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{{short description|Science-fiction novel series by Isaac Asimov}}
{{About|the novel series|the television adaptation|Foundation (TV series){{!}}''Foundation'' (TV series)|other series|Foundation (disambiguation)}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox book series
| name          = ''Foundation''
| image         = Foundation - Isaac Asimov (Gnome 1951).jpg
| image_caption = First edition dust jacket of ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''
| books         = {{Plainlist|
* '''[[Isaac Asimov]]''':
**  ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|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)
* '''Other authors''':
**  ''[[Foundation's Fear]]'' (1997) by [[Gregory Benford]]
**  ''[[Foundation and Chaos]]'' (1998) by [[Greg Bear]]
**  ''[[Foundation's Triumph]]'' (1999) by [[David Brin]]
}}
| author        = [[Isaac Asimov]]
| country       = United States<!-- Do not link, per WP: OVERLINK -->
| language      = English<!-- Do not link, per WP: OVERLINK -->
| genre         = [[Science fiction]]
| publisher     = ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science Fiction]]'' ([[Street & Smith]]), [[Gnome Press]], [[Bantam Spectra|Spectra]], [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]]
| pub_date      = 1942–1993
| media_type    = Print
| italic title  = no
}}
The '''''Foundation'' series''' is a [[science fiction]] [[novel series]] written by American author [[Isaac Asimov]]. First published as a series of [[short stories]] and novellas in 1942–1950, and subsequently in three novels in 1951–1953, for nearly thirty years the series was widely known as '''''The Foundation Trilogy''''': ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]'' (1951), ''[[Foundation and Empire]]'' (1952), and ''[[Second Foundation]]'' (1953). It won the one-time [[Hugo Award]] for "Best All-Time Series" in 1966.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1966-hugo-awards/| title=1966 Hugo Awards| publisher=[[Hugo Award]]| website=thehugoawards.org| date=26 July 2007| access-date=July 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1966.html| title=The Long List of Hugo Awards, 1966| access-date=July 28, 2017| publisher=[[New England Science Fiction Association]]| archive-date=April 3, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403182439/http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/Hugos/hugos1966.html}}</ref> Asimov later added new volumes, with two sequels, ''[[Foundation's Edge]]'' (1982) and ''[[Foundation and Earth]]'' (1986), and two prequels, ''[[Prelude to Foundation]]'' (1988) and ''[[Forward the Foundation]]'' (1993).

The premise of the stories is that in the waning days of a future [[Galactic Empire (Isaac Asimov)|Galactic Empire]], the mathematician [[Hari Seldon]] devises the theory of [[psychohistory (fictional)|psychohistory]], a new and effective [[mathematics]] of [[sociology]]. Using statistical laws of [[mass action (sociology)|mass action]], it can predict the future of large populations. Seldon foresees the imminent fall of the Empire, which encompasses the entire [[Milky Way]], and a [[Dark Ages (historiography)|dark age]] lasting 30,000 years before a second empire arises. Although the momentum of the Empire's fall is too great to stop, Seldon devises a plan by which "the onrushing mass of events must be deflected just a little" to eventually limit this [[interregnum]] to just one thousand years. The novels describe some of the dramatic events of those years as they are shaped by the underlying political and social mechanics of Seldon's Plan.

==Publication history==
===Original stories===
The original trilogy of novels collected a series of eight short stories and novellas published in ''[[Astounding Magazine|Astounding Science-Fiction]]'' magazine between May 1942 and January 1950. According to Asimov, the premise was based on ideas in [[Edward Gibbon]]'s ''[[History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]'', and was invented spontaneously on his way to meet with editor [[John W. Campbell]], with whom he developed the concepts of the collapse of the [[Galactic Empire (Asimov)|Galactic Empire]], the civilization-preserving Foundations, and psychohistory.<ref>Asimov, Isaac. ''La edad de oro II''. Plaza & Janes. 1987. pp. 252–253 (Spanish language translation of [[The Early Asimov]]) See afterword for the "Legal Rites" story.</ref> Asimov wrote these early stories in his [[West Philadelphia]] apartment when he worked at the [[Philadelphia Naval Yard]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Soniak |first1=Matt |title=Get sci-fi legend Isaac Asimov a plaque in West Philly |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/trending/Get-sci-fi-legend-Isaac-Asimov-a-plaque-in-West-Philly.html |access-date=6 April 2022 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=24 April 2013}}</ref>

===''Foundation'' trilogy===
The first four stories were collected, along with a new introductory story, and published by [[Gnome Press]] in 1951 as ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''. The later stories were published in pairs by Gnome as ''[[Foundation and Empire]]'' (1952) and ''[[Second Foundation]]'' (1953), resulting in the "Foundation Trilogy", as the series is still known.<ref>{{cite book|author=Isaac Asimov|title=Foundation's Edge|publisher=Spectra|location=Halmstad|year=1982|isbn=978-0-553-29338-8}}</ref>

===Later sequels and prequels===
In 1981, Asimov was persuaded by his publishers to write a fourth novel, which became ''[[Foundation's Edge]]'' (1982).

