ðə fˈɜːst sˈɪɹiz wʌz wˈʌn ʌvðə mˈoʊst ˌɪnfluːˈɛnʃəl ɪnðə hˈɪstɚɹi ʌv sˈaɪəns fˈɪkʃən pˈʌblɪʃɪŋ; fˈoːɹ ʌvðə sˈɪks nˈɑːvəlz nˈɑːmᵻnˌeɪɾᵻd fɔːɹ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti nˈɛbjʊlə ɐwˈɔːɹdz wɜː fɹʌmðə sˈɪɹiz.
The first series was one of the most influential in the history of science fiction publishing; four of the six novels nominated for 1970 Nebula Awards were from the series.