Reading Order
FoundationThe Foundation Series Reading Order
Isaac Asimov's Foundation (1951) is the foundational work of science fiction's galactic civilization — Hari Seldon's psychohistory predicting the fall of the Galactic Empire and the establishment of a Foundation to shorten the dark age that follows, from thirty thousand years to a single millennium. Asimov wrote the original Foundation trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation) between 1942 and 1953 as a series of short stories in Astounding Science Fiction magazine. He returned to the universe in the 1980s to add prequels and sequels. The series won the Hugo Award for Best All-Time Series in 1966. Apple TV+ has adapted it into a streaming series beginning in 2021.
Where to start
Foundation
Complete Foundation Book List
- 1Buy
Foundation
Isaac Asimov·1951·The original — Hari Seldon, Terminus, the First Seldon Crisis, the episodic structure covering centuries of history. The entry point to the series and the most economical. - 2Buy
Foundation and Empire
Isaac Asimov·1952·The second Foundation novel — the Foundation's confrontation with the dying Empire, and the Mule, the mutant who cannot be predicted by psychohistory, arguably the most exciting of the original trilogy. - 3Buy
Second Foundation
Isaac Asimov·1953·The third original Foundation novel — the search for the Second Foundation, the revelation of the Mule's defeat, the conclusion of the original trilogy's main arc. - 4Buy
Foundation's Edge
Isaac Asimov·1982·The fourth Foundation novel, written thirty years later — Golan Trevize searching for the origin of humanity, Asimov returning to the universe with more modern novelistic technique. Hugo Award winner. - 5Buy
Prelude to Foundation
Isaac Asimov·1988·The prequel — Hari Seldon's early years on Trantor, the development of psychohistory, for readers who want more of the universe after the main trilogy.
Foundation — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct reading order for the Foundation series?
There are two main reading orders. Publication order: Foundation (1951), Foundation and Empire (1952), Second Foundation (1953), Foundation's Edge (1982), Foundation and Earth (1986), Prelude to Foundation (1988), Forward the Foundation (1993). Chronological order: Prelude to Foundation, Forward the Foundation, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, Foundation's Edge, Foundation and Earth. Most readers recommend publication order for a first read, as the original trilogy was written first and works without the later additions.
What is psychohistory in the Foundation series?
Psychohistory is the fictional science Hari Seldon develops — a branch of mathematics that applies statistical mechanics to human civilization, enabling the prediction of the broad sweep of future history when applied to large enough populations. Individual behavior is unpredictable; the behavior of millions or billions follows statistical laws. Seldon uses psychohistory to predict the fall of the Galactic Empire and to plan the Foundation as a method of shortening the resulting dark age. The major challenge to psychohistory in the original trilogy is the Mule — a mutant with the ability to alter human emotions, whose existence Seldon could not predict.
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