I, Robot
First edition cover
Author	Isaac Asimov
Cover artist	Ed Cartier
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction short stories
Publisher	Gnome Press
Publication date	1950
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	253 pp
ISBN	NA
Followed by	The Complete Robot

I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The stories are woven together as if Dr Susan Calvin is telling them to a reporter (the narrator) in the 21st century. Though the stories can be read separately, they share a theme of the interaction of humans, robots and morality, and when combined they tell a larger story of Asimov's fictional history of robotics. For other uses, see I, Robot (disambiguation). ... The title I, Robot can refer to: I, Robot, a science-fiction short story by Eando Binder first published in 1939 I, Robot, a 1964 episode of The Outer Limits based on the short story I, Robot, a 1995 episode of The Outer Limits based on the short story I... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), pronounced , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов [1], was a Russian-born American author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... This article is in need of attention. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Gnome Press was a US small-press publishing company primarily known for being the first to publish Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy, and for bringing Robert E. Howards Conan the Barbarian stories back from pulp obscurity. ... See also: 1949 in literature, other events of 1950, 1951 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... ISBN redirects here. ... The Complete Robot is a collection of science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov written between 1940 and 1976, which were previously collected in books I, Robot, The Rest of the Robots, and other anthologies. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), pronounced , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов [1], was a Russian-born American author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... Gnome Press was a US small-press publishing company primarily known for being the first to publish Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy, and for bringing Robert E. Howards Conan the Barbarian stories back from pulp obscurity. ... Super Science Stories was a pulp science fiction magazine that was initially printed by Popular Publications between May 1940 and May 1943. ... Astounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine founded in 1930. ... This article is about modern humans. ... For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ... Morality (from the Latin manner, character, proper behavior) has three principal meanings. ... The Shadow robot hand system holding a lightbulb. ...

Several of the stories feature the character of Dr. Susan Calvin, chief robopsychologist at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., the major manufacturer of robots. Upon their publication in this collection, Asimov wrote a framing sequence presenting the stories as Calvin's reminiscences during an interview with her about her life's work, chiefly concerned with aberrant behaviour of robots, and the use of "robopsychology" to sort them out. The book also contains the short story in which Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics first appear. Other characters that appear in these short stories are Powell and Donovan, a field-testing team which locates flaws in USRMM's prototype models. Dr. Susan Calvin, from a cover to I, Robot. ... Robopsychology is the fictional study of the personalities of intelligent machines. ... The fictional corporation US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. ... A frame story (also frame tale, frame narrative, etc) is a narrative technique whereby a main story is composed, at least in part, for the purpose of organizing a set of shorter stories, each of which is a story within a story. ... Robopsychology is the fictional study of the personalities of intelligent machines. ... This cover of I, Robot illustrates the story Runaround, the first to list all Three Laws of Robotics. ... Greg Powell and Mike Donovan are fictional characters from Isaac Asimovs Robot short stories. ...

The collection's title is the same as a short story written by Eando Binder, but is not connected to it. Asimov wanted to call his collection Mind and Iron, and initially objected when the publisher changed the title. Eando Binder is a pseudonym for two brothers, Earl Andrew Binder (1904-1965) and Otto Oscar Binder (1911-1975), who were science fiction authors in the mid-20th century. ...

Contents

• "Robbie"
• "Runaround"
• "Reason"
• "Catch that Rabbit"
• "Liar!"
• "Little Lost Robot"
• "Escape!"
• "Evidence"
• "The Evitable Conflict"

Robbie (1940) (also known as Strange Playfellow) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... This article is about the short story Runaround. For the unrelated television show of the same name, see Runaround (TV show). ... Reason (1942) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Catch the Rabbit (1944) is a science-fiction short story found in I, Robot and written by Isaac Asimov. ... Liar! (1941) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Little Lost Robot (1947) is science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Many research organizations are working to develop the hyperspace drive. ... Evidence (1946) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... The Evitable Conflict is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ...

