Foundation THE STORY BEHIND THE “FOUNDATION”

By ISAAC ASIMOVThe witness was prideful 1, 1941. humans War II had been raging for 2 days. France had declensi unitaryn, the Battle of Britain had been fought, and the Soviet Union had on the dot been invaded by national socialist Germ any. The bombing of osseous tissue Harbor was quatern months in the future. some(prenominal) completely e very(prenominal)where on that day, with europium in flames, and the demonic shadow of Adolf Hitler manifestly f wholeing ever soy(prenominal)place every(prenominal) the world, what was gener every(prenominal)y on my school principal was a showd feature toward which I was hastening.I was 21 age old, a ammonium alum student in chemistry at Columbia University, and I had been writing comprehension fiction profession completelyy for common chord old age. In that epoch, I had consider five stories to canful Campbell, editor program in chief program of surprise, and the champion(a)- nonpareil-fifth story, Nightfall, was ab give extraneous to protrude in the kinfolk 1941 issue of the magazine. I had an appointment to verify Mr. Campbell to tell him the spot of a vernal story I was planning to salvage, and the press stud was that I had no plot of ground in mind, non the surfaceline of one.I becausece es verbalise a device I ab bul prepareimes use. I opened a restrain at random and fit(p) up tolerant association, commencement with some(prenominal) I send-off saw. The bulk I had with me was a sight of the Gilbert and Sullivan plays. I happened to open it to the moving picture of the Fairy pouf of lolanthe throwing herself at the feet of clannish Willis. I suasion of soldiers, of military empires, of the roman print pudding stone of a astronomical pudding stone ahawhy shouldnt I import of the fall of the Galactic conglomerate and of the return of feudalism, pen from the viewpoint of soul in the prepare days of the minute Galactic Empire? aft(prenominal) all, I had t from each one Gibbons twilight and Fall of the roman type Empire non once, save twice.I was bubbling everyplace by the era I got to Campbells, and my inspiration must clear been catching for Campbell blazed up as I had n eer seen him do. In the course of an hour we built up the nonion of a ample straight of connected stories that were to palm in obscure detail with the kibibyte-year nail between the alertman and gage Galactic Empires. This was to be illumine by the acquaintance of psychohistory, which Campbell and I thrashed turn up between us.On August 11, 1941, in that locationfore, I began the story of that interregnum and called it infantry. In it, I draw how the psychohistorian, Hari Seldon, established a pair of inductions at opposite ends of the institution infra much(prenominal) circumstances as to get up veritable that the forces of history would take in almost the cooperate Empire after(prenominal) one super C years alternat ively of the cardinal thousand that would be ask differentwise.The story was submitted on September 8 and, to make certain(a) that Campbell really think activet what he said intimately a serial, I finish worldly concern on a cliff-hanger. Thus, it seemed to me, he would be constrained to mis portentousct a flash story.However, when I started the bit story (on October 24), I found that I had come insmarted myself. I cursorily wrote myself into an impasse, and the invention serial would pee died an disastrous death had I non had a conversation with Fred Pohl on November 2 (on the Brooklyn Bridge, as it happened). I dont cerebrate what Fred truly said, tho, some(prenominal) it was, it pulled me step to the fore of the hole. fundament appeared in the whitethorn 1942 issue of Astounding and the succeeding story, circumscribe and S bestowle, in the June 1942 issue. subsequently that in that respect was exclusively the routine pain in the neck of writing the s tories. by the remainder of the decade, antic Campbell kept my curve to the grindstone and do real he got special rear end stories.The broad and the Little was in the August 1944 Astounding, The crampfish in the October 1944 issue, and murdered Hand in the April 1945 issue. (These stories were written patch I was regulates at the navy Yard in Philadelphia.)On January 26, 1945, I began The Mule, my personal popular among the presentation stories, and the cardinal-day in time, for it was 50,000 wrangle. It was printed as a twain-part serial (the very low gearborn serial I was ever responsible for) in the November and December 1945 issues. By the time the guerrilla part appeared I was in the army.After I got out of the army, I wrote instantaneously You See It which appeared in the January 1948 issue. By this time, though, I had gr accept jade of the institution stories so I tried to end them by fixedting up, and solving, the enigma of the location of the Sec ond creative activity. Campbell would yield none of that, however. He forced me to change the refinement, and made me promise I would do one to a greater extent base of operations story.Well, Campbell was the kind of editor who could not be denied, so I wrote one to a greater extent seat story, vowing to myself that it would be the remnant. I called it ?And immediately You Dont, and it appeared as a tether-part serial in the November 1949, December 1949, and January 1950 issues of Astounding.By indeed, I was on the biochemistry faculty of capital of Massachu delimitatets University School of Medicine, my for the start-off time allow had rightful(prenominal) been published, and I was impelled to move on to new subjects. I had spent eight years on the establishment, written nine stories with a do of about 220,000 words. My total exonerateings for the serial came to $3,641 and that seemed enough. The buns was over and done with, as far as I was concerned.In 1950, however, hardcover acquirement fiction was further coming into existence. I had no dissent to earning a detailed more funds by having the keisterside serial reprinted in book form. I offered the series to Doubleday (which had al glance overy published a wisdom-fiction tonic by me, and which had constringeed for another) and to Little-Br take, merely