The Complete Stories is a discontinued series intended to form a definitive collection of Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...

's short fiction. Originally published in 1990 (Volume 1) and 1992 (Volume 2) by Doubleday, it was discontinued after the second book of the planned three.

The first volume consists of the stories previously collected in Earth Is Room Enough

Earth Is Room Enough

Earth Is Room Enough is a collection of fifteen short science fiction and fantasy stories and two pieces of comic verse published by Isaac Asimov in 1957. In his autobiography In Joy Still Felt, Asimov wrote, "I was still thinking of the remarks of reviewers such as George O. Smith . . ....

, Nine Tomorrows

Nine Tomorrows

Nine Tomorrows is a collection of nine short stories and two pieces of comic verse by Isaac Asimov. The pieces were all originally published in magazines between 1956 and 1958, with the exception of the closing poem, "Rejection Slips", which was original to the collection. The book was first...

, and Nightfall and Other Stories

Nightfall and Other Stories

Nightfall and Other Stories is a book collecting previously published science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov. Asimov added a brief introduction to each story, explaining some aspect of the story's history and/or how it came to be written. The main criteria for inclusion were that they had...

. In 2001, Broadway Books

Broadway Books

Broadway Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a Division of Random House, Inc., released its first list in Fall, 1996. Broadway Books has since published many New York Times bestsellers in hardcover and paperback, including Elizabeth Edwards’ memoir Resilience, Bill O’Reilly’s memoir A...

 published a new edition of the first volume (hardback: ISBN 0-385-41606-7, paperback: ISBN 0-385-41627-X).

Volume One contains the following short stories:

1. The Dead Past
   The Dead Past
   "The Dead Past" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the April 1956 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. It was later collected in Earth Is Room Enough and The Best of Isaac Asimov , and adapted into an episode of the science-fiction television series Out of the...
   
   
2. The Foundation of SF Success
3. Franchise
   Franchise
   Franchise generally means a right or privilege. It may refer to:*Suffrage, the civil right to vote*Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business, such as:...
   
   
4. Gimmicks Three
   Gimmicks Three
   "Gimmicks Three" is a fantasy short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1956 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction under the title "The Brazen Locked Room", and reprinted under Asimov's original title in the 1957 collection Earth is Room Enough...
   
   
5. Kid Stuff
   Kid Stuff
   "Kid Stuff" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the September 1953 issue of Beyond Fantasy Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough. Asimov wrote the story in January 1953, intending it for a new magazine called Fantastic, but it...
   
   
6. The Watery Place
   The Watery Place
   "The Watery Place" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the October 1956 issue of Satellite Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough...
   
   
7. Living Space
   Living Space
   "Living Space" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the May 1956 issue of Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough...
   
   
8. The Message
   The Message
   -Literature:* The Message , the fourth book in the Animorphs series* The Message , a contemporary rendering of the Holy Bible* "The Message" , by Isaac Asimov* "The Message", a short story by Andrew J McKiernan-Music:...
   
   
9. Satisfaction Guaranteed
10. Hell-Fire
    Hell-Fire
    "Hell-Fire" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, originally published in the May 1956 issue of Fantastic Universe and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough...
    
    
11. The Last Trump
    The Last Trump
    "The Last Trump" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the June 1955 issue of Fantastic Universe and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth Is Room Enough...
    
    
12. The Fun They Had
    The Fun They Had
    "The Fun They Had" is a science fiction story written by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in a children's newspaper in 1951 and was reprinted in the February 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, as well as the collections Earth Is Room Enough , 50 Short Science Fiction Tales ,...
    
    
13. Jokester
14. The Immortal Bard
    The Immortal Bard
    The Immortal Bard is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the May 1954 issue of Universe Science Fiction, and has since been republished in several collections and anthologies, including Earth Is Room Enough and The Best Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov...
    