Literary significance and reception

In 2004 the Saturday Evening Post said that the Three Laws of Robotics "revolutionized the science fiction genre and made robots far more interesting than they ever had been before.^[1] There have been many publications called the Saturday Evening Post; several were/are local British newspapers. ... This cover of I, Robot illustrates the story Runaround, the first to list all Three Laws of Robotics. ...

Publication history

Cover art for I, Robot featuring a scene from "Runaround".

• New York: Gnome Press, (Trade paperback "Armed Forces Edition", 1951)
• New York: Grosset & Dunlap, (hardcover, 1952)
• London: Grayson, (hardcover, 1952)
• British SF Book Club, (hardcover, 1954)
• New York: Signet Books, (mass market paperback, 1956)
• New York: Doubleday, (hardcover, 1963)
• London: Dobson, (hardcover, 1967)
• ISBN 0-449-23949-7 (mass market paperback, 1970)
• ISBN 0-345-31482-4 (mass market paperback, 1983)
• ISBN 0-606-17134-7 (prebound, 1991)
• ISBN 0-553-29438-5 (mass market paperback, 1991)
• ISBN 1-4014-0039-6 (e-book, 2001)
• ISBN 1-4014-0038-8 (e-book, 2001)
• ISBN 0-553-80370-0 (hardcover, 2004)
• ISBN 91-27-11227-6 (hardcover, 2005)
• ISBN 0-7857-7338-X (hardcover)
• ISBN 0-00-711963-1 (paperback, UK, new edition)
• ISBN 0-586-02532-4 (paperback, UK)

This cover of I, Robot illustrates the story Runaround, the first to list all Three Laws of Robotics. ... This cover of I, Robot illustrates the story Runaround, the first to list all Three Laws of Robotics. ... This article is about the short story Runaround. For the unrelated television show of the same name, see Runaround (TV show). ... Gnome Press was a US small-press publishing company primarily known for being the first to publish Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy, and for bringing Robert E. Howards Conan the Barbarian stories back from pulp obscurity. ... A trade paperback can refer to any book that is bound with a heavy paper cover that is generally cheaper than the hardcover but more expensive than the regular paperback version. ... Grosset & Dunlap is a United States book publisher founded in 1898. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... New American Library (aka NAL) began publishing paperbacks in the 1940s. ... Categories: Stub | Books ... It has been suggested that The Crime Club be merged into this article or section. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... Categories: Stub | Books ... Categories: Stub | Books ... A Prebound book is a book that was previously bound and has been rebound with a library quality hardcover binding. ... Categories: Stub | Books ... A user viewing an electronic page on an eBook reading device An e-book (for electronic book: also eBook, ecoBook) is the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

I, Robot - the Illustrated Screenplay

At least two of the short stories from I, Robot have been adapted for television. In the 1960s, two short stories from this collection were made into episodes of the television series Out of the Unknown: "The Prophet" (1967), based on "Reason"; and "Liar!" (1969). The 12th episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World, filmed in 1987 and entitled Don't Joke with Robots was based on works by Aleksandr Belyaev, Fredrik Kilander and Asimov's Liar! story.^[2] A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Reason (1942) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Liar! (1941) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... Alexander Beliaev (Алекса́ндр Рома́нович Беля́ев) (1884-1942) is a Russian author of science fiction whose body of work from the 1920s and 1930s made him a highly regarded Russian author in that field. ... Liar! (1941) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ...

In the late 1970s, Warner Brothers acquired the option to make a film based on the book, but no screenplay was ever accepted. The most notable attempt was one by Harlan Ellison, who collaborated with Asimov himself to create a version which captured the spirit of the original. Asimov is quoted as saying that this screenplay would lead to "the first really adult, complex, worthwhile science fiction movie ever made." Warner Bros. ... In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement between a movie studio, a production company, or a producer (henceforth called the producer) and a writer, in which the producer obtains the right to buy a screenplay from the writer, before a certain date. ... Sample from a screenplay, showing dialogue and action descriptions. ... Harlan Jay Ellison (born May 27, 1934) is a prolific American writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism. ...