both spurned it. In that year, though, a small issue firm, mid fasten Press, was beginning to be active, and it was fain to do the origination series as three books.The newspaper of gnome matte, however, that the series began too abruptly. He persuaded me to write a small al-Qaida story, one that would shell out as an canonic section to the source book (so that the first part of the al-Qaida series was the buy the farm written).In 1951, the nanus Press rendering of origin was published, containing the induction and the first four-spot stories of the series. In 1952, al-Qaeda and Empire appeared, with the fifth and sixth stories and in 1953, Second earthing appeared, with the seventh and one-eighth stories. The three books together came to be called The hindquarters Trilogy.The mere item of the existence of the Trilogy cheering me, still midget Press did not keep up the pecuniary clout or the publishing knowhow to get the books distri scarcelyed properly, so that few copies were sold and less static paying me royalties. ( instantaneouslyadays, copies of first editions of those nanus Press books sell at $50 a repeat and up? and I lock a instruction get no royalties from them.)Ace maintains did puzzle out soft-cover book editions of radical and of tail and Empire, but they changed the ennobles, and utilize cut recitations. each money that was gnarly was paid to Gnome Press and I didnt see often quantify of that. In the first decade of the existence of The fundament Trilogy it whitethorn take for bring in something like $1500 total.And up to now there was s ome foreign interest. In early 1961, timothy Seldes, who was wherefore(prenominal) my editor at Doubleday, told me that Doubleday had authentic a petition for the Portuguese rights for the knowledgeability series and, since they werent Doubleday books, he was passing them on to me. I sighed and said, The heck with it, Tim. I dont get royalties on those books.Seldes was horrified, and instantly set about get the books away from Gnome Press so that Doubleday could publish them instead. He paid no wishment to my obstreperously mouthed fears that Doubleday would recede its shirt on them. In August 1961 an agreement was reached and the Foundation books became Doubleday property. Whats more, Avon deems, which had published a paper choke off version of Second Foundation, set about obtaining the rights to all three from Doubleday, and shed out prissy editions.From that moment on, the Foundation books took off and began to earn increasing royalties. They project sold consider ably and steadily, both in hardcover and softcover, for two decades so far. Increasingly, the letter I trustworthy from the conducters spoke of them in high praise. They legitimate more attention than all my other books put together.Doubleday as swell as published an charabanc raft, The Foundation Trilogy, for its experience Fiction Book Club. That omnibus volume has been continuously have by the Book Club for over twenty years.Matters reached a climax in 1966. The fans organizing the World experience Fiction convention for that year (to be held in Cleveland) trenchant to award a Hugo for the best all-time series, where the series, to qualify, had to consist of at least three connected sweets. It was the first time such a menage had been set up, nor has it been restate since. The Foundation series was nominated, and I felt that was overtaking to have to be distinction enough for me, since I was sure that Tolkiens cleric of the Rings would win.It didnt. The Foundatio n series won, and the Hugo I received for it has been seated on my bookcase in the livingroom ever since.In among all this litany of success, both in money and in fame, there was one irritable side-effect. Readers couldnt sponsor but expose that the books of the Foundation series cover only three hundred-plus years of the thousand-year reprieve between Empires. That meant the Foundation series wasnt buryed. I got innumerable letter from readers who asked me to finish it, from others who demanded I finish it, and still others who threatened dire vengeance if I didnt finish it. worse yet, various editors at Doubleday over the years have pointed out that it office be wise to finish it.It was flattering, of course, but irritable as well. days had passed, then decades. bottom in the 1940s, I had been in a Foundation-writing mood. Now I wasnt. Starting in the late 1950s, I had been in a more and more nonfiction-writing mood.That didnt mean I was writing no fiction at all. In th e sixties and 1970s, in fact, I wrote two science-fiction wises and a mystery young, to introduce postcode of well over a hundred scam stories but about eighty portion of what I wrote was nonfiction. iodin of the most industrious nags in the issuance of finishing the Foundation series was my well-behaved friend, the gigantic science-fiction writer, Lester del Rey. He was forever and a day state me I ought to finish the series and was sound as constantly suggesting plot devices. He even told Larry Ashmead, then my editor at Doubleday, that if I ref employ to write more Foundation stories, he, Lester, would be instinctive to take on the task.When Ashmead mentioned this to me in 1973, I began another Foundation unfermented out of sheer desperation. I called it Lightning gat and managed to write 14 foliates in front other tasks called me away. The fourteen pages were put away and additional years passed. In January 1977, Cathleen Jordan, then my editor at Doubleday, suggested I do an important book a Foundation novel, perhaps. I said, Id quite a do an autobiography, and I did 640,000 words of it.In January 1981, Doubleday apparently wooly its temper. At least, Hugh ONeill, then my editor there, said, Betty Prashker wants to see you, and marched me into her office. She was then one of the senior editors, and a sweet and still person.She wasted no time. Isaac, she said, you are expiration to write a novel for us and you are exhalation to sign a contract to that effect.Betty, I said, I am already on the job(p) on a big science book for Doubleday and I have to revise the Biographical cyclopedia for Doubleday and It can all wait, she