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The Ends of the Earth: The Polar Regions of the World
Near fine in a a very good dustjacket (light edgewear to dj, now protected by archival cover, overall an attractive clean and ti Hardcover first edition - New Weybright and Talley,, 1975.. Hardcover first edition -. Near fine in a a very good dustjacket (light edgewear to dj, now protected by archival cover, overall an attractive clean and tight copy.). First printing. A discussion of the past ice ages, and the likelihood of future ones, the differences between the Arctic and the Antartic, and the story of the early geographical explorations and later scientific ones of this area. Illustrated with Bob Hines. Index, 363 pgs. Wraparound dust jacket art by Wendell Minor.
363 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
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About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,337 books27.7k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 12, 2012
Asimov at his multidisciplinary finest. In The Ends of the Earth, he approaches the subject of the Earth's polar regions with a fascinating combination of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, geology, geography, and history, weaving it all together to present the ancient past, recent past, and present state of the poles, with some speculations on the future.
Though written at a time before "global warming" became a household catchphrase and topic of debate-- at that time, it was not even clear if average global temperatures were falling or rising-- Asimov makes it clear that *whichever* change happens, it's the change that will cause problems; and the more we know about it, the better-prepared we will be.
That said, the vast majority of the book is explanatory rather than cautionary, and though science and history have continued to advance since it was published in 1975, it is still very much worth the read.
Though written at a time before "global warming" became a household catchphrase and topic of debate-- at that time, it was not even clear if average global temperatures were falling or rising-- Asimov makes it clear that *whichever* change happens, it's the change that will cause problems; and the more we know about it, the better-prepared we will be.
That said, the vast majority of the book is explanatory rather than cautionary, and though science and history have continued to advance since it was published in 1975, it is still very much worth the read.
May 31, 2018
Der Meister in Topform. Niemand kommt so elegant von Hölzken auf Stöcksken.
Es geht um die Pole. Und dabei wird Alles erklärt, so wie es sein soll.
Es geht um die Pole. Und dabei wird Alles erklärt, so wie es sein soll.
December 26, 2019
Every single polar fact
About which you'd never ask.
About which you'd never ask.
July 16, 2022
From Pole to Pole:
As a pre-teen in the 1950s—1960s I read a lot Science Fiction by various authors including Isaac Asimov ( I Robot, the Foundation books). But later I “discovered” his Science Fact series of books like; “The Universe, and The Exploding Suns” for example. In 1975 he published “The Ends of the Earth” and I finally got around to reading it recently . Basically this one examines the North and South Poles, their differences and similarities as well as their Geography, Biology and all other related Sciences. Written primarily for the General Reader, Asimov covers the basic’s in a thorough manner, often stopping to explain any complex issues that comes up in the text. This book is an excellent Geographic primer, like taking a class in Geography 1: Starting with Earth’s place in the Solar System you’ll learn about it’s orbit and rotation and why we have four seasons. Then a good historical overview of the discovery and exploration of the Pole’s. Look into the oceans and fresh water lakes and rivers and what happens when they freeze and why ice bergs and glaciers are mostly fresh water. Each Pole has it’s own collection of animals and plants that have adapted to life in the freezer. Asimov explains Earth’s magnetic field and what effect it has on life. You’ll also look into Continental Drift and it’s effects on evolution and ocean currents. In short “The Ends of the Earth” is a good way to get a quick overview of the North and south poles and how they fit into the big picture. At 350 pages it’s a relatively quick read that may cover some familiar ground for you but I’m sure you’ll find some new information too.
Last Ranger
December 30, 2020
Asimov is such a lovable showoff. When mere mortals write a book about the polar regions of the world, they deliver a work about snow, ice, animals, and wind -- the expected things. When Asimov writes, somehow he covers the cosmological history of the solar system, water dynamics, and works in sidelines about A Thousand and One Nights. One gets a library, not a book. He's a multidisplinary beast, a rare treasure.
December 25, 2009
I read this while at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Found it in the library.
April 5, 2017
An examination of Earth's polar regions and all the discovery and science involved.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews