Encyclopedia Galactica

King George V and Queen Mary (that hat!)

Title:Encyclopedia Galactica

Author: A vast team of editors, no doubt 

Publisher: Encyclopaedia Galactica Publishing Co

Source book: Foundation and the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov 

On page 1 of Foundation, we learn that all extracts from the Encyclopaedia Galactica are taken from the 116th Edition published in 1020 FE by the Encyclopaedia Galactica Publishing Co, Terminus, with permission of the publishers. It’s always a bonus when the author gives you a publisher for his fictional books (Angela Thirkell is rather good at fictional publishers).

The Encyclopaedia has entries for Hari Seldon; Trantor, a single city covering an entire planet, the centre of the Imperial Government; Psychohistory, defined by Gaal Dornick as a branch of mathematics which deals with the reactions of human conglomerates to fixed social and economic stimuli; the Commission of Public Safety and so on.

Gaal Dornick writes a biography of Hari Seldon (surprise: we are not given a title so probably it’s just called Hari Seldon or perhaps Hari Seldon: a life. Seldon lives on Trantor, and Dornick, with his degree in mathematics, travels to work with him there. They are both arrested and prosecuted in court because Seldon has had the temerity to announce that the Galactic Empire will fall and Trantor will be in ruins in 500 years. Since the Empire has been in existence for 12,000 years, this is taken as treason. Although, you know, every empire must fall at some stage. And it seems the Emperor (as so often in fiction) is no longer in charge and power is in the hands of aristocratic families.

Hari Seldon’s Psychohistory predicts that the fall of the Empire will be followed by 30,000 years of anarchy and suffering. Super. His response has been to create an organisation to collate an encyclopaedia so that all knowledge will not be lost; the Encyclopaedia Galactica. Seldon and his 20,000 followers are sentenced to be transported to Terminus, an uninhabited planet at the edge of the galaxy, far from the resources of the Imperial Library and the University of Trantor. 

Hmmm, Terminus. Is there anywhere for 20,000 people to live? Houses, a water supply, sufficient food? Doctors? And, er, moving 20,000 people all at once is surely going to be a lengthy, not to say expensive, process. I think all such useful stuff is glossed over in favour of more psychohistory.

Of course Hari Seldon has manoeuvred those in power into taking this action and has been preparing for over two years. The Encyclopaedia Foundation Number One is set up on Terminus to create the encyclopaedia. Or is that really the plan?

Reference is also made to Book of the Spirit, recommended for students of religion, and there’s an 800 year old book by Lameth about the archaeology of the third planet of the Arcturian system. Apparently humanity existed there before there were any indications of space travel. Of course, Lameth’s book is based on an earlier work by Gleen. Anselm Haut Rodric doesn’t think there’s any point in visiting Arcturus to see the archaeology for himself because he’s read the book. Although I see I have failed to make a note of which book.

Foundation was first published in 1953. It feels extremely dated: “Science be dashed!” swore Rodric. 

And there are only two women characters in the original Foundation book. Unbelievable. One of them doesn’t even get a name. This is quite dreadful. We know who the women are in these Edwardian photographs even if they are wearing silly hats. I understand there were in fact quite a lot of women in the early 1950s.

What was Isaac Asimov thinking? Maybe the Encyclopaedia Galactica has more entries for women? I certainly hope so but wouldn’t bet on it. Honestly. There are more women characters in Shakespeare, even Chaucer had three.

Of course, there is another Encyclopaedia Galactica in another fictional reality; it features in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. But obviously The Guide is so much more entertaining, and IIRC marginally less expensive, so why bother with an encyclopaedia?

Feeling quite grumpy.

Thanks to Royal Collection Trust 
Prince Carl of Denmark and his wife Maud, Princess Victoria of Wales (seated L),  Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch of Russia, Princess Louise (seated R), and her husband the Duke of Fife