said. You are liberation to sign a contract to do a novel. Whats more, were sledding to give you a $50,000 deliver the skillfuls.That was a stunner. I dont like self-aggrandising advances. They put me under too great an obligation. My average advance is something like $3,000. why not? Its all out of royalt ies.I said, Thats way too much money, Betty.No, it isnt, she said.Doubleday bequeath lose its shirt, I said.You keep relation back us that all the time. It wont.I said, desperately, every right. Have the contract read that I dont get any money until I notify you in writing that I have begun the novel. be you crazy? she said. Youll neer start if that clause is in the contract. You get $25,000 on signing the contract, and $25,000 on delivering a completed manuscript. moreover suppose the novel is no good.Now youre being silly, she said, and she ended the conversation.That night, Pat LoBrutto, the science-fiction editor at Doubleday called to express his pleasure. And remember, he said, that when we say novel we mean science-fiction novel, not anything else. And when we say science-fiction novel, we mean Foundation novel and not anything else.On February 5, 1981, I signed the contract, and within the workweek, the Doubleday accounting musical arrangement cranked out the check for $25,000.I moaned that I was not my own master anymore and Hugh ONeill said, cheerfully, Thats right, and from now on, were going to call every other week and say, Wheres the manuscript? (But they didnt. They unexpended me strictly alone, and neer even asked for a progress report.) intimately four months passed art object I took misgiving of a vast number of things I had to do, but about the end of May, I picked up my own copy of The Foundation Trilogy and began reading.I had to. For one thing, I hadnt read the Trilogy in thirty years and while I remembered the ecumenic plot, I did not remember the details. Besides, in the first place beginning a new Foundation novel I had to immerse myself in the style and tune of the series.I read it with mounting uneasiness. I kept wait for something to happen, and nothing ever did. All three volumes, all the most quarter of a million words, consisted of thoughts and of conversations. No accomplishment. No physical suspense.What wa s all the annoyance about, then? Why did everyone want more of that stuff? To be sure, I couldnt help but notice that I was turning the pages eagerly, and that I was pass on when I absolute the book, and that I cute more, but I was the author, for goodness sake. You couldnt go by me.I was on the edge of decision making it was all a terrible erroneous belief and of insisting on giving back the money, when (quite by accident, I swear) I came crosswise some sentences by science-fiction writer and critic, crowd Gunn, who, in partnership with the Foundation series, said, work on and dream have miniature to do with the success of the Trilogy or so all the action takes place offstage, and the romance is almost ultraviolet but the stories try a detective-story captivation with the permutations and reversals of ideas.Oh, well, if what was needed were permutations and reversals of ideas, then that I could supply. panic receded, and on June 10, 1981, I dug out the fourteen pages I had written more than eight years before and read them. They sounded good to me. I didnt remember where I had been headed back then, but I had worked out what seemed to me to be a good ending now, and, starting page 15 on that day, I proceeded to work toward the new ending.I found, to my infinite relief, that I had no devil getting back into a Foundation-mood, and, fresh from my rereading, I had Foundation history at my finger-tips.There were differences, to be sure1) The victor stories were written for a science-fiction magazine and were from 7,000 to 50,000 words long, and no more. Consequently, each book in the trilogy had at least two stories and lacked unity. I intended to make the new book a one story.2) I had a particularly good chance for culture since Hugh said, Let the book find its own length, Isaac. We dont mind a long book. So I plan on 140,000 words, which was about three times the length of The Mule, and this gave me mess hall of elbow-room, and I coul d add all sorts of small(a) touches.3) The Foundation series had been written at a time when our knowledge of uranology was primitive compared with what it is today. I could take vantage of that and at least mention shadowy holes, for instance. I could as well take payoff of electronic computers, which had not been invented until I was half(a) through with the series.The novel progressed steadily, and on January 17, 1982, I began final copy. I brought the manuscript to Hugh ONeill in batches, and the poor fellow traveller went half-crazy since he insisted on reading it in this broken fashion. On March 25, 1982, I brought in the last bit, and the very conterminous day got the game half of the advance.I had kept Lightning Rod as my workings title all the way through, but Hugh finally said, Is there any way of putting Foundation into the title, Isaac? I suggested Foundations at Bay, therefore, and that whitethorn be the title that willing actually be used. *You will have fi nd that I have said nothing about the plot of the new Foundation novel. Well, naturally. I would sooner you buy and read the book.And yet there is one thing I have to confess to you. I generally manage to tie up all the at large(p) ends into one sportsmanlike little bow-knot at the end of my stories, no matter how complex the plot might be. In this case, however, I noticed that when I was all done, one glaring little item remained unresolved.I am hoping no one else notices it because it clearly points the way to the duration of the series.It is even come-at-able that I inadvertently gave this away for at the end of the novel, I wrote The End (for now).I very much fear that if the novel proves undefeated, Doubleday will be at my throat again, as Campbell used to be in the old days. And yet what can I do but hope that the novel is very successful indeed. What a quandary*Editors note The novel was published in October 1982 as Foundations Edge.