ISAAC ASIMOV ~ FOUNDATION ~ FIRST DOUBLEDAY/GNOME PRESS HYBRID SET ~ VERY RARE!

Description: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, Doubleday/Gnome, 1st thus, 1962 (?). The Foundation stories first appeared in Astounding in the 1940s and early 1950s. Gnome collected them in three volumes in 1951-53 and sold two printings of each book. Cover artist for Foundation was David Kyle, for Foundation and Empire Edd Cartier, and for Second Foundation Ric Binkley. Then Gnome Press collapsed in 1961. Series was well regarded by fans so Doubleday decided to give it a try (parenthetically, Doubleday had previously published many of Asimov’s standalone novels and had been offered the Foundation series but had declined. After Gnome collapsed a new editor at Doubleday picked up the Foundation publication rights). Doubleday purchased copyright along with remainder signatures, put them in new binding, commissioned new dust covers from Roger Zimmerman. Books sold so well that Doubleday continued printing them in the same format (three separate volumes) until mid 1970s. Then it struck a deal with the SF Book Club and printed them in a single volume with the Foundation dust jacket design that runs all through the 1980s. The set offered for auction is a first Doubleday printing with Gnome pages, all three volumes have Gnome on title and copyright page, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation even retain Gnome "First edition" statement. Foundation and Foundation and Empire were printed on thick yellowish pulp style Gnome paper, Second Foundation on better white paper. All three dust jackets are priced $2.95 (although Foundation’s dust jacket is price clipped). All Gnome printings were priced at $2.75; second Doubleday printing (with new Doubleday printed pages) was priced $3.50 (according to the Internet Speculative Fiction Database this set was published July 1963, implying a publication date for the $2.95 set earlier, most likely sometime in 1962). Over the years Doubleday increased the price to $3.95, $4.50, $4.95, $5.95, $6.95, and finally $7.95. The print run for the $2.95 Doubleday-Gnome Press hybrid series offered here was: Foundation - 1,476 copies, Foundation and Empire- 1,507 copies, Second Foundation 868 copies. Gnome first printings were around 5,000, second printings, 2,500. There are currently nine complete sets of the Gnome Press editions available on AbeBooks, ranging in price from about $10,000 to $27,000 (this was the case when I originally wrote up this description - but that was several months ago. The number of copies of complete Gnome sets may have changed). Additional pictures available by request. High bidder please pay within 3 days of auction end. All books mailed in cardboard boxes with plenty of padding to avoid damage. I encourage questions and will try to answer within 24 hours. Multiple auction wins will be combined to save on shipping whenever possible.

Price: 900 USD

Location: Henrico, Virginia

End Time: 2024-12-09T02:21:01.000Z

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