📖 About Foundation

Foundation is a series universe written by Isaac Asimov. The complete collection runs to 7 books across 2 series, published between 1951 and 1993.

The main series is Publication Order of Foundation Books with 7 books. It opens with Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan (1951) and currently runs to Forward the Foundation (1993).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with Foundation

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan (1951), book 1 of Publication Order of Foundation Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

If you would rather follow the story timeline instead of the release sequence, a chronological order is listed below. It begins with Prelude to Foundation (1988).

Each of the 2 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 Foundation Books in Order

Publication Order of Foundation Books
7 books
1
Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan book cover1Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan1951Buy on Amazon
Foundation and Empire / The Man Who Upset the Universe book cover2Foundation and Empire / The Man Who Upset the Universe1952Buy on Amazon
Second Foundation book cover3Second Foundation1953Buy on Amazon
Foundation's Edge book cover4Foundation's Edge1982Buy on Amazon
Foundation and Earth book cover5Foundation and Earth1986Buy on Amazon
Prelude to Foundation book cover6Prelude to Foundation1988Buy on Amazon
Forward the Foundation book cover7Forward the Foundation1993Buy on Amazon
Chronological Order of Foundation Books
7 books
2
Prelude to Foundation book cover1Prelude to Foundation1988Buy on Amazon
Forward the Foundation book cover2Forward the Foundation1993Buy on Amazon
Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan book cover3Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan1951Buy on Amazon
Foundation and Empire / The Man Who Upset the Universe book cover4Foundation and Empire / The Man Who Upset the Universe1952Buy on Amazon
Second Foundation book cover5Second Foundation1953Buy on Amazon
Foundation's Edge book cover6Foundation's Edge1982Buy on Amazon
Foundation and Earth book cover7Foundation and Earth1986Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many Foundation books are there?
There are 7 books in the Foundation collection, organised into 2 series and published between 1951 and 1993.
What is the first Foundation book?
The first book is Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan, published in 1951.
What order should I read the Foundation books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the Foundation books?
The Foundation books were written by Isaac Asimov.
Is the Foundation series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Foundation Books, has 7 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the Foundation series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1951, and the most recent in 1993.