Books

Isaac Asimov (1951-53) Foundation trilogy, US first editions, first printings, all first state, published by Gnome Press. The set is comprised of: Foundation (1951), CURREY (A) Dark blue cloth with red lettering on spine. Galaxy on front cover. Words on spine horizontal. Boards are 21 cm high. Sheets measure 20.3 x 13.5 cm and are 1.9 cm across the top. Spaceships colored blue on front cover. Rear flaps feature Journey to Infinity and Typewriter in the Sky and Fear. Back cover: 3 titles plus forthcoming Fantasy Calendar for 1952. Gnome Press address given as 80 East 11th Street, N. Y. 3 Condition: a near fine book with no bookplates, no previous owners scribbles, no stamps. Internally absolutely clean. Light shelf wear only which includes rubbing to the bottom board edges from sliding in and out of shelf. The dust jacket is very good with some rubbing to folds and small chipping to spine tips. Foundation and Empire (1952), Currey (A) Red boards with black lettering on spine. Released 1952. Galaxy symbol on front boards. Gnome Press on spine measures 2.2 cm across, sheets bulk 1.8 cm. Four-color cover with A new science fiction novel by ISAAC ASIMOV across front cover. Front flap says GNOME PRESS/NEW YORK. Back cover: Rear flap has DON T MISS THE FIRST BOOK! printed in red. Gnome Press address given as 80 East 11th Street, N. Y. 3 Condition: a near fine book in a very good dust jacket. The book is spotless with just a little rubbing to the bottom edges of the boards from sliding in and out of the shelf. The dust jacket is very good with NO spine fade to the spine. Light edge wear to folds. Second Foundation (1953), CURREY (A) blue boards with black lettering on spine. First state dust jacket with 25 titles on the back panel. Gnome Press address given as 80 East 11th Street, N. Y. 3. Condition: a near fine book, internally spotless with the usual light rubbing to the boards bottom edges. Fine dust jacket with nothing major to report. Also, an original typed letter signed by Isaac Asimov. One page, 4to, New York, 15th January 1949, to Erle Korshak of Shasta Publishers. One of the earliest Asimov letters we have seen with great content revealing the business nature and wit of the author. Asimov acknowledges receipt of his correspondent's letter, which he has read carefully, and remarks "The notion of an annual anthology of the best of science fiction is a good one, and the continuing and growing market for hard-cover science-fiction is something that cannot help but be pleasant for an author," further adding "Three of my stories have already been anthologized, and $25 establishes a record low as far as money returns are concerned, rather easily, I might add, so that I cannot help but hope that the larger publishing houses go on to express even more than mere interest." "Asimov acknowledges receipt of his correspondent's letter, which he has read carefully, and remarks 'The notion of an annual anthology of the best of science fiction is a good one, and the continuing and growing market for hard-cover science-fiction is something that cannot help but be pleasant for an author,' further adding 'Three of my stories have already been anthologized, and $25 establishes a record low as far as money returns are concerned, rather easily, I might add so that I cannot help but hope that the larger publishing houses go on to express even more than mere interest.'" Korshak had sent him, "I notice that if Shasta publishes the story, then I get $25 for each reprint i.e. 10 reprints, $250. If, however, someone other than Shasta, (say Simon & Schuster or Macmillan) publishes the story, then I get $25 altogether, i.e. 10 reprints, $25. This seems to follow the principle of 'Them ez hez most money; pays least'. Is that constitutional? Furthermore, the second paragraph says that an outside publisher will pay as much as Shasta can squeeze out of them, but in no case less than $25. The third paragraph, however, seems to commit me to accept $25 flat with no qualifying statement that it might conceivably be more. 'Being the world's poorest contract lawyer, these are probably silly points I am trying to make, but I would enjoy enlightenment.'" Annotated in initialed by Korshak to the upper left corner, indicating that he replied to Asimov on 17th January 1949. Beautiful. First and Fine.

Foundation is a seminal work of science fiction by Isaac Asimov. It is the first published installment of the Foundation series. The story unfolds over several centuries and follows the efforts of the psychohistorian Hari Seldon to preserve knowledge and culture in the face of the fall of the Galactic Empire.