Four years later, Asimov followed up with another sequel, ''[[Foundation and Earth]]'' (1986),<ref>{{cite book|author=Isaac Asimov|title=Foundation and Earth|publisher=Spectra|location=Halmstad|year=2004|isbn=978-0-553-58757-9|url=https://archive.org/details/foundationearth00asimrich}}</ref> which was followed by the prequels ''[[Prelude to Foundation]]'' (1988) and ''[[Forward the Foundation]]'' (1993), published after his 1992 death. During the two-year lapse between writing the sequels and prequels, Asimov had tied in his ''Foundation'' series with his various other series, creating a single unified universe. The basic link is mentioned in ''Foundation and Earth'': an obscure myth about a first wave of space settlements with robots and then a second without. The idea is the one developed in ''[[Robots of Dawn]]'', which, in addition to showing the way that the second wave of settlements was to be allowed, illustrates the benefits and shortcomings of the first wave of settlements and their so-called ''[[carbon|C]]/[[iron|Fe]]'' (carbon/iron, signifying humans and robots together) culture. In this same book, the word ''psychohistory'' is used to describe the nascent idea of Seldon's work. Some of the drawbacks to this style of colonization, also called ''Spacer'' culture, are also exemplified by the events described all the way back in 1957's ''[[The Naked Sun]]''.

The link between the Robot and Foundation universes was tightened by letting the robot [[R. Daneel Olivaw]] – originally introduced in ''[[The Caves of Steel]]'' – live on for tens of thousands of years and play a major role behind the scenes in both the Galactic Empire in its heyday and in the rise of the two Foundations to take its place.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! colspan="3" | Collections
! colspan="2" | Serialization in ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]''<ref>{{cite book|last=Gunn|first=James|author-link=James E. Gunn|date=1982|title=Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=0-8108-5420-1|edition=2005 Revised|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XQE2f6CWyvEC}}</ref>{{rp|23–29}}
|-
! Publication date
! Book title
! Story retitle
! Original title
! Publication date
|-
! colspan="5" style="background-color:#DBDBDB; text-align:center;" | Original trilogy
|-
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center" | 1951
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center" | ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''
| "The Psychohistorians"
| colspan="2" {{n/a}}
|-
| "The Encyclopedists"
| "Foundation"
| May 1942
|-
| "The Mayors"
| "Bridle and Saddle"
| June 1942
|-
| "The Merchant Princes"
| "The Big and the Little"
| August 1944
|-
| "The Traders"
| "The Wedge"
| October 1944
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1952
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | ''[[Foundation and Empire]]''
| "The General"
| "Dead Hand"
| April 1945
|-
| "The Mule"
| "The Mule"
| November 1945 <br /> December 1945
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1953
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | ''[[Second Foundation]]''
| "Part I: Search by the Mule"
| "Now You See It..."
| January 1948
|-
| "Part II: Search by the Foundation"
| "...And Now You Don't"
| November 1949 <br /> December 1949 <br /> January 1950
|-
! colspan="5" style="background-color:#DBDBDB; text-align:center;" | Sequels
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 1982
| ''[[Foundation's Edge]]''
| colspan="3" {{n/a}}
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 1986
| ''[[Foundation and Earth]]''
| colspan="3" {{n/a}}
|-
! colspan="5" style="background-color:#DBDBDB; text-align:center;" | Prequels
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 1988
| ''[[Prelude to Foundation]]''
| colspan="3" {{n/a}}
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 1993
| ''[[Forward the Foundation]]''
| colspan="3" {{n/a}}
|}

==Development and themes==
The early stories were inspired by [[Edward Gibbon]]'s ''[[The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]''. The plot of the series focuses on the growth and reach of the Foundation, against a backdrop of the "decline and fall of the Galactic Empire." The themes of Asimov's stories were also influenced by the political tendency in [[science fiction fandom]], associated with the [[Futurians]], known as [[John Michel (science fiction)|Michelism]].

The focus of the novels are the trends through which a civilization might progress, specifically seeking to analyze their progress, using history as a precedent. Although many science fiction novels such as ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' or ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'' do this, their focus is on how current trends in society might come to fruition and they act as a moral allegory of the modern world. The ''Foundation'' series, on the other hand, looks at the trends in a wider scope, dealing with societal evolution and adaptation rather than the human and cultural qualities at one point in time. In this Asimov followed the model of [[Thucydides]]' work ''The [[History of the Peloponnesian War]]'', as he [[The Foundation of S.F. Success|once acknowledged]].

