Isaac Asimov-Prelude to the Academy. Gift book bound in leather

"Prelude to the Academy"

Young mathematician Hari Seldon arrives on Trantor-the capital of the Galactic Empire, which united twenty-five million inhabited worlds, to speak at the Mathematical Congress with a report on the theoretical development of Psychohistory – a science capable of predicting possible paths of events, predicting the future, based on mathematical laws with a high degree of probability. Seldon saw signs of impending disintegration behind the facade of the imaginary prosperity of the Empire. Immediately after his speech at the Congress, Seldon is hunted by those in power who want to use his discovery for their own personal purposes…

Forced into hiding, Seldon continues his research in secret. He comprehends the laws of historical development, which allows him to predict the future and begin preparing for the creation of the Academy - an organization that will preserve the treasures of science and culture in the conditions of impending chaos and will allow building a new civilization on the ruins of the Empire.