The Fun They had - Wikipedia The Fun They had `` The Fun They Had '' Author Isaac Asimov Country United States Language English Genre ( s ) Science fiction Published in Boys and Girls Page Publication type Periodical Media type Print ( Newspaper, Magazine, Hardback & Paperback ) Publication date 1 December 1951 `` The Fun They Had '' is a science fiction story by American writer 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 ( 1957 ), 50 Short Science Fiction Tales ( 1960 ), and The Best of Isaac Asimov ( 1973 ). It has been modified in a Finnish English book called KEY English 8 - 9. Written as a personal favor for a friend, `` The Fun They Had '' became `` probably the biggest surprise of my literary career '', Asimov wrote in 1973. He reported that it had been reprinted more than 30 times with more being planned. `` Why ? I do n't know why. '' It is about computerized home schooling, and what children miss out on by not being in school together. Plot summary Set in the year 2155, when children learn individually at home using a mechanical teacher, the story tells of eleven - year - old Margie Jones, whose neighbor Tommy finds a real book. The book tells about a time when children learned by age group in large schools that were not merely designated rooms in private houses as in the year 2155. Margie and Tommy discuss what it must have been like to study together with a real person as a teacher, and though at first Margie is skeptical about the notion, by the end of the story she daydreams about what it must have been like and ' the fun they had '. References Jump up ^ Asimov, Isaac ( 1973 ). `` Introduction ''. The Best of Isaac Asimov. Sphere Books. pp. ix -- xiv. ISBN 0 - 385 - 05078 - X. LCCN 74 - 2863. External links The Fun They Had title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database `` The Fun They Had '' on the Internet Archive Earth Is Room Enough by Isaac Asimov `` The Dead Past '' `` The Foundation of S.F. Success '' `` Franchise '' `` Gimmicks Three '' `` Kid Stuff '' `` The Watery Place '' `` Living Space '' `` The Message '' `` Satisfaction Guaranteed '' `` Hell - Fire '' `` The Last Trump '' `` The Fun They Had '' `` Jokester '' `` The Immortal Bard '' `` Someday '' `` The Author 's Ordeal '' `` Dreaming Is a Private Thing '' The Best of Isaac Asimov by Isaac Asimov `` Marooned off Vesta '' `` Nightfall '' `` C - Chute '' `` The Martian Way '' `` The Deep '' `` The Fun They Had '' `` The Last Question '' `` The Dead Past '' `` The Dying Night '' `` Anniversary '' `` The Billiard Ball '' `` Mirror Image '' This article about a science fiction short story ( or stories ) is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Fun_They_Had&oldid=837773873 '' Categories : Short stories by Isaac Asimov 1951 short stories Science fiction short stories Works originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction 22nd century in fiction Science fiction short story stubs Talk About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano עברית Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 22 April 2018, at 23 : 41 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote the story the fun they had
Answer: Isaac Asimov