''Only a Trillion'' is a collection of ten science

essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

s and three scientific spoof articles by

Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...

. It was the first collection of science essays published by Asimov. It was first published by Abelard-Schuman in 1957. A paperback edition published by

Ace Books Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books founded in New York City in 1952 by A. A. Wyn, Aaron A. Wyn. It began as a genre publisher of mystery fiction, mysteries and western (genre), westerns, and soon branched out int ...

in 1976 included updates of outdated material (re-issued in 1980). The book was also published under the title ''Marvels of Science'' by

Collier Books Crowell-Collier Publishing Company was an American publisher that owned the popular magazines ''Collier's'', ''Woman's Home Companion'' and ''The American Magazine''. Crowell's subsidiary, P.F. Collier and Son, published ''Collier's Encyclopedia ...

in 1962. The title refers to the number of atoms of astatine-215 in the top 10 miles of the

Earth's crust Earth's crust is its thick outer shell of rock, referring to less than one percent of the planet's radius and volume. It is the top component of the lithosphere, a solidified division of Earth's layers that includes the crust and the upper ...

of the North and South American continents – only a

trillion ''Trillion'' is a number with two distinct definitions: *1,000,000,000,000, i.e. one million 1,000,000, million, or (ten to the twelfth Exponentiation, power), as defined on the long and short scales, short scale. This is now the meaning in bot ...

# The Atoms That Vanish (first published in ''Change!'', 1957) # The Explosions Within Us (original article) # Hemoglobin and the Universe (first published in ''

Astounding Science Fiction ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...

'', Feb. 1955) # Victory on Paper (first published in ''Astounding'', Sept. 1955) # The Abnormality of Being Normal (first published in ''Astounding'', May 1956) # Planets Have an Air About Them (first published in ''Astounding'', March 1957) # The Unblind Workings of Chance (first published in ''Astounding'', April 1957) # The Trapping of the Sun (first published in ''Astounding'', May 1957) # The Sea-Urchin and We (first published in ''Astounding'', July 1957) # The Sound of Panting (first published in ''Astounding'', June 1955) # The Marvellous Properties of Thiotimoline ## The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline (first published in ''Astounding'', March 1948) ## The Micropsychiatric Applications of Thiotimoline (first published in ''Astounding'', Dec. 1953) # Pâté de Foie Gras (first published in ''Astounding'', Sept. 1956)

Reception

Floyd C. Gale stated that Asimov " most certainly had enormous fun writing this collection of articles. He staggers, frightens, amazes and, in two, fiendishly misleads his reader". Following the publication of ''Only a Trillion'', Asimov compiled several more science essays into the manuscript for another, similar book titled ''Only a Light-Year'', but that book was never published, because '' Only a Trillion'' had not sold enough copies.Asimov, I. (1980) ''In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954–1978'', New York: Avon Books, pp. 342–343

References

External links

A review
of ''Only a Trillion'' by Robert E. K. Rourke.
''Only a Trillion'' (1957)
at the

Internet Speculative Fiction Database The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...

''Only a Trillion'' (1976)
at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
''Marvels of Science''
at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database {{Asimov essay collections Essay collections by Isaac Asimov 1957 books Abelard-Schuman books

Contents

Reception

References

External links