Asimov, Isaac

Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 - April 6, 1992)

Born in Russia, Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of modern times.  He is known to have written more than 500 books in numerous genres.  As a bit of trivia, Asimov's books can be found in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System, missing only in the 100s (philosophy and psychology).

Asimov is most well-known as a science-fiction author, and is considered one of the masters of the genre.  His short story "Nightfall" was voted the best science fiction story of all time in 1964 by the Science Fiction Writers of America, and many readers still give the honor to the story.  His most famous work is the "Foundation" series.  The "Galactic Empire" series and "Robot" series are also international renowned, and actually exist creatively in the same universe, creating a unified "future history" for the three separate sets of work.

Asimov is identified with what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction, roughly the late 1930s through to the 1950s.