The Tyrannosaurus Prescription and 100 Other Essays: And 100 Other Essays

In adventurous essays Asimov analyzes our fascination with show biz celebrities, explains the pagan origins of Valentine's Day, speculates on why the detective story first came to prominence in Britain and the U.S., and envisions the universe as ``a sponge built of light.'' This overstuffed miscellany consisting of 101 selections includes 42 book forewords and 20 columns for a high-school-level chemistry magazine, plus informal, breezy pieces on science, space exploration, the future, science fiction and four personal reminiscences (two coauthored with Asimov's wife Janet). While his heady futurist forecasts of planned genetic mutations and nuclear power stations on the moon may not suggest utopia to everyone, nonetheless Asimov's curiosity, roving far afield in tours of Jupiter and Pluto, speculation on the dinosaurs' extinction and musings on the ozone layer, scientific heresies, knights, Atlantis and how life began, offers something to delight every reader. (Sept.)