Asimov tried to end the series with ''[[Second Foundation]]''. However, because of the predicted thousand years until the rise of the next Empire (of which only a few hundred had elapsed), the series lacked a sense of closure. For decades, fans pressured him to write a sequel. In 1982, after a 30-year hiatus, Asimov gave in and wrote what was at the time a fourth volume: ''[[Foundation's Edge]]''. This was followed shortly thereafter by ''[[Foundation and Earth]]''. This novel, which takes place some 500 years after Seldon, ties up all the loose ends and ties all his Robot, Empire, and Foundation novels into a single story. He also opens a brand new line of thought in the last dozen pages regarding [[Gaia (Foundation universe)|Galaxia]], a galaxy inhabited by a single [[Geist|collective mind]]. This concept was never explored further. According to his widow [[Janet Asimov]] (in her biography of Isaac, ''[[It's Been a Good Life]]''), he had no idea how to continue after ''Foundation and Earth'', so he started writing the prequels.

==Asimov's imprecise future history==
[[File:Heinlein-decamp-and-asimov.jpg|thumb|Asimov (right) was inspired by the ''[[Future History (Heinlein)|Future History]]'' stories of Heinlein (left{{snd}}with [[L. Sprague de Camp]] in the middle), but self-consciously wrote that his was "not the beautiful job that Heinlein did, but was actually made up 'ad hoc'".<ref name=":1" />]]
In the spring of 1955, Asimov published a [[future history]] of humanity in the pages of ''[[Thrilling Wonder Stories]]'' magazine based upon his thought processes concerning the Foundation universe at that point in his life. According to the publication, "the scheme was not originally worked out as a consistent pattern and only includes about one-quarter of his total writings". Because of this, the dating in the ''Foundation'' series is approximate and inconsistent.<ref name=":1" />

Asimov estimates that his ''Foundation'' series takes place nearly 50,000 years into the future, with Hari Seldon born in 47,000 CE.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/Thrilling_Wonder_Stories_v44n03_1955-Winter_bogof39-slpn|title=Thrilling Wonder Stories v44 n03 1955 Winter (bogof39 slpn)|date=1955 |pages=62–63}}</ref> Around this time, the future emperor Cleon I is born in the imperial capital Trantor, 78 years before the Foundation Era (FE) and the events of the original Foundation trilogy. After Cleon inherits the crown, the mathematician Hari Seldon comes to Trantor from Helicon to deliver his theory of psychohistory that predicts the fall of the empire, which triggers the events of ''[[Prelude to Foundation]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VrVWNolnwZMC&q=prelude+to+foundation|title=Prelude to Foundation|date=1989|publisher=Bantam Books|isbn=978-0-553-27839-2|language=en}}</ref> ''[[Forward the Foundation]]'' picks up the story a few years later, with the emperor being assassinated and Seldon retiring from politics.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u9JwFh4xVLoC&q=forward+the+foundation|title=Forward the Foundation|date=1994|publisher=Bantam Books|isbn=978-0-553-56507-2|language=en}}</ref>

At the start of the Foundation Era, the events of the original [[Foundation (Asimov novel)|''Foundation'' novel]] (first published in ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]'' as a series of short stories) take place, and the in-universe Foundation Era truly begins.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uVAFuwEACAAJ|title=The Foundation Trilogy V.3: Three Classics of Science Fiction|date=1951|publisher=Avon Books|language=en}}</ref> According to Asimov, he intended this to take place around the year 47000 CE, with the Empire in decay as it battles the rising Foundation, who emerges as the dominant power a few centuries later.<ref name=":1" /> Thus begins the events of the ''[[Foundation and Empire]]'', which include the unpredicted rise of the Mule, who defeats the Foundation thanks to his mutant abilities.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BJcgLVibkrEC&q=foundation+and+empire|title=Foundation and Empire|date=2004-06-01|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-553-90035-4|language=en}}</ref> The events of ''[[Second Foundation]]'' chronicle the titular Second Foundation's search and defeat of the Mule, and their conflict with the remnants of the original Foundation, averting the Dark Age.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d8lp4Wth67IC&q=foundation+asimov|title=Second Foundation|date=2004-06-01|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-553-90036-1|language=en}}</ref> Asimov estimates that the Mule rises and falls somewhere around 47300 CE.<ref name=":1" />

''[[Foundation's Edge]]'' takes place 500 years after the establishment of the Foundation, outside of the original trilogy of novels.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uoE7v9OJ6rIC&q=foundation's+edge|title=Foundation's Edge|date=1991|publisher=Bantam|isbn=978-0-553-29338-8|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> ''[[Foundation and Earth]]'' follows immediately after, with humanity choosing and justifying a third path distinct from the opposing visions of the two Foundations.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asimov|first=Isaac|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2lzFzQEACAAJ&q=foundation+and+earth|title=Foundation and Earth|date=2020-11-17|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-593-15999-6|language=en}}</ref> According to Asimov, the Second Galactic Empire is established 48000 CE, 1000 years after the events of the first novel.<ref name=":1" />