    
15. Someday
    Someday (short story)
    Someday is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the August 1956 issue of Infinity Science Fiction and reprinted in the collections Earth Is Room Enough , The Complete Robot , Robot Visions , and The Complete Stories, Volume 1 .-Plot summary:The story is set in a...
    
    
16. The Author’s Ordeal
17. Dreaming Is a Private Thing
    Dreaming Is a Private Thing
    "Dreaming Is a Private Thing" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the December 1955 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth is Room Enough...
    
    
18. Profession
    Profession
    A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
    
    
19. The Feeling of Power
    The Feeling of Power
    The Feeling of Power is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the February 1958 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction, and was reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows, the 1969 retrospective Opus 100, and the 1986 collection Robot Dreams...
    
    
20. The Dying Night
    The Dying Night
    The Dying Night is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the July 1956 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and was reprinted in the collections Nine Tomorrows , Asimov's Mysteries , and The Best of Isaac Asimov...
    
    
21. I’m In Marsport Without Hilda
22. The Gentle Vultures
    The Gentle Vultures
    The Gentle Vultures is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the December 1957 issue of Super-Science Fiction, and was reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows....
    
    
23. All the Troubles of the World
    All the Troubles of the World
    "All the Troubles of the World" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the April 1958 issue of Super-Science Fiction, and was reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows...
    
    
24. Spell My Name With an S
    Spell My Name with an S
    "Spell My Name with an S" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the January 1958 issue of Star Science Fiction under the title S as in Zebatinsky, and was reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows under Asimov's original title...
    
    
25. The Last Question
    The Last Question
    "The Last Question" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and was reprinted in the collections Nine Tomorrows , The Best of Isaac Asimov , Robot Dreams , the retrospective Opus 100 , and in Isaac Asimov: The...
    
    
26. The Ugly Little Boy
    The Ugly Little Boy
    "The Ugly Little Boy" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the September 1958 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction under the title "Lastborn", and was reprinted under its current title in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows. The story deals with a Homo...
    
    
27. Nightfall
    Nightfall
    Nightfall is the beginning of night .Nightfall may also refer to:-Novels, short stories, and comics:* Nightfall , an influential 1941 science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, later adapted into a radio program , novel , and two low-budget films of the same name* "Nightfall", a 1947 short story...
    
    
28. Green Patches” aka “Misbegotten Missionary
29. Hostess
    Hostess
    Hostess is a brand of Hostess Brands in the United States, known for its line of snack foods, such as Twinkies, CupCakes, Chocodiles, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, Suzy Q's, Sno Balls, Zingers, Donettes, Mini Muffins, Hostess Fruit Pies, Pudding Pies, and Doughnuts....
    
    
30. Breeds There a Man…?
31. C-Chute
    C-Chute
    "C-Chute" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the October 1951 issue of Galaxy Magazine and later appeared in Asimov's collections Nightfall and Other Stories and The Best of Isaac Asimov ....
    
    
32. In a Good Cause—
33. What If - ?
34. Sally
    Sally
    -Military:*Sally , an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force*Sally, the Allied reporting name during World War II for the Imperial Japanese Armys Mitsubishi Ki-21 bomber-Names:...
    
    
35. Flies
    Fließ
    Fließ is a municipality in the Landeck district and is located5 km south of Landeck on the upper course of the Inn River. It has 9 hamlets and was already populated at the roman age; the village itself was founded around the 6th century. After a conflagration in 1933 Fließ was restored more...
    
    
36. Nobody Here But—
    Nobody Here But—
    "Nobody Here But—" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the 1953 issue of Star Science Fiction Stories.-Plot summary:...
    
    
37. It’s Such a Beautiful Day
38. Strikebreaker
    Strikebreaker
    A strikebreaker is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who are not employed by the company prior to the trade union dispute, but rather hired prior to or during the strike to keep the organisation running...
    
    
39. Insert Knob A In Hole B
    Insert Knob A in Hole B
    Insert Knob A in Hole B is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was first published in the December 1957 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1969 collection Nightfall and Other Stories....
    
