This non-technical, misnamed study is not about the movement and make-up of the stars. It is rather a series of essays that appeared first in consecutive issues of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and because Mr. Asimov's interests range all over the universe, so does this book. Included are sections and chapters on Newton's laws; "weighing" the earth (read the book to see why the quotation marks are needed); the periodic table; astrology and Velikovsky (which and whom he effectively demolishes); the dangers of overpopulation; a defense of science and the space effort; the need for world cooperation; and much else. Aside from a discussion of tachyons — hypothetical, faster-than-light particles — and perhaps the suggestion that the invention of poison gas started the tarnishing of science's halo, there is little in subject matter that is new here. The style is highly informal: "Does it matter that the close match of weight and mass to which we are accustomed on the surface of the earth fails elsewhere? Sure it does." Does it matter that these essays were written by Isaac Asimov and not someone else? Sure it does.
Pub Date: Feb. 12, 1970
ISBN: 0385010494
Page Count: -
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1970
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
