Earth Is Room Enough
Encyclopedia
Earth Is Room Enough is a collection of fifteen short science fiction
and fantasy
stories and two pieces of comic verse published by Isaac Asimov
in 1957. In his autobiography In Joy Still Felt, Asimov wrote, "I was still thinking of the remarks of reviewers such as George O. Smith
. . . concerning my penchant for wandering over the Galaxy. I therefore picked stories that took place on Earth
and called the book Earth Is Room Enough." The collection includes one story from the Robot Series
and four stories that feature or mention the fictional computer
Multivac
.
The most substantial work in the collection is the opening novelette: "The Dead Past
".
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
stories and two pieces of comic verse published by Isaac Asimov
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...
in 1957. In his autobiography In Joy Still Felt, Asimov wrote, "I was still thinking of the remarks of reviewers such as George O. Smith
George O. Smith
George Oliver Smith was an American science fiction author. He is not to be confused with George H. Smith, another American science fiction author.-Biography:...
. . . concerning my penchant for wandering over the Galaxy. I therefore picked stories that took place on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and called the book Earth Is Room Enough." The collection includes one story from the Robot Series
Isaac Asimov's Robot Series
Isaac Asimov's Robot Series is a series of short stories and novels by Isaac Asimov featuring positronic robots.- Short stories :Most of Asimov's robot short stories are set in the first age of positronic robotics and space exploration...
and four stories that feature or mention the fictional computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
Multivac
Multivac
Multivac is the name of a fictional supercomputer in many stories by Isaac Asimov. According to his autobiography In Memory Yet Green, Asimov coined the name in imitation of UNIVAC, an early mainframe computer...
.
The most substantial work in the collection is the opening novelette: "The Dead Past
The Dead Past
"The Dead Past" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the April 1956 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. It was later collected in Earth Is Room Enough and The Best of Isaac Asimov , and adapted into an episode of the science-fiction television series Out of the...
".
Contents
- The Dead PastThe Dead Past"The Dead Past" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the April 1956 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. It was later collected in Earth Is Room Enough and The Best of Isaac Asimov , and adapted into an episode of the science-fiction television series Out of the...
1956 (A Multivac story) - The Foundation of S.F. SuccessThe Foundation of S.F. Success"The Foundation of S.F. Success" is a pastiche, written in 1954 by Isaac Asimov, of the patter song "If you're anxious for to shine" from the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera Patience, describing the easy way to become a successful writer. Asimov borrows Gilbert's rhythm and rhyme schemes in the...
1954 (poem/song lyric) - Franchise 1955 (A Multivac story)
- Gimmicks ThreeGimmicks Three"Gimmicks Three" is a fantasy short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1956 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction under the title "The Brazen Locked Room", and reprinted under Asimov's original title in the 1957 collection Earth is Room Enough...
1956 - Kid StuffKid Stuff"Kid Stuff" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the September 1953 issue of Beyond Fantasy Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough. Asimov wrote the story in January 1953, intending it for a new magazine called Fantastic, but it...
1953 - The Watery PlaceThe Watery Place"The Watery Place" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the October 1956 issue of Satellite Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough...
1956 - Living SpaceLiving Space"Living Space" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the May 1956 issue of Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough...
1956 - The MessageThe Message (short story)"The Message" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the February 1956 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth is Room Enough. "The Message" tells the story of how the expression Kilroy...
1955 - Satisfaction Guaranteed 1951 (A Susan CalvinSusan CalvinDr. Susan Calvin is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Robot Series. She was the chief robopsychologist at US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., the major manufacturer of robots in the 21st century...
robot story) - Hell-FireHell-Fire"Hell-Fire" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, originally published in the May 1956 issue of Fantastic Universe and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough...
1956 - The Last TrumpThe Last Trump"The Last Trump" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the June 1955 issue of Fantastic Universe and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough...
1955 - The Fun They HadThe Fun They Had"The Fun They Had" is a science fiction story written by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in a children's newspaper in 1951 and was reprinted in the February 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, as well as the collections Earth Is Room Enough , 50 Short Science Fiction Tales ,...
1951 - Jokester 1956 (A Multivac story)
- The Immortal BardThe Immortal BardThe Immortal Bard is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the May 1954 issue of Universe Science Fiction, and has since been republished in several collections and anthologies, including Earth Is Room Enough and The Best Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov...
1953 - SomedaySomeday (short story)Someday is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the August 1956 issue of Infinity Science Fiction and reprinted in the collections Earth Is Room Enough , The Complete Robot , Robot Visions , and The Complete Stories, Volume 1 .-Plot summary:The story is set in a...
1956 (A Multivac story) - The Author's OrdealThe Author's OrdealThe Author's Ordeal are lyrics to a song written by science fiction author Isaac Asimov. They were first published in Science Fiction Quarterly, May 1957, pp. 34-36...
1957 (poem/song lyric) - Dreaming Is a Private ThingDreaming Is a Private Thing"Dreaming Is a Private Thing" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the December 1955 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth is Room Enough...
1955