Asimov and the Dewey Challenge

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.

Isaac Asimov 

In looking for role models  for my life, I must say I’m inspired by Isaac Asimov.    An author, scientist, editor and all around deep thinker, he wrote about 500 books.  500.  I think I’ll shoot for 50.  There is a myth that he wrote in all 9 major categories of the Dewey Decimal system, but apparently it was on a technicality.  In the 100s (Philosophy and Psychology), he only wrote an introduction to a book.

I started wondering about what I would write about if I wrote a book for each category (is this something only librarians can get behind?).  Here’s my list. Try it yourself!

Dewey Listing and Books I’d Write:

000 Generalities

• How to Teach Basic Computer Literacy
• 101 cheap Library Programs

100 Philosophy & psychology

• Gamer’s Guide to Real Life
• Philosophy of Roleplaying Games

200 Religion

• Greek and Roman Goddesses

300 Social sciences

• Fairy Tales From Around the World

400 Language

• Typewriter Tangled: the origins of modern punctuation

500 Natural sciences & mathematics

• 50 Nature Experiments
• Australian Animals

600 Technology (Applied sciences)

• Geek Guide to Getting Healthy

700 The arts

• Handmade Toys to Craft, Knit and Sew

800 Literature & rhetoric

• Outsmarting Writer’s Block

900 Geography & history

• History of Rensselaer
• Martha’s Vineyard on a Budget