Once, sitting in the subway, Isaac Asimov looked through a collection of space operas and came across a picture depicting a Roman legionary among starships. In the brain flashed the idea: not to describe the Galactic Empire — in terms of history, economics, sociology and psychology? So there was the greatest scientist in the history of world fiction — Gary Seldon, who created the science of psychohistory, the postulates of which are relevant for more than half a century. So the world of the Academy appeared: the basic trilogy about him made this book Thus appeared the "Galactic History" from Sir Isaac, which includes almost all the novels of the famous science fiction writer.