Reviews for North-west by north

The average rating for North-west by north based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-10-11 00:00:00 Michael Hahn Isaac Asimov, the science-fiction writer who also happened to be one of the most widely educated men of our times, has written dozens of fascinating books on technical, scientific, and historical topics. Here, in this large volume of what is essentially fascinating bits of trivia, he distills the essence of many of those works in a delightful candy store of cool things to know that, probably, most of us didn't know before. It's less a book for reading in bed or on the beach and more one for reading in a room full of plumbing. One can pick it up and put it down a minute later and feel one has gained by the experience. It took me several years to work through it, and I was sorry when it ended. I recommend it.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-09-10 00:00:00 James Hall It's fine as a bedside book (or a bathroom reader for lunatics who entrust books to people visiting their toilet). The lack of sourcing for the facts listed is sometimes troublesome, as several do strain credulity. I have read rumors that Asimov didn't really write this title, but in the introduction he claims that he "compiled and edited it". In his biographies he was frank about his processes for anthologizing and writing introductions for science fiction short story collections (of his own work and that of other authors), so I'm not sure how much weight to lend such rumors. It's possible some of it was constructed by college interns, for instance, but much of the material seems to reflect Asimov's own interests, particularly in the history of science. I was able to pick this up really cheap at a used bookstore. I wouldn't recommend paying much for it; it's just a candy bar--but moderately nutritious as candy bars go.