AFTERWORD BY THE AUTHOR

      THIS BOOK WHILE SELF-CONTAINED, IS A CONTINUATION OFThe Foundation Trilogy , which is made up of three books:Foundation ,Foundation and Empire , andSecond Foundation .
 
                In addition, there are other books I have written which, while not dealing¹ with the Foundations directly, are set in what we might call “the Foundation universe.”
 
                Thus, the events inThe Stars, Like Dust andThe Currents of Space take place in the years when Trantor was expanding toward Empire, while the events inPebble in the Sky take place when the First Galactic Empire was at the height of its power. InPebble , Earth is central and some of the material in it is alluded² to tangentially³ in this new book.
 
                In none of the earlier books of the Foundation universe were robots mentioned. In this new book, however, there are references to robots. In this connection, you may wish to read my robot stories. The short stories are to be found inThe Complete Robot , while the two novels,The Caves of Steel andThe Naked Sun , describe the robotic period of the colonization⁴ of the Galaxy⁵.
 
                If you wish an account of the Eternals and the way in which they adjusted human history, you will find it (not entirely⁶ consistent with the references in this new book) inThe End of Eternity⁷ .
 
                All the books mentioned existed as Doubleday hardcovers, to begin with.The Foundation Trilogy andThe Complete Robot are still in print in hardcover. Of the others,Pebble in the Sky andThe End of Eternity are included in the omnibus volumeThe Far Ends of Time and Earth , whileThe Stars, Like Dust andThe Currents of Space are in the omnibus volumePrisoners of the Stars . Both omnibus volumes are in print in hardcover. As forThe Caves of Steel andThe Naked Sun , they are included in the omnibus volumeThe Robot Novels , still available from the Science Fiction Book Club. And all are in print in softcover editions, of course.

ＴｈｅＥｎｄ

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 alluded   

提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In your remarks you alluded to a certain sinister design. 在你的谈话中，你提到了某个阴谋。
• She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles. 她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。

3 tangentially   

adv.无关地

参考例句：

• The circumstances are delicate, involving their mother and, more tangentially, their father. 情况很微妙，事关他们的母亲也触及他们的父亲。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦

4 colonization   

殖民地的开拓，殖民，殖民地化； 移殖

参考例句：

• Colonization took place during the Habsburg dynasty. 开拓殖民地在哈布斯堡王朝就进行过。
• These countries took part in the colonization of Africa. 这些国家参与非洲殖民地的开发。

5 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。