asimov was able to deliver the first half of the completed manuscript to Basic Books, but at a meeting a month later, Svirsky suggested cutting the book in half so it could fit in one volume. At that point, Asimov was only two chapters shy of finishing the book, but saw no reason to complete it if it would be subjected to such radical abridgement, and halted work. He resumed work after being informed on 11 March that Svirsky would not try to reduce the book by half, but would instead publish it in two volumes. Svirsky also insisted that the book include an introduction by the geneticist
George Wells Beadle. Asimov felt that his work didn't need an introduction by anyone else, and even though he found Beadle's introduction to be very elegant, he still resented its inclusion. Asimov delivered the final chapters to Basic Books on 21 April, and the appendices on 4 May.
When he began proofing the book's galleys, Asimov was horrified to find that Svirsky still cut out some 30% of the book's material. Asimov reinserted as much information into the galley proofs as he could, but he remained unhappy with the book. The book, Asimov's thirty-ninth, was published by Basic Books in October 1960.
ran a review of the Guide by Derek J. de Solla Price
which stated,
However, John Pfeiffer, in the 13 November 1960 issue of the New York Times, wrote,
The Guide was nominated for a National Book Award
in the nonfiction category, losing to William L. Shirer
's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
. Asimov has stated that The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science led to his recognition as a major figure in the field of science writing.
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. It was first published in 1960 by Basic Books
Basic Books
Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1952 and located in New York. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and history.-History:...
in two volumes, Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences, though some subsequent editions were published as single volumes. Later, updated editions were The New Intelligent Man's Guide to Science (1965), Asimov's Guide to Science (1972), and Asimov's New Guide to Science (1984). A paperback edition was published in 1969 by Washington Square Press in two volumes under the titles The Intelligent Man's Guide to the Physical Sciences and The Intelligent Man's Guide to the Biological Sciences.
Writing and publication
Asimov was first contacted by Leon Svirsky of Basic Books in 1959 about the possibility of writing a book that would provide an overview of scienceScience
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, and the two met at Asimov's home on 13 May to discuss the details. Six days later, Asimov received a contract for the book, along with a $1500 advance. At this point in his life, it had been just over a year since Asimov had given up his teaching duties at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and taken up writing full time. He had published eleven nonfiction books, including books on chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, a college-level biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
textbook, and a collection of science essays. However, he was momentarily daunted by the prospect of writing a major book on all of science, and he delayed signing the contract until 15 July, after receiving encouragement from his friend Janet Jeppson.
The book's title was Svirsky's, chosen as a deliberate homage to George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
's The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism
The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism
The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism is a book written by the famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. This book employs socialist and Marxist thought. It was written in 1928, and later re-released as the first Pelican Book in 1937....
. Asimov feared the title would be seen as elitist and condescending, and he suggested Everyone's Guide to Science as an alternative, but Svirsky refused. Years later, when he was confronted by annoyed feminists who asked why the book was restricted to men, Asimov would claim that the "intelligent man" of the title referred to himself. Svirsky also wanted the book confined to scientific advances made in the 20th century. Asimov, however, preferred to approach each field in a historical manner, starting with the ancient Greeks or, at the very least, Galileo. As often happened when Asimov was given editorial directions he disagreed with, he ignored them, and wrote the book just as he wanted to. In organizing the various fields of science, Asimov chose to begin with the universe as a whole and work inward in narrowing circles until he was inside the brain at the end.
Asimov began work on the book on 2 October, and found that he had no trouble with it at all, writing anywhere from 6000 to 10,000 words a day without any sense of strain. By 27 January 1958, Asimov was able to deliver the first half of the completed manuscript to Basic Books, but at a meeting a month later, Svirsky suggested cutting the book in half so it could fit in one volume. At that point, Asimov was only two chapters shy of finishing the book, but saw no reason to complete it if it would be subjected to such radical abridgement, and halted work. He resumed work after being informed on 11 March that Svirsky would not try to reduce the book by half, but would instead publish it in two volumes. Svirsky also insisted that the book include an introduction by the geneticist
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
George Wells Beadle. Asimov felt that his work didn't need an introduction by anyone else, and even though he found Beadle's introduction to be very elegant, he still resented its inclusion. Asimov delivered the final chapters to Basic Books on 21 April, and the appendices on 4 May.
When he began proofing the book's galleys, Asimov was horrified to find that Svirsky still cut out some 30% of the book's material. Asimov reinserted as much information into the galley proofs as he could, but he remained unhappy with the book. The book, Asimov's thirty-ninth, was published by Basic Books in October 1960.
Critical reaction
The 16 December 1960 issue of ScienceScience (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
ran a review of the Guide by Derek J. de Solla Price
Derek J. de Solla Price
Derek John de Solla Price was a physicist, historian of science, and information scientist,credited as the father of scientometrics.-Biography:...
which stated,
- "Here, at last, is something new in popular science writing. For once an author has taken the whole of modern science as his oyster, and he has shown himself equal to the task without patronizing the reader, taking him for a babe-in-arms, or doing devilish damage to the contents by culling his material from thirdhand sources. For at least one reviewer who started with a considerable allergy toward all popularized science, the world will never again be quite the same."
However, John Pfeiffer, in the 13 November 1960 issue of the New York Times, wrote,
- "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science suffers from trying to cover too much in too little space. Such an ambitious project demands exactly the same standards of writing as any popular-science book of more limited scope. Ideas and analogies must be presented as fully as specific findings. It is a mistake to compress material to a point where the result is almost a listing of developments with inadequate transitions in between, which is the tendency in this book. As a result, we miss the pace and vividness of individual style. Mr. Asimov has prepared a good introduction to modern research, but it would have been better if he had allowed himself more space for the unique, imaginative writing of which he is so obviously capable."
The Guide was nominated for a National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
in the nonfiction category, losing to William L. Shirer
William L. Shirer
William Lawrence Shirer was an American journalist, war correspondent, and historian, who wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a history of Nazi Germany read and cited in scholarly works for more than 50 years...
's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a 1960 non-fiction book by William L. Shirer chronicling the general history of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945...
. Asimov has stated that The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science led to his recognition as a major figure in the field of science writing.