In fact, he fleshed out the history of the Galactic Empire that collapses during the Foundation period in several other books. I have long recommended to people that they read these books before embarking upon a read of Foundation and the other books.
- The End of Eternity
- The Stars, Like Dust
- The Currents of Space
- Pebble In The Sky
The End of Eternity tells about a time management bureau that exists outside of the normal timestream. Its purpose is to protect humanity but one of its agents comes to learn the disturbing truth about how well Eternity benefits humankind. He makes a choice that ultimately leads to the rise of the Galactic Empire.
The Stars, Like Dust is set maybe a thousand years in the future, when Mankind has begun colonizing the stars. The idea of a galactic imperium is just an ambitious dream at this point.
The Currents of Space takes place just prior to the formation of the Galactic Empire. The events of the story unfold on a planet that still exists in "free" space, outside the gigantic Trantorian empire. Trantor, the most powerful planet in the galaxy, lies near the galactic core and controls about half the galaxy at this point.
Pebble In The Sky takes place on Earth about 50,000 years in the future and some 800 years after the Trantorian empire has become the Galactic Empire. This story features a brief episode of time travel but doesn't seem to be directly related to The End of Eternity.
Foundation opens when the Galactic Empire is about 12,000 years old. The second book in the trilogy is Foundation and Empire and the third book is Second Foundation. The Doubleday Book Club used to sell the entire trilogy as a single bound volume (that was how I read these books).
We have a Foundation WorldFAQ explaining the Foundation Trilogy and other books in the series at Xenite.Org. The WorldFAQ has not been updated in several years but the time may be nearing when we should do that.
BTW -- I did not like how Asimov took the series toward the end. He wanted the galaxy to develop a mass consciousness and that prospect was just so depressing to me I could never read the series again. I've been told that Greg Bear's sequels try to ameliorate the situation but I really felt betrayed by Asimov's conclusion.
Still, all that aside, I'm looking forward to seeing the Roland Emmerich movie(s). I'm a big fan of his regardless of what his critics may say.
Oh -- before I forget. Speaking of The End of Eternity, Vince Gerardis will be making an "End of Eternity" movie too. I don't see any way for the two movies to coordinate anything between them, but that would actually be kind of cool if they did.
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