I, Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov is another author who almost single-handedly created a genre of story that, without which, we would not have the writing that we do today. Asimov is regarded as one of the fathers of modern science fiction (along with Arthur C. Clarke, Harlan Ellison and Philip K. Dick), who singlehandedly helped to reconfigure how we think about alien life, future human society, and robots. He was so influential, in fact, that he coined the term 'robotics' and many of his predictions about cybernetics have formed the basis for modern computing.
Isaac Asimov was perhaps the quintessential science fiction writer: with his passion for all things technological, his unusual appearance and his commitment to the future. He was a lifelong Humanist, atheist and sceptic, helping to form the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry which continues to disprove paranormal claims to this day. Apart from his fiction works, perhaps one of his greatest contributions to the world is his Three Laws of Robotics as well as his predictions for the future: including global warming, population management, and technological advances such as computer A.I., and 'Asimov's Ladder' (a form of space transport that is seriously being considered by NASA).
Asimov's greatest work (some would argue his lifetime work) would be the future histories of our galaxy called The Foundation Series, which started as three books in the 'saga' and then were continuously added to throughout his life. What is pertinent for the collector is the fact that they show a window into the formation of the 'Golden Age of Science Fiction' as they were written in the 1950s, right at the birth of the entire genre. The next most interesting works of the author would perhaps be the Robot series (actually a part of the Foundation series, but considered separate from it).
The very first editions of I, Robot were published by the lesser-known Gnome Press of New York, in an attractive red, moody jacket or clothbound hardcover - the front illustration an iconic 'Iron Man' sort of robot (1950). If found in or near good condition, then unsigned, these will be worth somewhere in the region of three thousand US dollars, and worth investing in, as the Gnome Press editions only lasted for a very short window of time. The first edition hardcover of I, Robot from Grayson andGrayson, just a few years later in 1952, falls dramatically in value to around the seven hundred to a thousand dollars region.
For the Foundation Series books we see a similar history, with Gnome Books of New York again being his original publishers. Whilst any hardcover of the first two volumes (Foundation and Empire) are interesting and hold a place in scifi history, it is only the very first printing of these volumes which command the higher prices at auction. These can be distinguished by their (predominantly red) full colour covers as opposed to their (faded-out) black and white cover images. These full-colour first printing, first edition hardcovers are worth anywhere from seven hundred to two thousand US dollars, depending on signature, quality, and preservation.
Asimov, Isaac. I, ROBOT. Gnome Press, Inc. (1950). Book Design By David Kyle; Illustrated By Edd Cartier; 5000 Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. PEBBLE IN THE SKY. Doubleday and Company Garden City (1950). 1500 Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY. Gnome Press (1951). Including: Foundation, Foundation And Empire And Second Foundation (Book 3 Inscribed).
Asimov, Isaac. THE STARS, LIKE DUST. Garden City: Doubleday and Company (1951).
ASIMOV, ISAAC. Foundation and Empire. Gnome Press (1952). First Issue Multicolor Dj By Ed Cartier; Illus. By Edd Cartier
Asimov, Isaac. I, Robot. Grayson and Grayson (1952).
Asimov , Isaac. The Currents of Space. Doubleday and Co. NY (1952).
Asimov, Isaac. FOUNDATION. Weidenfeld and Nicolson (1953). With Foundation And Empire With Second Foundation; First Issue Multicolor Dj By Ed Cartier With Wear At Spine Edges.
Asimov, Isaac. Lucky Starr and The Pirates of The Asteroids. Doubleday and Co. NY (1953). Published Pseudonomously By Paul French
Asimov, Isaac. Second Foundation. Gnome Press (1953).
Asimov, Isaac. THE CAVES OF STEEL. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, (1954). First Printing WithFirst Edition Printed On The Copyright Page
Asimov, Isaac. Science Fiction Terror Tales. Gnome Press (1955). Conklin, Groff (Ed), Ray Bradbury, Fredric Brown, Robert Sheckley, Richard Matheson, Peter Phillips, Theodore Sturgeon, Magaret St Clair, Paul Ernst, Anthony Boucher, Alan E. Nourse, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, Et Al; Includes 15 Stories From Fifteen Authors; Original Full Colour Paper Dj, 5000 Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. THE END OF ETERNITY. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, (1955). Illustrated By Mel Hunter
Asimov, Isaac. THE MARTIAN WAY AND OTHER STORIES. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, (1955). CollectsThe Martian Way,Youth,The Deep AndSucker Bait,
Asimov, Isaac. LUCKY STARR AND THE BIG SUN OF MERCURY. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, (1956).