    
40. The Up-to-Date Sorcerer
    The Up-To-Date Sorcerer
    "The Up-To-Date Sorcerer" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the July 1958 issue of Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1969 collection Nightfall and Other Stories....
    
    
41. Unto the Fourth Generation
    Unto the Fourth Generation
    "Unto the Fourth Generation" is a fantasy short story by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and has been reprinted in the collections Nightfall and Other Stories and The Best Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov...
    
    
42. What Is This Thing Called Love?
    What Is This Thing Called Love?
    "What Is This Thing Called Love?"is a 1929 popular song written by Cole Porter, for the musical Wake Up and Dream. It was first performed by Elsie Carlisle in March 1929. The song has become a popular jazz standard and one of Porter's most often played compositions.Wake Up and Dream ran for 263...
    
    
43. The Machine that Won the War
    The Machine that Won the War
    The Machine that Won the War is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the October 1961 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and was reprinted in the collections Nightfall and Other Stories and Robot Dreams...
    
    
44. My Son, the Physicist
    My Son, the Physicist
    "My Son, the Physicist" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was commissioned by Hoffman Electronics Corporation and appeared in February 1962 in Scientific American...
    
    
45. Eyes Do More Than See
    Eyes Do More Than See
    Eyes Do More Than See is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov.In 1964, Playboy magazine approached several science fiction writers to create short-short stories based on a photograph of a clay head without ears. The selected stories--Arthur C. Clarke's "Playback", Frederik Pohl's...
    
    
46. Segregationist
47. I Just Make Them Up, See!
    I Just Make Them Up, See!
    I Just Make Them Up, See! is a comic poem by Isaac Asimov written in 1957. The poem is a monologue from a fan, asking Asimov how he comes up with his ideas. The question is not answered in the poem, but rather the title itself: I Just Make Them Up, See!...
    
    
48. Rejection Slips

Volume Two contains short stories previously published in several other anthologies:

1. Not Final
   Not Final
   Not Final! is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in the October 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, and included in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov. Its sequel, "Victory Unintentional", is a robot story...
   
   
2. The Hazing
   The Hazing
   The Hazing is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the October 1942 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov...
   
   
3. Death Sentence
   Death Sentence
   Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
   
   
4. Blind Alley
5. Evidence
6. The Red Queen's Race
7. Day of the Hunters
   Day of the Hunters
   "Day of the Hunters" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was published in the November 1950 issue of Future Combined with Science Fiction Stories, edited by Robert W. Lowndes, and reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories...
   
   
8. The Deep
9. The Martian Way
   The Martian Way
   The Martian Way is a science fiction novella by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1952 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction and reprinted in the collections The Martian Way and Other Stories , The Best of Isaac Asimov , and Robot Dreams...
   
   
10. The Monkey's Finger
    The Monkey's Finger
    "The Monkey's Finger" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the February 1953 issue of Startling Stories and reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories. The story is based on a disagreement between Asimov and editor H. L. Gold over the...
    
    
11. The Singing Bell
    The Singing Bell
    The Singing Bell is a science fiction mystery short story by Isaac Asimov that first appeared in the January 1955 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and was reprinted in the 1968 collection Asimov's Mysteries...
    
    
12. The Talking Stone
    The Talking Stone
    "The Talking Stone" is a science fiction mystery short story by Isaac Asimov which first appeared in the October 1955 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and was reprinted in the 1968 collection Asimov's Mysteries...
    
    
13. Each an Explorer
    Each an Explorer
    "Each an Explorer" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was written in June 1956 and first published in issue #30 of Future Science Fiction...
    
    
14. Let's Get Together
15. Pâté de Foie Gras
16. Galley Slave
    Galley Slave
    "Galley Slave" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in Galaxy, December 1957, and included in the collection The Rest of the Robots. Asimov identified it as his favorite among those of his robot stories featuring the character of Susan Calvin.The story is a...
    
