The used bookstores in my area have plenty of Asimov paperbacks. Amazon lists 987 results for 'Asimov', of which some, I'm sure, are reprints or anthologies of the basic science books.

I agree with the previous poster; there is no today's equivalent of Asimov. And, for what its worth, I learned a good chunk of my science from Asimov's science fiction. (Until, of course, I unlearned everything in college physics.)

There are great old (and new) copies of "The Way Things Work" which also has also somehow morphed into a decent web page. The basic physics is there, with a decidedly popular science addition. As for science, I would recommend getting the kids a solid grounding in basic mechanics--understanding physics relies on physical analogy, at least at the basic stages, and having good physical intuition is far more important than knowing a bit about black holes and inflation theory.

I have 3 or four old copies of "The Way Things Work"--some of which are quite beautiful. You can find them fairly regularly at most used book stores--I even picked up a copy in Berkeley.

Good luck,

Brennan

There are great old (and new) copies of "The Way Things Work" which also has also somehow morphed into a decent web page. The basic physics is there, with a decidedly popular science addition. As for science, I would recommend getting the kids a solid grounding in basic mechanics--understanding physics relies on physical analogy, at least at the basic stages, and having good physical intuition is far more important than knowing a bit about black holes and inflation theory.

I have 3 or four old copies of "The Way Things Work"--some of which are quite beautiful. You can find them fairly regularly at most used book stores--I even picked up a copy in Berkeley.

Good luck,

Brennan

The way things work is a great site

also , half.com:

"Books Search Results
1343 products found for "isaac asimov"."

I am beginning to confront/cherish the same issues with my 7 year old.

also http://www.howstuffworks.com/

You want "How things work" by Louis Bloomfield, http://howthingswork.virginia.edu/home.html. Simply the best book of its kind (speaking as a physics educator and physicist).

Many of the respondents seem to be citing specifics which reflect a broader wisdom offered recently by a wise father. To paraphrase: "Everybody should use google."

"The Way Things Work" books are no substitute for the old Asimov science books, for precisely the reason that it focuses on things and not on principles. I can't use the books to really explain things to my 8-year old, because the books present tons of(fun) detail but can't provide the underlying principles.

And, while we're complaining, is there a latter-day Martin Gardner out there anywhere?

A modern Martin Gardner? There are two (sort of) choices I know of--the best is Clifford Pickover (great web page), and a close second is Douglas Hofsteader (metamagical themas/matematical games).

Sorry about the earlier double post.

I have a 6 year old and we Google together. The wonderful thing I have found is when you ask your kid to pose a question, results generally speak to their level. Try it!

>>I have 3 or four old copies of "The Way Things Work"--some of which are quite beautiful<<

Not to be confused with "The Way The World Works" by Jude Wanniski, which is also a great book to give an interested nine-year-old :-)

If by "a modern-day Martin Gardner" you mean "someone still talking complete balls about Margaret Mead and anthropology", Steve Pinker's your man; elsewise, I dunno.

A bit too advanced for a nine year old, but I highly recommend `The concept of heat simply explained" and `The concept of energy simply explained', both by Morton Mott-Smith. They are quite old and, unfortunately, out of print, But very good.

And in praise of Asimov still more -- need I mention that Paul Krugman claims that he was originally inspired to become an psychohist economist by the Foundation series? :^)

Julian Elson

And in praise of Asimov still more -- need I mention that Paul Krugman claims that he was originally inspired to become an psychohist economist by the Foundation series? :^)

Julian Elson

All this is fine but Professor DeLong told us he quit coffee a while ago, so I think he needs to publicaly clarify his current position on cafeine if he is to retain any intellectual credibility, at least regarding addictive substances... :-D

Rush out and buy "Think Physics" by Lewis Carroll Epstein! It is the best modern equivalent I know of to Asimov's excellent "Understanding Physics" trio . It has the ONLY good intuitive description of tensors I have ever seen, and the problem-solving aspect of the book makes it even better than Asimov in at least one respect. I have my B.S. in Physics, and even I find it useful.

P.S....I did see a hardbound copy of the complete Asimov set on the sale rack at my local Barnes & Noble as recently as a month ago.

"A modern Martin Gardner? There are two (sort of) choices I know of--the best is Clifford Pickover (great web page), and a close second is Douglas Hofsteader (metamagical themas/matematical games)."

Hofstadter (I may be misspelling it too) is a prof at IU, My Fair University, and is teaching a graduate seminar next semester ... in poetry.

I second the Asimov books. What about things like Odyssey magazine? Is that still out there? Great on cosmology ...

A modern Martin Gardner? Isn't he still alive?

'A modern Martin Gardner? Isn't he still alive?'

Not for long, apparently. The posters know something we don't.....

I grew up on the Asimov books, and I would disagree with those who claim they had to "unlearn" things when they got to college physics - my experience was that college courses tended to shove a lot of equations at you with no context, so it was good to have the "big picture" aquired from Asimov.

As for other recommendations, Larry Gonick's "Cartoon guides" are excellent. The third volume of his "Cartoon History of the Universe" is out, and it's as good as ever Some really great stuff on the rise of Islam and the Crusades. He really does his research, and manages (at least in his history books) to make some interesting connections (particularly in showing all of world history as "one big picture" with events in even obscure places managing to affect the places we all read about in school in odd ways) that will surprise even serious students of history...

Richard Feynman's 'Six Easy Pieces' might be a good place to start. It's remarkably clear and vivid in describing all manner of physical interactions.

A lot of concepts really clicked home for me when I read it.

The thing I miss about Asimov is that he had the gift of explaining things so very clearly. And because he could explain things so very clearly, what he explained (science) became interesting and easily understandable and therefore ceased to seem malign or frightening. Unlike economics!

I strongly wish Asimov had understood economics so he could have written a guide to it. Alas! As he said in his autobiography, he tried to take a course in economics but it made no sense to him.

you talk about the refrigerant always being a gas and never mention a liquid. i couldn't find this anywhere else, and i was wondering do you know if it is unnecessary for the refrigerant to condense into liquid form at some stage in a refrigerator