For twelve thousand years, the Galactic Empire has been the pinnacle of human civilization. However, its golden age has long passed. Only Hari Seldon, a visionary scientist and the father of the science known as psychohistory, knows what the future holds - an era of darkness, barbarism, and war that will last thirty millennia.

In a desperate attempt to pass on knowledge to future generations and save humanity, Seldon gathers the top scientists and thinkers of the Empire and transports them to a planet on the fringes of the galaxy, a world destined to become the cradle of civilization and a beacon of hope for the generations to come. This refuge is named Foundation.

Soon, the Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords emerging from the ruins of the Empire. The inevitable dilemma for the last champions of human civilization is to succumb to the barbarians and live as slaves - or to choose freedom and resistance, a decision that may lead both themselves and all of humanity to complete destruction...

The monumental work of Isaac Asimov that defined the evolution of an entire genre was honored with the Hugo Award as the best speculative fiction series of all time and rightfully earned a place among the masterpieces of modern literature.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]