Asimov himself commented that his fiction's internal history was "actually made up ad hoc. My cross-references in the novels are thrown in as they occur to me and did not come from a systemized history. ... If some reader checks my stories carefully and finds that my dating is internally inconsistent, I can only say I'm not surprised."<ref name=":1" />

== Prequel trilogy after Asimov's death==
A second Foundation trilogy of prequels was written after Asimov's death by three authors, authorized by the Asimov estate.  These were ''[[Foundation's Fear]]'' (1997) by [[Gregory Benford]], ''[[Foundation and Chaos]]'' (1998) by [[Greg Bear]], and ''[[Foundation's Triumph]]'' (1999) by [[David Brin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/foundation_series|title=SFE:Foundation|date=17 January 2022|website=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction}}</ref>

==Cultural impact==
===Impact in nonfiction===
In ''Learned Optimism'',<ref>[[Martin Seligman|Seligman, Martin]]. ''Learned Optimism'' ((c) 1998 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.), 185ff.</ref> psychologist [[Martin Seligman]] identifies the ''Foundation'' series as one of the most important influences in his professional life, because of the possibility of predictive sociology based on psychological principles. He also lays claim to the first successful prediction of a major historical (sociological) event, in the [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 US elections]], and he specifically attributes this to a psychological principle.<ref>Seligman discusses the successful prediction of the Presidential and 33 Senatorial elections based on an evaluation of the candidates' optimism as expressed in their speeches, and the principle that American voters systematically favor optimistic candidates.</ref>

In his 1996 book ''To Renew America'', [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|U. S. House Speaker]] [[Newt Gingrich]] wrote that he was influenced by reading the ''Foundation'' trilogy in high school.<ref>[http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/143446 "Newt Gingrich the Galactic Historian"]. [[Ray Smock]], [[History News Network]], 08 December 2011.</ref>

[[Paul Krugman]], winner of the 2008 [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences]], credits the ''Foundation'' series with turning his mind to economics, as the closest existing science to psychohistory.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/dec/04/paul-krugman-asimov-economics|title=Paul Krugman: Asimov's Foundation novels grounded my economics|first=Paul|last=Krugman|date=4 December 2012|website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec08/nobelkrugman_10-13.html|title=U.S. Economist Krugman Wins Nobel Prize in Economics|website=[[PBS]]|access-date=2017-08-28|archive-date=2014-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122042610/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec08/nobelkrugman_10-13.html}}</ref>

Stating that it "offers a useful summary of some of the dynamics of far-flung imperial Rome", [[Carl Sagan]] in 1978 listed the ''Foundation'' series as an example of how science fiction "can convey bits and pieces, hints and phrases, of knowledge unknown or inaccessible to the reader".<ref name="sagan19780528">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/28/archives/growing-up-with.html |title=Growing up with Science Fiction |last=Sagan |first=Carl |date=1978-05-28 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2018-12-12 |page=SM7 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In the nonfiction PBS series ''[[Cosmos: A Personal Voyage]]'', Sagan referred to an ''Encyclopedia Galactica'' in the episodes "Encyclopaedia Galactica" and "Who Speaks for Earth".

===Awards===
In 1966, the ''Foundation'' trilogy beat several other science fiction and fantasy series to receive a special [[Hugo Award]] for "Best All-Time Series". The runners-up for the award were the ''[[Barsoom series]]'' by [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]], the ''[[Future History (Heinlein)|Future History series]]'' by [[Robert A. Heinlein]], the ''[[Lensman series]]'' by [[Edward E. Smith]] and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]].<ref name="Hugo">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1966-hugo-awards/|title=1966 Hugo Awards|date=26 July 2007}}</ref> The Foundation series was the only series so honored until the establishment of the "Best Series" category in 2017. Asimov himself wrote that he assumed the one-time award had been created to honor ''The Lord of the Rings'', and he was amazed when his work won.<ref>{{cite book|title= In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954–1978|last= Asimov|first= Isaac|date= 1980|publisher= Doubleday|location= Garden City, New York|isbn= 978-0-385-15544-1|at= [https://archive.org/details/injoystillfelt00isaa/page/ chapter 24]|url= https://archive.org/details/injoystillfelt00isaa/page/}}</ref>

The series has won three other Hugo Awards. ''Foundation's Edge'' won Best Novel in 1983, and was a bestseller for almost a year. Retrospective Hugo Awards were given in 1996 and 2018 for, respectively, "The Mule" (the major part of ''Foundation and Empire'') for Best Novel (1946) and "Foundation" (the first story written for the series, and second chapter of the first novel) for Best Short Story (1943).

