Foundation Books in Order
Foundation by Isaac Asimov contains 7 books, published between 1951 and 1993. The first book is Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan (1951) and the newest is Forward the Foundation (1993). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 7
- Published
- 1951–1993
- Confirmed
- 7 of 7 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,264 in 6 of 7 books
- Reading time
- 38–57 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,264 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 6 of 7 titles with a page count on record.
Foundation is Isaac Asimov's science fiction sequence, built on psychohistory, a science of forecasting the future of whole populations that the books credit to Hari Seldon. The opening novel sets a Galactic Empire of twelve thousand years into decline, with Seldon forecasting thirty thousand years of ignorance and warfare to follow. Seven titles are catalogued, from Foundation, also published as The 1,000 Year Plan (1951), to Forward the Foundation (1993), and a chronological reading order exists beside the publication order.
How many Foundation books are there?
Foundation has 7 books, released between 1951 and 1993.
Foundation Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 7 Foundation books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan1951 · 320 pages · confirmed 4/419513204/4
- 2Foundation and Empire / The Man Who Upset the Universe1952 · 282 pages · confirmed 4/419522824/4
- 3Second Foundation1953 · 279 pages · confirmed 4/419532794/4
- 4Foundation's Edge1982 · 450 pages · confirmed 4/419824504/4
- 5Foundation and Earth1986 · 499 pages · confirmed 4/419864994/4
- 6Prelude to Foundation1988 · 434 pages · confirmed 4/419884344/4
- 7Forward the Foundation1993 · confirmed 4/41993–4/4
Foundation Books in Chronological Order
In story order, Prelude to Foundation comes first and Foundation and Earth comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 7 books below run in that in-universe sequence.
- 6Prelude to Foundation1988 · 434 pages · confirmed 4/419884344/4
- 7Forward the Foundation1993 · confirmed 4/41993–4/4
- 1Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan1951 · 320 pages · confirmed 4/419513204/4
- 2Foundation and Empire / The Man Who Upset the Universe1952 · 282 pages · confirmed 4/419522824/4
- 3Second Foundation1953 · 279 pages · confirmed 4/419532794/4
- 4Foundation's Edge1982 · 450 pages · confirmed 4/419824504/4
- 5Foundation and Earth1986 · 499 pages · confirmed 4/419864994/4
Do you have to read Foundation books in order?
You should read the Foundation books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Foundation book also stands alone.
What order should you read Foundation books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Foundation / The 1,000 Year Plan (1951), the earliest published title. After it come Foundation and Empire / The Man Who Upset the Universe (1952), Second Foundation (1953), Foundation's Edge (1982), Foundation and Earth (1986), Prelude to Foundation (1988) and Forward the Foundation (1993). In the chronological order, Prelude to Foundation comes first.
What is the newest Foundation book?
Forward the Foundation (1993) is the newest Foundation book released so far.
Is there a new Foundation book coming?
No next Foundation book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Foundation has won
Wikidata records 2 awards and 4 nominations for Foundation. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1983Wonfor Foundation's Edge
- Hugo Award for Best Novel1983Wonfor Foundation's Edge
- Locus Award for Best Collection1994Shortlistedfor Forward the Foundation
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1989Shortlistedfor Prelude to Foundation
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1987Shortlistedfor Foundation and Earth
- Nebula Award for Best Novel1983Shortlistedfor Foundation's Edge
Foundation at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Foundation title on record dates from 1993, 33 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Foundation books have appeared about one every 7 years on average.
- Length
- 2,264 pages across the 6 of 7 books with a recorded length, a median of 377 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Foundation books, 3 of 7, were published in the 1980s.
- Corroboration
- 7 of the 7 titles appear in all four independent book listings.
What the Foundation books are about
All 7 Foundation books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: psychohistory is tagged on 7 of 7. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Psychohistory 7 of 7 books
- Science fiction 7 of 7 books
- Life on other planets 6 of 7 books
- American literature 2 of 7 books
- Historians 2 of 7 books
- Long Now Manual for Civilization 2 of 7 books
- Prophecy 2 of 7 books
More books by Isaac Asimov
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Isaac Asimov books in order 553 books
Characters in the Foundation books
The character linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Greater Foundation books in order 19 books