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Foundation Series
The ''Foundation'' series is a science fiction novel series written by American author Isaac Asimov. First published as a series of short stories and novellas in 1942–1950, and subsequently in three novels in 1951–1953, for nearly thirty years the series was widely known as ''The Foundation Trilogy'': '' Foundation'' (1951), ''Foundation and Empire'' (1952), and '' Second Foundation'' (1953). It won the one-time Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series" in 1966. Asimov later added new volumes, with two sequels, '' Foundation's Edge'' (1982) and '' Foundation and Earth'' (1986), and two prequels, '' Prelude to Foundation'' (1988) and ''Forward the Foundation'' (1993). The premise of the stories is that in the waning days of a future Galactic Empire, the mathematician Hari Seldon devises the theory of psychohistory, a new and effective mathematics of sociology. Using statistical laws of mass action, it can predict the future of large populations. Seldon foresees the imminent f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psychohistory (fictional)
The ''Foundation'' universe is the future history of humanity's colonization of the galaxy, spanning nearly 25,000 years, created through the gradual fusion of the ''Robot'', '' Galactic Empire'', and '' Foundation'' book series written by American author Isaac Asimov. Works set in the universe Asimov's ''Greater Foundation'' series Merging the ''Robot'', the ''Empire'' and the ''Foundation'' series The ''Foundation'' series is set in the same universe as Asimov's first published novel, '' Pebble in the Sky'', although ''Foundation'' takes place about 10,000 years later. ''Pebble in the Sky'' became the basis for the ''Galactic Empire'' series. Then, at some unknown date (prior to writing ''Foundation's Edge'') Asimov decided to merge the ''Foundation''/''Galactic Empire'' series with his ''Robot'' series. Thus, all three series are set in the same universe, giving them a combined length of 18 novels, and a total of about 1,500,000 words. The merge also created a time-spa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galactic Empire (Isaac Asimov)
The ''Foundation'' universe is the future history of humanity's colonization of the galaxy, spanning nearly 25,000 years, created through the gradual fusion of the ''Robot series, Robot'', ''Galactic Empire series, Galactic Empire'', and ''Foundation (book series), Foundation'' book series written by American author Isaac Asimov. Works set in the universe Asimov's ''Greater Foundation'' series Merging the ''Robot'', the ''Empire'' and the ''Foundation'' series The ''Foundation'' series is set in the same universe as Asimov's first published novel, ''Pebble in the Sky'', although ''Foundation'' takes place about 10,000 years later. ''Pebble in the Sky'' became the basis for the Galactic Empire series, ''Galactic Empire'' series. Then, at some unknown date (prior to writing ''Foundation's Edge'') Asimov decided to merge the ''Foundation''/''Galactic Empire'' series with his Robot series, ''Robot'' series. Thus, all three series are set in the same universe, giving them a comb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foundation (Asimov Novel)
''Foundation'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov. It is the first book in the ''Foundation Trilogy'' (which later expanded into Foundation (book series), the ''Foundation'' series). ''Foundation'' is a cycle of five interrelated short stories, first published as a single book by Gnome Press in 1951. Collectively they tell the early story of the Foundation, an institute founded by psychohistorian Hari Seldon to preserve the best of galactic civilization after the collapse of the Galactic Empire. Publication history On August 1, 1941, Isaac Asimov proposed to John W. Campbell of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' that he write a short story set in a slowly declining Galactic Empire, based on the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Campbell liked the idea; by the end of a two-hour meeting, Asimov planned to write a series of stories depicting the fall of the first Galactic Empire and the rise of the second. Asimov wrote seven more stories for Campbell's magazin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gnome Press
Gnome Press was an American small-press publishing company active 1948 – 1962 and primarily known for fantasy and science fiction, many later regarded as classics. Gnome was one of the most eminent of the fan publishers of SF, producing 86 titles in its lifespan. Gnome was important in the transitional period between the genre's publication mainly in magazines up to the 1940s to mainly paperback books in the 1960s, but the company proved too underfunded to make the leap from fan-based publishing to the professional level. The company existed for just over a decade, ultimately failing due to inability to compete with major publishers who also started to publish science fiction. In its heyday, Gnome published many major American SF authors of the era. In some cases, Gnome was the first to collect in book form narratives that were first published as separate stories, with Robert E. Howard's Conan series (published in six books from 1950 – 1955) and Isaac Asimov's Fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mass Action (sociology)