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#96c; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Recipient
! Result
! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|- style="font-weight:bold; background-color:lavender;"
| 1966
| [[Hugo Award|1966 Hugo Awards]]
| Best All-Time Series
| The ''Foundation'' Trilogy
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1966-hugo-awards/|title=1966 Hugo Awards|work=[[Hugo Award|The Hugo Awards]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|- style="font-weight:bold; background-color:lavender;"
| 1975
| 1975 Locus Poll
| Best All-Time Novel
| The ''Foundation'' Trilogy
| {{won|place=6}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/1998/Books/75alltime.html|title=Locus Poll Best All-time Novel Results: 1975, novels|work=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| align="center" rowspan="3" | 1983
| [[Nebula Award|1982 Nebula Awards]]
| [[Nebula Award for Best Novel|Best Novel]]
| rowspan="3" | ''[[Foundation's Edge]]''
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/1982/|title=1982 Nebula Awards|work=[[Nebula Award|The Nebula Awards]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1983 Hugo Awards
| [[Hugo Award for Best Novel|Best Novel]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1983-hugo-awards/|title=1983 Hugo Awards|work=[[Hugo Award|The Hugo Awards]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[Locus Award|1983 Locus Awards]]
| [[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Best SF Novel]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1983|title=Locus Awards 1983|work=Science Fiction Awards Database |access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| 1987 Locus Awards
| Best SF Novel
| ''[[Foundation and Earth]]''
| {{won|place=5}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1987|title=Locus Awards 1987|work=Science Fiction Awards Database |access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|- style="font-weight:bold; background-color:lavender;"
| 1987 Locus Poll
| Best All-Time SF Novel
| The ''Foundation'' Trilogy
| {{won|place=6}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/1998/Books/87alltimesf.html|title=Locus Poll Best All-time Novel Results: 1987, sf novels|work=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1989
| 1989 Locus Awards
| Best SF Novel
| ''[[Prelude to Foundation]]''
| {{won|place=4}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1989|title=Locus Awards 1989|work=Science Fiction Awards Database |access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1990
| 1990 Locus Awards
| [[Locus Award for Best Novella|Best Novella]]
| "[[The Originist]]"{{efn|The novella first appeared in the anthology ''[[Foundation's Friends]]'', published in 1989 in honor of Isaac Asimov with his own afterword.}} by [[Orson Scott Card]]
| {{won|place=8}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1990|title=Locus Awards 1990|work=Science Fiction Awards Database |access-date=November 8, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1993
| 1993 Locus Awards
| Best Novella
| "[[Forward the Foundation|Cleon the Emperor]]"{{efn|The novella is a part of the 1993 ''[[Forward the Foundation]]'' excerpted for an earlier magazine publication in 1992.}}
| {{won|place=4}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1993|title=Locus Awards 1993|work=Science Fiction Awards Database |access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 1994
| 1994 Locus Awards
| Best Collection
| ''[[Forward the Foundation]]''
| {{won|place=5}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_1994|title=Locus Awards 1994|work=Science Fiction Awards Database |access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996 
| rowspan="2" | [[Hugo Award#Retro-Hugos|1946 Retro-Hugo Awards]]
| [[Hugo Award for Best Novella#Retro Hugos|Best Novella]]
| "[[Foundation and Empire|Dead Hand]]"{{efn|The novella was originally published in 1945 and, retitled "The General", became the first part of the 1952 novel ''[[Foundation and Empire]]''.}}
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref name=Hugo46>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1946-retro-hugo-awards/|title=1946 Retro-Hugo Awards|work=[[Hugo Award|The Hugo Awards]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[Hugo Award for Best Novel#Retro-Hugos|Best Novel]]
| "[[Foundation and Empire|The Mule]]"{{efn|The novel was originally published in 1945 and later became the second part of the 1952 novel ''[[Foundation and Empire]]''.}}
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref name=Hugo46 />
|- style="font-weight:bold; background-color:lavender;"
| 1998
| 1998 Locus Poll
| Best All-Time SF Novel before 1990
| The ''Foundation'' Trilogy
| {{won|place=4}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/1998/Issues/02/Profile.html|title=Locus Magazine, February 1998|work=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2001
| 1951 Retro-Hugo Awards
| Best Novella
| "[[Second Foundation|...And Now You Don't]]"{{efn|The novella was originally serialized in 1949–50 and, retitled "Search by the Foundation", became the second part of the 1953 novel ''[[Second Foundation]]''.}}
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1951-retro-hugo-awards/|title=1951 Retro-Hugo Awards|work=[[Hugo Award|The Hugo Awards]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|- style="font-weight:bold; background-color:lavender;"
| rowspan="2" | 2012
| rowspan="2" |2012 Locus Poll
| Best 20th Century SF Novel
| The ''Foundation'' Trilogy
| {{won|place=3}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/2012/12/all-time-novel-results-2012/|title=All-Time Novel Results, 2012|work=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|- style="font-weight:bold; background-color:lavender;"
| Best 20th Century Novelette
| "[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]"{{efn| name=foundfoot|The novelette was originally published in 1942 and, retitled "The Encyclopedists", became the second part of the 1951 novel ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''.}}
| {{won|place=34}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=https://locusmag.com/2012/12/https://locusmag.com/2012/12/all-time-short-fiction-results-2012/|title=All-Time Short Fiction Results, 2012|work=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]]|access-date=November 7, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2018 
| rowspan="2" | 1943 Retro-Hugo Awards
| rowspan="2" | [[Hugo Award for Best Novelette#Retro Hugos|Best Novelette]]
| "Foundation"{{efn|name=foundfoot}}
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref name=Hugo43>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1943-retro-hugo-awards/|title=1943 Retro-Hugo Awards|work=[[Hugo Award|The Hugo Awards]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| "[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Bridle and Saddle]]"{{efn|The novelette was originally published in 1942 and, retitled "The Mayors", became the third part of the 1951 novel ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''.}}
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref name=Hugo43 />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2020 
| rowspan="2" | 1945 Retro-Hugo Awards
| Best Novelette
| [[Foundation (Asimov novel)|"The Big and the Little" (aka "The Merchant Princes")]]{{efn|The novelette was originally published in 1944 as "The Big and the Little" and, retitled "The Merchant Princes", became the fifth part of the 1951 novel ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''.}}
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |<ref name=Hugo45>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1945-retro-hugo-awards/|title=1945 Retro-Hugo Awards|work=[[Hugo Award|The Hugo Awards]]|access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[Hugo Award for Best Short Story#Retro Hugos|Best Short Story]]
| [[Foundation (Asimov novel)|"The Wedge" (aka "The Traders")]]{{efn|The short story was originally published in 1944 as "The Wedge" and, retitled "The Traders", became the fourth part of the 1951 novel ''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]''.}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2023
| [[Seiun Award|2023 Seiun Awards]]
| Best Translated Long Form
| The ''Foundation'' Trilogy
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref name="SeiunPelebo">{{cite web |url=http://prizesworld.com/prizes/sf/siun.htm |title=星雲賞受賞作・参考候補作一覧 |trans-title=List of The Seiun Awards Winners & Candidates |access-date=2016-03-25 |language=ja}}</ref>
|-
|}