    
17. Lenny
18. A Loint of Paw
    A Loint of Paw
    A Loint of Paw is a vignette by Isaac Asimov, first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in August 1957. It was reprinted in the 1968 collection Asimov's Mysteries and the 1986 collection The Best Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov. The title of the story is a play on the words "a...
    
    
19. A Statue for Father
    A Statue for Father
    "A Statue for Father" is a humorous science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the February 1959 issue of Satellite Science Fiction and was reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories.-Plot summary:...
    
    
20. Anniversary
21. Obituary
    Obituary
    An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
    
    
22. Rain, Rain, Go Away
    Rain, Rain, Go Away (short story)
    Rain, Rain, Go Away is a short story by Isaac Asimov. A fantasy rather than a science fiction story, it was based on an idea by Bob Mills, editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, but rejected by him...
    
    
23. Star Light
24. Founding Father
    Founding Father (short story)
    Founding Father is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the August 1965 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction, and reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories...
    
    
25. The Key
26. The Billiard Ball
    The Billiard Ball
    "The Billiard Ball" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, written in September 1966 and first published in the March 1967 issue of If. It appeared in Asimov's 1968 collection Asimov's Mysteries, in his 1973 collection The Best of Isaac Asimov in his 1986 Collection Robot Dreams and in...
    
    
27. Exile to Hell
    Exile to Hell
    Exile to Hell is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It appeared in the May 1968 issue of Analog and was included in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories....
    
    
28. Key Item
    Key Item
    Key Item is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. One of a connected series of stories concerning the fictional supercomputer Multivac, it was originally to be printed in a periodical Computers and Automation in 1959, but not used...
    
    
29. Feminine Intuition
30. The Greatest Asset
    The Greatest Asset
    The Greatest Asset is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was written as a counterpoint to his story 2430 A.D. with the intention of refuting, rather than illustrating, the same quotation by writer and social commentator J. B. Priestley...
    
    
31. Mirror Image
32. Take a Match
    Take a Match
    "Take a Match" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in Robert Silverberg's 1972 anthology New Dimensions II and reprinted in the 1975 Asimov collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories.-Plot summary:...
    
    
33. Light Verse
    Light Verse (short story)
    Light Verse is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the September-October 1973 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. It later appeared in the collections Buy Jupiter and Other Stories , The Complete Robot , and Robot Dreams...
    
    
34. Stranger In Paradise
    Stranger In Paradise (short story)
    Stranger in Paradise is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was written in the summer of 1973 for an anthology of original stories edited by Judy-Lynn del Rey, but was rejected by her. It was also rejected by Ben Bova for Analog Science Fiction and Fact before being accepted for If...
    
    
35. —That Thou art Mindful of Him
36. The Life and Times of Multivac
    The Life and Times of Multivac
    The Life and Times of Multivac is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the 5 January 1975 issue of The New York Times Magazine, and was reprinted in the collections The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories and The Best of Creative Computing in 1976...
    
    
37. The Bicentennial Man
    The Bicentennial Man
    The Bicentennial Man is a novella in the Robot Series by Isaac Asimov. It was awarded the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for best science fiction novelette of 1976....
    
    
38. Marching In
    Marching In
    Marching In is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was written at the request of the US publication High Fidelity, with the stipulation that it be 2,500 words long, set about twenty-five years in the future and deal with some aspect of sound recording.-Plot summary:In the year...
    
    
39. Old-fashioned
    Old-fashioned (short story)
    Old-fashioned is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was written at the request of Kim Armstrong, editor of Bell Telephone Magazine, with the stipulation that it be 3,000 words and center on a problem in communications. The author claimed that he had thought up a plotline...
    
    
40. The Tercentenary Incident
    The Tercentenary Incident
    The Tercentenary Incident is a science-fiction/mystery short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the August 1976 issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and reprinted in the collections The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories and The Complete Robot .Ellery Queen editor Frederic...