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It's interesting how it worked out. In the end, Asimov tried to tie (almost?) all the science fiction he wrote into a single history. Many authors seem to do this, and I'm never quite sure how much of this was planned from the beginning versus how much was revisionism from later in their career.
As mentioned above, the foundation series was a three book series originally. The prequels and sequels also pulled in his robot stories and his galactic empire stories. Some of which were chronologically published before the Foundation trilogy. So the argument of what really came first can be quite muddy.
If I was to start fresh, the foundation trilogy would be one of my preferred starting points, and I would look at Foundation, Second Foundation and Foundation and Empire.
However, as RDG noted, some of the 'classic' stuff does appear dated and I'm afraid that the Foundation might seem to be a bit dated. Even though the Foundation series is recognized as his most famous work, in many ways his Robot series has been more lasting. The recent I Robot movie took its name (not its plot) from a collection of his short stories. And Asimov's three laws of robotics are widely quoted by others. I do find this a bit strange because these laws would be better seen as design guidelines, but Asimov and his successor treat them as if they are truly natural laws and are inviolate.
Anyway, another approach would be to start with the robot series. Although I'm usually not a fan of short stories, I would begin with the "I Robot" anthology and then read The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun.
Good Luck
MLH
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