History Literature / TheEarlyAsimov

First published in 1972 by Creator/IsaacAsimov, with the help of Creator/{{Doubleday}} publishing company. Dr Asimov's second {{Biography}}, this {{Anthology}} focuses on his first eleven years of professional publication, and is [[InMemoriam dedicated to the recently deceased]] Creator/JohnWCampbell.

Beginning with a justification for writing this collection when he already has ten others from the same time period, Dr Asimov explains how Creator/{{Panther}} and Creator/{{Doubleday}} persuaded him to select additional stories and to write a short personal history related to each of them. Convinced of the idea, Dr Asimov shares thoughts from his diary, and sketches out a history of publication, from the first time he published a story ("Literature/LittleBrothers", for ''Magazine/BoysHighSchool'') in 1934 and the first story he wrote for professional publication ("Literature/TheCallistanMenace", rejected half a dozen times before being published by ''Magazine/AstonishingStories'') in 1940, to the last short fiction stories he wrote before publishing novels and moving to Boston in 1949, and the way it felt when Campbell died in 1971.

Interspersed between the stories reprinted for this collection, Dr Asimov shares anecdotes of meetings, letters he received from editors, and other events that affected his ability to write. The varying influences on his work, including the various ScienceFiction authors and publishers, are all talked about here. Because of the (roughly) 550 pages, this story has been DividedForPublication in two different ways; split into two books or three volumes.

* "Literature/TheLittleManOnTheSubway" (1950) co-written with Creator/JamesMacCreigh

* "Literature/LegalRites" (1950) co-written with Creator/JamesMacCreigh

* AllPlanetsAreEarthLike: Dr Asimov [[DiscussedTrope discusses]] the way he was [[FollowTheLeader influenced]] by the other pulp magazines to include several earthlike worlds when he was writing "Literature/TheCallistanMenace". He claims to have known that it was improbable to the extreme even then.
* {{Autobiography}}: This {{anthology}} is an autobiographical account of Dr Asimov's first eleven years of professional publication. It's the second biographical account he wrote, and he focused on his interactions with the great editor Creator/JohnWCampbell.
* BookEnds: The story starts at the [[InMemoriam dedication to the recently deceased]] Creator/JohnWCampbell, and ends with Dr Asimov saying that the eleven years of working with Campbell were indescribable. Writing this book is the best way he can describe the debt he owes Campbell.

* HumansAreSpecial: In the afterword to "Literature/HomoSol", Dr Asimov said Campbell loved the story because [[InvokedTrope it made humans unique]] without suggesting we're inherently more intelligent or morally superior.
* InspirationForTheWork: [[Invoked]] Dr Asimov [[DiscussedTrope discusses]] the inspirations for each work in this [[{{Anthology}} collection]] (assuming he recalls what may have inspired the story).
* MissingEpisode: [[Invoked]] Dr Asimov [[DiscussedTrope discusses]] several works that he had written, but never published (usually this means the story is lost).
** "Literature/LittleBrothers" was Dr Asimov's first published work, printed in his high school magazine. However, a later AutoBiography shares that he managed to find a copy of the issue and he republished it several more times.
** Dr Asimov's "Cosmic Corkscrew" is a story about TimeTravel that was submitted to several publishers, but never accepted.
** Dr Asimov names "The Weapon" as a ShortStory he wrote, but later lost when none of the publishers accepted it. He had forgotten that it was actually published in 1942 under a pseudonym. He reprinted it in his 1979 autobiography.
** Dr Asimov names "Paths of Destiny" as a ShortStory he wrote, but later lost when none of the magazine editors of the day accepted it.
** "Knossos in Its Glory" was an attempt by Dr Asimov to take the myth of Theseus and [[RecycledInSpace rewrite it in modern science fiction style]].
* PenName: After the story "{{Literature/Trends}}", Dr Asimov [[DiscussedTrope describes]] the disagreement between himself and Creator/JohnWCampbell over whether he should use an anglo-saxon pseudonym to make it easier for audiences to read/spell his name. Dr Asimov was firmly against the idea, and Campbell didn't raise the subject when he agreed to publish "Trends".
* RecycledInSpace: Dr Asimov [[DiscussedTrope shares his concept]] for the [[MissingEpisode lost story]], "Knossos in Its Glory", a retelling of the Theseus myth with ScienceFiction elements, such as making the minotaur an extraterrestrial who crashed in ancient Crete.