Asimov, Isaac. EARTH IS ROOM ENOUGH. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, (1957). Science Fiction Tales Of Our Own Planet. Dust Jacket Illustration By Tony Palladino; First Printing WithFirst Edition Printed On The Copyright Page.
Asimov, Isaac. THE NAKED SUN. Doubleday, Garden City (1957). Illustrated By Ray, Ruth (Jacket)
Asimov, Isaac. THE NAKED SUN. Doubleday, Garden City (1957). Illustrated By Ray, Ruth (Jacket)
Asimov, Isaac. NINE TOMORROWS. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, (1959). Tales Of The Near Future; Collects Two Verse Satires And Nine Stories IncludingI'M In Marsport Without Hilda,The Last Question, AndThe Ugly Little Boy.
Asimov, Isaac. The Hugo Winners. Doubleday and Company, Garden City (1962). Authors Included Poul Anderson; Eric Frank Russell; Robert Bloch; Walter M. Miller, Jr.; Daniel Keyes; Arthur C. Clarke; Murray Leinster; Clifford D. Simak; Avram Davidson; Stories Included Here Are: The Darfsteller; Allamagoosa; Exploration Team; The Star; Or All The Seas With Oysters; The Hell-Bound Train; Flowers For Algernon; The Longest Voyage.
Asimov , Isaac. Fantastic Voyage. Houghton Mifflin, Boston (1966).
ASIMOV, ISAAC. DANGEROUS VISIONS. Doubleday and Company Inc, Garden City (1967). The Major Original 60S Anthology With Contributions By Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg, Frederik Pohl, Philip Farmer, Robert Bloch, Harlan Ellison, Brian Aldiss, Philip K. Dick, Larry Niven, Fritz Leiber, Damon Knight, Theodore Sturgeon, John Sladek, R.A. Lafferty, James Ballard, John Brunner, Roger Zelazny, Samuel Delany.
Asimov, Isaac. Is Anyone There?. Garden City: Doubleday (1967).
Asimov, Isaac. Asimovs Mysteries. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, (1968). Collects 13 Science Fiction Mystery Stories
Asimov, Isaac. Nightfall and Other Stories. Doubleday and Co. Inc. (1969). Twenty Stories With Interesting Biographical Notes By Asimov, All From The 1950S And 1960S Except The Title Story.
Asimov, Isaac. Where Do We Go From Here?. Doubleday and Company, Garden City (1971). Includes Stories By Asimov, Heinlein And Arthur C. Clarke.
Asimov, Isaac. THE GODS THEMSELVES. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, (1972). First Printing WithFirst Edition Printed On The Copyright Page.
Asimov, Isaac. The Shaping of France. Houghton Mifflin, Boston (1972).
Asimov, Isaac. The Shaping of North America. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston (1973). From Earliest Times To 1763.
Asimov, Isaac. The Tragedy of the Moon. Doubleday (1973).
Asimov, Isaac. TALES OF THE BLACK WIDOWERS. Doubleday (1974).
Asimov, Isaac. The Best of Isaac Asimov. Doubleday, Garden City (1974). Collection Of Twelve Stories Handpicked By The Author
Asimov, Isaac. More Tales of the Black Widowers. Doubleday and Co. (1976). Dr A, Paul French, C L Ray; This Contains: Introduction; When No Man Pursueth; Quicker Than The Eye; The Iron Gem; The Three Numbers; Nothing Like Murder; No Smoking; Seasons Greetings; One and Only East; Earthset and Evening Star; Friday Thirteenth; The Unabridged; The Ultimate Crime.
ASIMOV, ISAAC. The Bicentennial Man. NY Doubleday and Company 1976 (1976).
Asimov, Isaac. Familiar Poems, Annotated. Doubleday, Garden City (1977). Poems Included Are: Ozymandias; The Destruction Of Sennacherib; The Vision Of Belshazzar; Alexanders Feast; Antony To Cleopatra; The Angels Song; Boadicea; The Pied Piper Of Hamelin; Bruce To His Men At Bannockburn; Lepanto; The Revenge; The Landing Of The Pilgrim Fathers; On The Late Massacre In Piedmont; The Deacons Masterpiece; Paul Reveres Rive; Concord Hymn; On The Extinction Of The Venetian Republic; Incident Of The French Camp; The Star-Spangled Banner; On First Looking Into Chapmans Homer; A Visit From Saint Nicholas; Old Ironsides; To Helen; Ann Rutledge; The Charge Of The Light Brigade; Maryland, My Maryland; Battle-Hymn Of The Republic; Barbara Frietchie; O Captain! My Captain!; Invictus; The Modern Major-General; The New Colossus; Recessional; Cargoes; Miniver Cheevy; In Flanders Fields; Fire And Ice
Asimov, Isaac. The Collapsing Universe. NY Walker and Company (1977). The Story Of Black Holes
Asimov , Isaac. In Memory Yet Green. Doubleday, Garden City (1979). The Autobiography Of Isaac Asimov, 1920 - 1954.
