Foundation and Empire was published by Gnome Press in 1952, collecting two novellas from Astounding Science Fiction. The first half, “The General,” depicts the Foundation’s confrontation with Bel Riose, the last competent military commander of the dying Empire. Seldon’s plan predicts that the Foundation will survive this threat — and it does, because the Empire’s internal contradictions ensure that any general capable enough to threaten the Foundation will also be perceived as a threat by the Emperor.
The second half, “The Mule,” transformed the series. The Mule is a mutant with the power to adjust human emotions — to convert enemies into loyal followers by directly manipulating their neural states. Because he is a unique individual, not a statistical phenomenon, psychohistory cannot predict or account for him. For the first time, Seldon’s plan fails. The Mule conquers the Foundation and begins searching for the Second Foundation, the mysterious other half of Seldon’s project.
The Mule was Asimov’s greatest character creation — a physically grotesque, emotionally damaged figure whose power to control emotions was born from a lifetime of being unloved. His victory over the Foundation demonstrated that individual genius can break statistical predictions.
The Mule and the Limits of Prediction
The Mule represents Asimov’s most sophisticated engagement with the limits of his own premise. Psychohistory, as conceived in the original Foundation, is essentially Marxist historical materialism transposed to the future: large-scale social forces are predictable; individual actions are irrelevant. The Mule refutes this thesis. He is a unique individual whose mental powers allow him to reshape history through direct neural manipulation — the ultimate “great man” in a universe designed to render great men irrelevant. Asimov’s willingness to break his own system was what elevated the Foundation series from clever extrapolation to genuine science fiction literature.
The Mule’s emotional powers also give Asimov his first opportunity for genuine pathos. The Mule cannot be loved naturally — his physical deformity and social isolation ensured that no one ever loved him without being compelled to. The tragedy of his power is that it gives him everything except the one thing he wants: authentic human connection. This characterisation, rare in early Asimov, anticipates the more emotionally sophisticated fiction he would write later in his career.
Gnome Press and the Foundation Trilogy
Gnome Press was a small specialty publisher that produced some of the most important science fiction books of the early 1950s. Founded by David A. Kyle and Martin Greenberg (not to be confused with the anthologist), Gnome Press published the original Foundation trilogy, Asimov’s I, Robot, and several other canonical works. The publisher was chronically undercapitalised and notoriously unreliable about paying royalties — Asimov eventually had to take legal action to recover rights. Gnome Press went out of business in the early 1960s, and the Foundation books were reprinted by major publishers (Doubleday, Avon) whose editions, while more common, lack the bibliographic significance of the Gnome originals.
Collecting Foundation and Empire
First edition (1952, Gnome Press, New York): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine/Fine in dust jacket: $4,000–$10,000
- Near Fine/Very Good jacket: $1,500–$4,000
- Without jacket: $200–$600
Signed copies: Asimov was one of the most prolific signers in science fiction history. Signed Gnome Press firsts bring $5,000–$15,000.
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Approximately 2× appreciation. The Apple TV+ adaptation of the Foundation series (2021–) has increased mainstream awareness.
Projected values (2026–2036): Strong continued appreciation. Gnome Press firsts of the Foundation trilogy are the blue-chip items in science fiction collecting. Fine/Fine copies should reach $15,000–$25,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read Foundation first? Yes. Foundation and Empire builds directly on the first book’s premise and assumes familiarity with psychohistory, Hari Seldon, and the political situation of the Foundation.
Who is the Mule? A mutant with the power to manipulate human emotions telepathically. He conquers the Foundation because psychohistory cannot predict unique individuals. His identity is concealed through a twist that remains effective despite Asimov’s generally straightforward narrative style.
Is the Gnome Press edition the true first? Yes. The stories were previously published in Astounding Science Fiction, but the Gnome Press volume is the first book edition and the collector’s item. Later Doubleday and Avon editions are much more common and much less valuable.