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The Foundation Series is an epic science fiction series written by Isaac Asimov over the span of forty-nine years. It consists of ten volumes (about one-million words), which, although they can be read separately, are closely linked to one another. The term 'Foundation Series' is often used more generally to include the Robot Series and Empire Series, which are set in the same fictional universe. They have a combined length of fourteen novels and dozens of short stories written by Asimov, and six novels written by other authors after his death.
The premise of the series is that mathematician Hari Seldon has spent his life developing a branch of mathematics known as psychohistory, a concept devised by Asimov and his editor John W. Campbell. It uses the law of mass action to predict the future on a large scale, such as of planets or empires. Using these techniques, Seldon foresees the fall of the Galactic Empire, which encompasses the entire Milky Way. He also predicts that there will be a thirty-thousand-year dark age before the next great empire rises. To prevent this, he decides to create a small haven of technology in a corner of the galaxy (on the planet Terminus) called the Foundation, whose job it will be to preserve knowledge from the collapse, thus reducing the time required for the next Empire to rebuild. If done properly, it will take only a thousand years before the next empire rises.
150px Hari Seldon was the founder of the First and Second Foundations and inventor of Psychohistory (cover art for Foundation, by Stephen Youll) The series started as a series of nine short stories, eight of which were published in Astounding Science FictionAstounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine founded in 1930. Astounding Stories of Super-Science first edited by Harry Bates, is generally considered the forum where modern science fiction was created. It has changed names twice, first in 19 magazine (between May 1942Events January January 1 World War II: The word " United Nations" is first officially used to describe the Allied pact. January 2 World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces. January 5 Amy Johnson disappears in flight over River Thames estuary ass and January 1950Events January January 5 US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with) and a ninth which was written a few years later when the series was first published in book form. The stories vary in length from about 7,000 words to about 50,000 words. The early stories are very closely based on Edward Gibbon'sEdward Gibbon ( April 27, 1737 ( O. May 8, 1737 ( N. January 16, 1794) was an English historian, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire a groundbreaking work. He was born in Putney, near London, England into a relatively well-to The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is a monumental work by Edward Gibbon. It is considered a landmark in the field of history, and is often considered the first "modern" history. It was published in six volumes, in quarto. Volume one (Asimov said he did "a little bit of cribbin' from the works of Edward Gibbon" when describing the influence of that work on the Trilogy).
These were then collected and published as Foundation, Foundation and EmpireFoundation and Empire is a novel written by Isaac Asimov in 1952. It is the second book in the Foundation Series. It takes place in two halves, originally published as separate novellas. The General The first half of the book, titled The General is all ab, and Second Foundation in the early 1950s by Gnome Press . These three books are thus known collectively as The Foundation Trilogy.