The Foundation Trilogy
NOVELS | THE TEXT
First editionOriginal trilogy:
• Foundation, 1951
• Foundation and Empire, 1952
• Second Foundation, 1953
Later sequels:
• Foundation's Edge, 1982
• Foundation and Earth, 1986
Later prequels:
• Prelude to Foundation, 1988
• Forward the Foundation, 1993
First publication
Published as stories in Astounding Science Fiction magazine
First book publication
1951 (Foundation)
Literature form
Novels
Genres
Science fiction
Writing language
English
Author's country
United States
Length
Foundation approx 70,500 words, trilogy approx. 220,000 words
Notable lines
His name was Gaal Dornick and he was just a country boy who had never seen Trantor before. That is, not in real life.
— First lines, Foundation
The Galactic Empire Was Falling.
It was collssal Empire, stretching across millions of worlds from arm-end to arm-end of the mighty spiral that was the Milky Way.
— First line, Foundation and Empire
The First Galactic Empire had endured for tens of thousands of years.
— First line, "Prologue", Second Foundation
"Why did I do it?" asked Golan Trevize.
It wasn't a new question. Since he had arrived at Gaia, he had asked it of himself frequently.
— Foundation and Earth
Passages
Q. You do not consider your statement a disloyal one?
A. No, sir. Scientific truth is beyond loyalty and disloyalty.
"Violence," came the retort, "is the last refuge of the incompetent."
Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right!
— Foundation
It is the invariable lesson to humanity that distance in time, and in space as well, lends focus. It is not recorded, incidentally, that the lesson has ever been permanently learned.
And there she was, age fourteen plus, weary enough for eighty plus, frightened enough for five minus.
The most hopelessly stupid man is he who is not aware that he is wise.
— Second Foundation
My crime is that I have never labored to make myself popular — I admit that much — and I have paid too little attention to fools who are old enough to be senile but young enough to have power.
— Foundation's Edge
"Let my successors solve these new probolems, as I have solved the ones of today."
— Last line, Foundation
He left them, never looking back.
— Last line, Foundation and Empire.
NOVELS | THE TEXT
