Foundation Books in Order, by Isaac Asimov

Written by Isaac Asimov, Foundation is a classic science fiction series that explores the rise, fall, and eventual resurgence of a galactic empire over a vast period of time.

The story begins with a collection of short stories published in the 1940s, and later expanded into novels.

The central character in the early part of the series is Hari Seldon, a mathematician who develops the science of “psychohistory” to predict the future on a grand scale. As the Galactic Empire faces an inevitable decline, Seldon establishes the Foundation, a scientific and cultural institution located at the edge of the galaxy.

The Foundation’s purpose is to preserve knowledge and shorten the ensuing period of chaos before the rise of a new empire.

Here is the Foundation Series in Order

When people talk about the Foundation series, they often include the Robot series and the Galactic Empire Trilogy. All those series can be read without the others, but the recommended reading order includes everything.

The Foundation Series in Publication Order

This reading order for the Foundation series is recommended because of the evolution of the author over time.

Pebble in the Sky (1950) – Galactic Empire
I, Robot (1950) – Robot Series
The Stars, Like Dust (1951) – Galactic Empire
Foundation (1951) – Foundation Series
Foundation and Empire (1952) – Foundation Series
The Currents of Space (1952) – Galactic Empire
Second Foundation (1953) – Foundation Series
The Caves of Steel (1954) – Robot Series
The Naked Sun (1956) – Robot Series
The Complete Robot (1982) – Robot Series
Foundation’s Edge (1982) – Foundation Series
The Robots of Dawn (1983) – Robot Series
Robots and Empire (1985) – Robot Series
Foundation and Earth (1986) – Foundation Series
Prelude to Foundation (1988) – Foundation Series
Forward the Foundation (1993) – Foundation Series

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Asimov’s own recommended Foundation Readin Order

So many people asked Isaac Asimov for a guide to the Foundation series, and he delivered one:

The Complete Robot (1982) – Robot Series
The Caves of Steel (1954) – Robot Series
The Naked Sun (1956) – Robot Series
The Robots of Dawn (1983) – Robot Series
Robots and Empire (1985) – Robot Series
The Currents of Space (1952) – Galactic Empire
The Stars, Like Dust (1951) – Galactic Empire
Pebble in the Sky (1950) – Galactic Empire
Prelude to Foundation (1988) – Foundation Series
Forward the Foundation (1993) – Foundation Series
Foundation (1951) – Foundation Series
Foundation and Empire (1952) – Foundation Series
Second Foundation (1953) – Foundation Series
Foundation’s Edge (1982) – Foundation Series
Foundation and Earth (1986) – Foundation Series

The Foundation Books in Chronological Order

Finally, some may want to follow the internal story in chronological order:

I, Robot (1950) & The Complete Robot (1982)* – Robot Series
The Caves of Steel (1954) – Robot Series
The Naked Sun (1956) – Robot Series
“Mirror Image” (From The Complete Robot) – Robot Series
The Robots of Dawn (1983) – Robot Series
Robots and Empire (1985) – Robot Series
The Stars, Like Dust (1951) – Galactic Empire
The Currents of Space (1952) – Galactic Empire
Pebble in the Sky (1950) – Galactic Empire
Prelude to Foundation (1988) – Foundation Series
Forward the Foundation (1993) – Foundation Series
Foundation (1951) – Foundation Series
Foundation and Empire (1952) – Foundation Series
Second Foundation (1953) – Foundation Series
Foundation’s Edge (1982) – Foundation Series
Foundation and Earth (1986) – Foundation Series

*With the exception of the ‘Mirror Image‘ short story.