** Due to Dr Asimov's prolific publication history, even during his early years, it can be safely assumed that every ScienceFiction PulpMagazine of the GoldenAge, as well as most of the publishing houses and major editors, are named here.
** Myth/ClassicalMythology gets referenced when Dr Asimov explains the premise of "Knossos in Its Glory"; a [[RecycledInSpace retelling of the Theseus myth with science fiction elements]].

* {{Biography}}: This {{Anthology}} is an autobiographical account of Dr Asimov's first eleven years of professional publication. It's the second biographical account he wrote, and he focused on his interactions with the great editor Creator/JohnWCampbell.

** The original {{Creator/Panther}} edition, from 1973, has ''Volume 1'' containing "Literature/TheCallistanMenace" through "Literature/TheSecretSense", ''Volume 2'' containing "Literature/HomoSol" through "Literature/TimePussy", and ''Volume 3'' containing "Literature/AuthorAuthor" through "Literature/MotherEarth".

* "Literature/AuthorAuthor" (1964)

Beginning with a justification for writing this collection when he already has ten others from the same time period, Dr Asimov explains how Creator/{{Panther}} and Creator/{{Doubleday}} persuaded him to select additional stories and to write a short personal history related to each of them. Convinced of the idea, Dr Asimov shares thoughts from his diary, and sketches out a history of publication, from the first time he published a story (''Literature/LittleBrothers'', for ''Magazine/BoysHighSchool'') in 1934 and the first story he wrote for professional publication ("Literature/TheCallistanMenace", rejected half a dozen times before being published by ''Magazine/AstonishingStories'') in 1940, to the last short fiction stories he wrote before publishing novels and moving to Boston in 1949, and the way it felt when Campbell died in 1971.

** ''Literature/LittleBrothers'' was Dr Asimov's first published work, printed in his high school magazine. However, a later AutoBiography shares that he managed to find a copy of the issue and he republished it several more times.

Beginning with a justification for writing this collection when he already has ten others from the same time period, Dr Asimov explains how Creator/{{Panther}} and Creator/{{Doubleday}} persuaded him to select additional stories and to write a short personal history related to each of them. Convinced of the idea, Dr Asimov shares thoughts from his diary, and sketches out a history of publication, from the first time he published a story ("Literature/LittleBrothers", for ''Magazine/BoysHighSchool'') in 1934 and the first story he wrote for professional publication ("Literature/TheCallistanMenace", rejected half a dozen times before being published by ''Magazine/AstonishingStories'') in 1940, to the last short fiction stories he wrote before publishing novels and moving to Boston in 1949, and the way it felt when Campbell died in 1971.

** "Literature/LittleBrothers" was Dr Asimov's first published work, printed in his high school magazine. However, a later AutoBiography shares that he managed to find a copy of the issue and he republished it several more times.

** ClassicalMythology gets referenced when Dr Asimov explains the premise of "Knossos in Its Glory"; a [[RecycledInSpace retelling of the Theseus myth with science fiction elements]].

** Dr Asimov names "The Weapon" as a ShortStory he wrote, but later lost when none of the publishers accepted it.
*** It was actually published in 1942 under a psedudonym. Asimov reprinted it in his autobiography.

* InspirationForTheWork: Dr Asimov [[DiscussedTrope discusses]] the inspirations for each work in this [[{{Anthology}} collection]] (assuming he recalls what may have inspired the story).
* MissingEpisode: Dr Asimov [[DiscussedTrope discusses]] several works that he had written, but never published (usually this means the story is lost).