===Impact in fiction and entertainment===
[[Douglas Adams]]' ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' mentions the encyclopedia by name, remarking that it is rather "dry", and consequently sells fewer copies than his own creation "The Guide".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Adams |first1=Douglas |author1-link=Isaac Asimov |title=The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |date=2005 |publisher=Del Rey/Ballantine Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-307-41713-8 |chapter=Chapter 2}}</ref>

[[Frank Herbert]] also wrote ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' as a counterpoint to ''Foundation''. Tim O'Reilly in his monograph on Herbert wrote that "''Dune'' is clearly a commentary on the ''Foundation'' trilogy. Herbert has taken a look at the same imaginative situation that provoked Asimov's classic—the decay of a galactic empire—and restated it in a way that draws on different assumptions and suggests radically different conclusions. The twist he has introduced into ''Dune'' is that the Mule, not the Foundation, is his hero."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oreilly.com/tim/herbert/ch05.html|title=Frank Herbert, Chapter 5, Rogue Gods|website=[[oreilly.com]]|access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref>

In 1995, [[Donald Kingsbury]] wrote "Historical Crisis", which he later expanded into a novel, ''[[Psychohistorical Crisis]]''. It takes place about 2,000 years after ''Foundation'', after the founding of the Second Galactic Empire. It is set in the same fictional universe as the Foundation series, in considerable detail, but with virtually all ''Foundation''-specific names either changed (e.g., Kalgan becomes Lakgan), or avoided (psychohistory is created by an unnamed, but often-referenced Founder). The novel explores the ideas of psychohistory in a number of new directions, inspired by more recent developments in mathematics and [[computer science]], as well as by new ideas in science fiction itself.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

In 1998, the novel ''[[Spectre (Star Trek)|Spectre]]'' (part of the [[Shatnerverse]] series) by [[William Shatner]] and [[Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens]] states that the [[Mirror Universe]] divergent path has been studied by the ''Seldon Psychohistory Institute''.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