Ellison's script builds a framework around Asimov's short stories that involves a reporter named Robert Bratenahl tracking down information about Susan Calvin's former lover Stephen Byerly. Asimov's stories are presented as flashbacks that differ from the originals in their stronger emphasis on Calvin's character. Ellison placed Calvin into stories in which she did not originally appear and fleshed out her character's role in ones where she did. In constructing the script as a series of flashbacks that focused on character development rather than action, Ellison used the film Citizen Kane as a role model.^[3] In literature, film, television and other media, a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. ... Citizen Kane is a 1941 classic American dramatic film, the first feature film directed by Orson Welles, who also co-authored the screenplay. ...

Although acclaimed by critics, the screenplay is generally considered to have been unfilmable based upon the technology and average film budgets of the time.^[3] The script eventually appeared in book form under the title I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay, in 1994 (reprinted 2004, ISBN 0-7434-8659-5).

The film I, Robot, starring Will Smith, was released by Twentieth Century Fox on July 16, 2004 in the United States. Its plot is different from that of Asimov's collection, but it incorporates elements of the stories Little Lost Robot and The Evitable Conflict, and also references the character Dr. Susan Calvin and some of Asimov's ideas about robots, such as the Three Laws of Robotics.^[4] For other uses, see I, Robot (disambiguation). ... “W. S.” redirects here. ... Related articles FOX Television Network Fox Searchlight Pictures Fox Entertainment Group List of Hollywood movie studios List of movies Variant of current 20th Century Fox logo External links 20th Century Fox Movies official site Twentieth Century Fox is also the punning title of a song by The Doors on their... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Little Lost Robot (1947) is science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... The Evitable Conflict is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ...

Influence

In addition to film and television adaptations, I, Robot has influenced many aspects of modern popular culture, particularly with respect to science fiction and technology. One example of this is in the technology industry. The name of the real-life modem manufacturer named U.S. Robotics was directly inspired by I, Robot. The name is taken from the name of a robot manufacturer ("United States Robots and Mechanical Men") that appears throughout Asimov's robot short stories.^[5] U.S. Robotics (popularly referred to by its acronym USR) is a company that makes computer modems and related technologies. ...

Many works in the field of science fiction have also paid homage to Asimov's collection. The animated science fiction/comedy Futurama makes several references to I, Robot. The title of the episode "I, Roommate" is a spoof on the short story collection I, Robot by Isaac Asimov, although the plot of the episode has little to do with the original stories.^[6] Additionally, the episode "The Cyber House Rules" included an optician named "Eye Robot" and the episode "Anthology of Interest II" included a segment called "I, Meatbag."^{[citation needed]} Also an episode of the original Star Trek series, "I, Mudd" which depicts a planet of androids in needs of humans references "I, Robot." An animated series or cartoon series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... This article is about the television series. ... I, Roommate is the third episode of season one of Futurama. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), pronounced , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов [1], was a Russian-born American author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... The Cyber House Rules is the ninth episode in season three of Futurama. ... Anthology of Interest II is the eighteenth episode of the third season of Futurama. ...

Author Cory Doctorow has written a story called "I, Robot" as homage to Asimov^[7], as well as "I row-boat", both released in the short-story collection Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present. He has also said, 'If I return to this theme, it will be with a story about uplifted cheese sandwiches, called “I, Rarebit.”'. ^[8]. Cory Doctorow (born July 17, 1971) is a blogger, journalist and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. ...

Other cultural references to the book are less directly related to science fiction and technology. The 1977 album I Robot, by The Alan Parsons Project, was inspired by Asimov's I, Robot. In its original conception, the album was to follow the themes and concepts presented in the short story collection. The Alan Parsons Project were not able to obtain the rights, so the album's concept was altered slightly (although the name was kept.) ^[9] The satirical newspaper The Onion published an article entitled "I, Rowboat" in which an anthropomorphized rowboat gives a speech parodying much of the angst experienced by robots in Asimov's fiction, including a statement of the "Three Laws of Rowboatics."^[10] I Robot is a progressive rock album recorded by The Alan Parsons Project, engineered by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson in 1976. ... This article is about the collective named The Alan Parsons Project. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... The Onion is a United States-based parody newspaper published weekly in print and daily online. ... The GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004. ...

Footnotes

ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd., 299.