Mass action in sociology refers to the situations where numerous people behave simultaneously in a similar way but individually and without coordination. For example, at any given moment, many thousands of people are shopping - without any coordination between themselves, they are nonetheless performing the same mass action. Another, more complicated example would be one based on a work of 19th-century Germany, German sociologist Max Weber, ''The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'': Weber wrote that capitalism evolved when the Protestant ethic influenced large number of people to create their own Organization, enterprises and engage in trade and gathering of wealth. In other words, the Protestant ethic was a force behind an unplanned and uncoordinated mass action that led to the development of capitalism. A bank run is mass action with sweeping implications. Upon hearing news of a bank's anticipated insolvency, many bank depositors may simultaneously rush down to a ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociology was coined in the late 18th century to describe the scientific study of society. Regarded as a part of both the social sciences and humanities, sociology uses various methods of Empirical research, empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order and social change. Sociological subject matter ranges from Microsociology, micro-level analyses of individual interaction and agency (sociology), agency to Macrosociology, macro-level analyses of social systems and social structure. Applied sociological research may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, whereas Theory, theoretical approaches may focus on the understanding of social processes and phenomenology (sociology), phenomenologic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many areas of mathematics, which include number theory (the study of numbers), algebra (the study of formulas and related structures), geometry (the study of shapes and spaces that contain them), Mathematical analysis, analysis (the study of continuous changes), and set theory (presently used as a foundation for all mathematics). Mathematics involves the description and manipulation of mathematical object, abstract objects that consist of either abstraction (mathematics), abstractions from nature orin modern mathematicspurely abstract entities that are stipulated to have certain properties, called axioms. Mathematics uses pure reason to proof (mathematics), prove properties of objects, a ''proof'' consisting of a succession of applications of in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hari Seldon
Hari Seldon is a fictional character in the ''Foundation'' series of novels by Isaac Asimov. In his capacity as mathematics professor at Streeling University on the planet Trantor, Seldon develops psychohistory, an algorithmic science that allows him to predict the future in probabilistic terms. On the basis of his psychohistory he is able to predict the eventual fall of the Galactic Empire and to develop a means to shorten the millennia of chaos to follow. In the first five books of the ''Foundation'' series, Hari Seldon made only one in-the-flesh appearance, in the first part of the first book ('' Foundation''), although he did appear at other times in pre-recorded messages to reveal a "Seldon Crisis". After writing five books in chronological order, Asimov retroactively added two books to expand on the genesis of psychohistory. The two prequels—''Prelude to Foundation'' and ''Forward the Foundation''—describe Seldon's life in considerable detail. He is also the centra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New England Science Fiction Association
The New England Science Fiction Association, or NESFA, is a science fiction club centered in the New England area. It was founded in 1967, "by fans who wanted to ''do'' things in addition to socializing". NESFA is currently registered as a non-profit literary organization under IRS section 501(c)(3). The organization holds regular meetings (at their dedicated site, the NESFA Clubhouse) of and for members and other interested parties. A weekly meeting is held most Wednesday evenings, for socializing, projects, and miscellaneous business. Two weekend meetings are held every month: a Business Meeting (for administration), and the Other Meeting. The club also publishes a regular newsletter, ''Instant Message''. There are two book groups that meet on a monthly basis, as well as a monthly Game Day, and a monthly Game Night. In addition, there is a monthly Media day. This involves showings of two episodes of an anime series, two TV series episodes and a movie choice. All are science ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugo Award
The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by the Worldcon#World Science Fiction Society, World Science Fiction Society. It is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine ''Amazing Stories''. Hugos were first given in 1953, at the 11th World Science Fiction Convention, and have been awarded every year since 1955. In 2010, Wired (magazine), ''Wired'' called the Hugo "the premier award in the science fiction genre", while ''The Guardian'' has called it the most important science fiction award alongside the Nebula Award. The awards originally covered seven categories, but have expanded to seventeen categories of written and dramatic works over the years. The winners receive a trophy consisting of a stylized rocket ship on a base. The design of the tro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short Stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest types of literature and has existed in the form of legends, mythic tales, folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, fables, and anecdotes in various ancient communities around the world. The modern short story developed in the early 19th century. Definition The short story is a crafted form in its own right. Short stories make use of plot, resonance and other dynamic components as in a novel, but typically to a lesser degree. While the short story is largely distinct from the novel or novella/short novel, authors generally draw from a common pool of literary techniques. The short story is sometimes referred to as a genre. Determining what exactly defines a short story remains problematic. A classic definition of a short story is that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Novel Series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher. Publishers' reprint series Reprint series of public domain fiction (and sometimes nonfiction) books appeared as early as the 18th century, with the series ''The Poets of Great Britain Complete from Chaucer to Churchill'' (founded by British publisher John Bell in 1777). In 1841 the German Tauchnitz publishing firm launched the ''Collection of British and American Authors'', a reprint series of inexpensive paperbound editions of both public domain and copyrighted fiction and nonfiction works. This book series was unique for paying living authors of the works published even though copyright protection did not exist between nations in the 19th century. Later British reprint series were to include the ''Routledge's Railway Library' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