The [[oboe]]-like holophonor in [[Matt Groening]]'s animated television series ''[[Futurama]]'' is based directly upon the [[Visi-Sonor]] which [[The Mule (Foundation)|Magnifico]] plays in ''Foundation and Empire.''<ref>{{cite video | people=Cohen, David X.|date=2003|title=Futurama season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings"|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote=Of course, you'll remember the holophonor [...] as we've said [...] is inspired by an instrument in [...] ''Foundation'', one of the ''Foundation'' books, Isaac Asimov, the Mule plays an instrument much like that, except that it controls peoples minds.}}</ref><ref name="gizmodo 2">{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/in-which-events-take-a-generally-darker-turn-foundatio-5799689|title=In Which Events Take a Generally Darker Turn: ''Foundation and Empire'' by Isaac Asimov|first1=Josh|last1=Wimmer|first2=Alasdair|last2=Wilkins|date=May 10, 2011|website=[[Gizmodo]]|access-date=February 26, 2024|archive-date=February 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226010158/https://gizmodo.com/in-which-events-take-a-generally-darker-turn-foundatio-5799689|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the 2006–2007 [[Marvel Comics]] [[Civil War (comics)|Civil War]] [[Fictional crossover|crossover]] storyline, in ''[[Fantastic Four (comic book)|Fantastic Four]]'' #542 [[Mister Fantastic]] revealed his own attempt to develop psychohistory, saying he was inspired after reading the ''Foundation'' series.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

According to lead singer [[Ian Gillan]], the hard rock band [[Deep Purple]]'s song ''The Mule'' is based on the Foundation character: "Yes, The Mule was inspired by Asimov. It's been a while but I'm sure you've made the right connection... Asimov was required reading in the 1960s."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gillan.com/qa-62.html|title=Caramba – Q&A|website=www.gillan.com}}</ref>

=== Adaptations ===
==== Radio ====
{{main|The Foundation Trilogy (BBC Radio)}}
An eight-part [[The Foundation Trilogy (BBC Radio)|radio adaptation]] of the original trilogy, with sound design by the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]], was broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/d72b48f863784e7f85feae8bc9c2cbce|title=Broadcast - BBC Programme Index|website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|date=17 September 1977 }}</ref> in 1973—one of the first BBC radio drama serials to be made in [[stereophonic sound|stereo]]. A [[BBC 7]] [[rerun]] commenced in July 2003.

Adapted by [[Patrick Tull]] (episodes 1 to 4) and Mike Stott (episodes 5 to 8), the dramatisation was directed by [[David Cain (composer)|David Cain]] and starred William Eedle as Hari Seldon, with [[Geoffrey Beevers]] as Gaal Dornick, [[Lee Montague]] as Salvor Hardin, [[Julian Glover]] as Hober Mallow, [[Dinsdale Landen]] as Bel Riose, [[Maurice Denham]] as Ebling Mis and [[Prunella Scales]] as Lady Callia.

==== Film ====
By 1998, [[New Line Cinema]] had spent $1.5&nbsp;million developing a film version of the ''Foundation Trilogy''. The failure to develop a new franchise was partly a reason the studio signed on to produce [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Sibley | first = Brian | author-link = Brian Sibley | title = Peter Jackson: A Film-maker's Journey | publisher =Harpercollins | year =2006 | location =London | page =403 | isbn = 978-0-00-717558-1 |chapter=Three-Ring Circus}}</ref>

On July 29, 2008, New Line Cinema co-founders [[Bob Shaye]] and [[Michael Lynne]] were reported to have been signed on to produce an adaptation of the trilogy by their company Unique Pictures for Warner Brothers.<ref>{{cite news | author = Rich Drees| title = 'Foundation' Heading To Big Screen| publisher = Film Buff OnLine | date = 2008-07-29 | url = http://www.filmbuffonline.com/FBOLNewsreel/wordpress/?p=842/ | access-date=2008-07-29}}</ref>
However, [[Columbia Pictures]] (Sony) successfully bid for the screen rights on January 15, 2009, and then contracted [[Roland Emmerich]] to direct and produce. Michael Wimer was named as co-producer.<ref>{{IMDb name|0000386|Roland Emmerich}}</ref>
Two years later, the studio hired [[Dante Harper]] to adapt the books. This project failed to materialize, and [[HBO]] acquired the rights when they became available in 2014.<ref name="Sneider">{{cite web |last1 = Sneider |first1 = Jeff |title = 'Interstellar's' Jonah Nolan Developing 'Foundation' Series for HBO, WBTV (Exclusive) |website = [[TheWrap]] |url = https://www.thewrap.com/interstellars-jonah-nolan-developing-foundation-series-for-hbo-wbtv-exclusive/ |date = 10 November 2014 |access-date = 11 November 2014}}</ref>

==== Television ====
{{Main|Foundation (TV series)|l1=''Foundation'' (TV series)}}