Asimov, Isaac. 3 BY ASIMOV. Targ Editions, N. Y. (1981). Three Science Fiction Tales; 250 Copies Signed By Asimov.
Asimov, Isaac. FOUNDATIONS EDGE. Whispers Press, Binghampton (1982). 1000 Numbered Copies Signed By Asimov And Publisher Stuart Schiff And 26 Lettered Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. Simpsons Sherlockian Studies. Magico Magazine (1982). Volumes 1-9; Edited By A. Carson Simpson; Introduction By Isaac Asimov; Appreciation By John B. Koelle; 100 Copies Signed By Isaac Asimov.
Asimov, Isaac. The Robots of Dawn. Phantasia Press, Huntington Woods, Michigan (1983). 750 Copies; 35 Lettered And Signed Deluxe Limited Edition Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. The Union Club Mysteries. Doubleday (1983).
Asimov, Isaac. Banquets of the Black Widowers. Doubleday (1984). Aka: Dr A, Paul French, C L Ray; First Printing WithFirst Edition Printed On The Copyright Page; Contains: Introduction; Sixty Million Combinations; The Woman In The Bar; The Driver; The Good Samaritan; The Year Of The Action; Can You Prove It?; The Phoenician Bauble; A Monday In April; Neither Brute Nor Human; The Redhead; The Wrong House.
Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimovs Limericks for Children. Caedmon Childrens Books (1984).
Asimov, Isaac. ROBOTS AND EMPIRE. Phantasia Press, West Bloomfield (1985). 650 Copies; 35 Lettered And Signed Deluxe Limited Edition Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. Foundation and Earth. Doubleday New York (1986). 300 Copies Signed By Asimov.
Asimov, Isaac. Robot Dreams. Berkley / Byron Preiss (1986). Illustrated By Ralph Mcquarrie; 300 Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. Asimovs Annotated Gilvert and Sullivan. Doubleday (1988). An Original Interpretation Of The Worlds Best-Loved Light Opera; Dust Jacket Illustrated By Hilary Knight.
Asimov, Isaac. LITTLE BROTHERS. Pretentious Press (1988). Total 126 Copies; 100 Copies Produced For Distribution.
Asimov , Isaac. Prelude to Foundation. Easton Press (1988). Illustration By Vincent Di Fate And Introduction By James Gunn; 500 Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. The Foundation Trilogy. Easton Press (1988). Introduction By James Gunn; Illustrations By Michael Whelan; IncludesFoundation;Foundation And Empire; AndSecond Foundation AndThe Story Behind The Foundation.
Asimov, Isaac. NEMESIS. DOUBLEDAY (1989). 500 Signed Copies.
Asimov. Isaac. The Asimov Chronicles. Dark Harvest, Arlington Hts, IL (1989). Fifty Years Of Isaac Asmove; 500 Copies Signed By The Author As Well As Both Aritists, Husband And Wife Ron Lindhahn And Val Lakey Lindhahn; Martin H. Greenberg, Editor.
Asimov, Isaac. Visions of Fantasy. Doubleday (1989). Martin H. Greenberg (Editor); Tales From The Masters; The Twelve Stories Are: 1, The Smallest Dragonboy (Anne Mccaffrey); 2, A Message From Charity (William Lee); 3, The Seventh Mandarin (Jane Yolen); 4, The Voices Of El Dorado (Howard Goldsmith); 5, The Box (Bruce Coville); 6, The Lake (Ray Bradbury); 7, A Dozen Of Everything (Marion Zimmer Bradley), 8, Poor Little Saturday (Madeleine Lengle); 9, The Fable Of The Three Princes (Isaac Asimov); 10, Letters From Camp (Al Sarrantonio); 11, Things That Go Quack In The Night (Lewis and Edith Shiner); And, 12, Voices In The Wind (Elizabeth S. Helfman).
Asimov, Isaac. Nightfall. Doubleday, Garden City (1990). Robert Silverberg; 750 Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. Pebble in the Sky. Doubleday (1990). New Foreword Signed By The Author; Editors Note By Jennifer Brehl; 1500 Copies.
Asimov, Isaac. I, Robot. Easton Press., Norwalk (1996). The Illustrated Screenplay By Harlan Ellison; Illustrated By Mark Zug; 1500 Copies Signed By Harlan Ellison.