In November 2014, ''[[TheWrap]]'' reported that [[Jonathan Nolan]] was writing and producing a TV series based on the ''Foundation Trilogy'' for [[HBO]].<ref name="Sneider" /> Nolan confirmed his involvement at a [[Paley Center for Media|Paley Center]] event on April 13, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=PaleyLive: An Evening with the Cast of Person of Interest|website=[[Yahoo]]|url=https://screen.yahoo.com/live/event/paleylive-an-evening-with-person-of-interest|date=13 April 2015|access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref>

In June 2017, ''[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]'' reported that [[Skydance Media]] would produce a TV series.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fleming| first1=Mike Jr. |title=Skydance Trying Asimov's 'Foundation' As TV Series; David Goyer, Josh Friedman To Adapt|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/foundation-isaac-asimov-skydance-television-series-deal-david-goyer-josh-friedman-science-fiction-star-wars-1202120701/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=27 June 2017|access-date=27 June 2017}}</ref> In August 2018 it was announced that [[Apple TV+]] had commissioned a 10 episode straight-to-series order.<ref>{{cite web|title='Foundation': Apple Gives Series Order To Adaptation Of Isaac Asimov's Sci-Fi Classic From David Goyer & Josh Friedman|url=https://deadline.com/2018/08/foundation-apple-gives-series-order-to-adaptation-of-isaac-asimovs-sci-fi-classic-from-david-goyer-josh-friedman-1202450917/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=23 August 2018|access-date=29 August 2018}}</ref> However, on April 18, 2019, Josh Friedman left the project as co-writer and co-showrunner. This was apparently planned, with either Friedman or screenwriter [[David Goyer]] leaving and the other staying.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/foundation-showrunner-josh-friedman-departs-apple-drama-1203219|title='Foundation' Co-Showrunner Josh Friedman Departs Apple Drama (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=18 April 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> On June 22, 2020, Apple CEO [[Tim Cook]] announced the series would be released in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=23 September 2021|title=Foundation &#124; Apple TV+|url=https://tv.apple.com/us/show/foundation/umc.cmc.5983fipzqbicvrve6jdfep4x3|website=Apple TV}}</ref> On 13 March 2020, Apple suspended filming on their shows due to the COVID-19 outbreak;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.macrumors.com/2020/03/13/apple-tv-plus-filming-suspended/|title=Apple Suspends All Active Filming on Apple TV+ Shows|website=MacRumors|date=13 March 2020 }}</ref> filming resumed on October 6, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/45m-sci-fi-series-resumes-filming-in-huge-boost-for-tv-industry-here-39592710.html|title=€45m sci-fi series Foundation resumes filming in Limerick in huge boost for TV industry here|website=independent|date=6 October 2020 }}</ref>

The ''[[Foundation (TV series)|Foundation]]'' TV series was filmed at Troy Studios, [[Limerick]], Ireland, and the budget was expected to be approximately $50 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/limerick-studios-win-big-budget-sci-fi-for-apple-tv-38351070.html|title=Limerick studios win big budget sci-fi for Apple TV|website=independent|date=28 July 2019 }}</ref> The first episodes premiered on September 24, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210920-foundation-the-unfilmable-sci-fi-epic-now-on-our-screens|title=Foundation: The 'unfilmable' sci-fi epic now on our screens|website=bbc.com|date = 2021-09-20|access-date =2021-09-25|last=Armstrong|first=Neil}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] gave the first season a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|title=Foundation: Season 1|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/foundation/season-1|access-date=September 24, 2021|website=[[Metacritic]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The [[Foundation (TV series)#Season 2 (2023)|second season]] was released in 2023 and the third season was released in 2025.

== Relationships between the ''Foundation'' series and Asimov's other series ==
{{main|Foundation universe|l1=''Foundation'' universe}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://omnibusdubitandum.blog/2024/09/16/cronologia-de-la-historia-galactica-segun-isaac-asimov/ "Galactic Chronology"] All the events narrated in Asimov's novels and stories, related chronologically (in Spanish)
* [https://lancerkind.com/podcast/158-what-is-the-foundation/ What is "The Foundation" (SciFi Thoughts)]
* {{IMDb name|0001920|Isaac Asimov}}

{{Foundation series}}
{{Isaac Asimov novels}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Foundation series, The}}
[[Category:Book series introduced in 1950]]
[[Category:Science fiction book series]]
[[Category:Science fiction novel series]]
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[[Category:American science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Military science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Social science fiction]]
[[Category:Future history]]
[[Category:Novels about science]]
[[Category:Novels about mathematics]]
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[[Category:American novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Science fiction novels adapted into films]]
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[[Category:American novels adapted for radio]]
[[Category:Hugo Award–winning works]]
[[Category:Foundation universe books| ]]
[[Category:Foundation universe| ]]