Question: "A Song of Ice and Fire" is an ongoing series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin, the first installment of the series, "A Game of Thrones", which was originally planned as a trilogy, was published in which year?
Context: A Dance with Dragons is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by American author George R. R. Martin.  In some areas the paperback edition was published in two parts titled "Dreams and Dust" and "After the Feast".  It was the first novel in the series to be published following the commencement of the HBO series adaptation, "Game of Thrones", and runs to 1,040 pages. A Game of Thrones is the first novel in "A Song of Ice and Fire", a series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin.  It was first published on August 1, 1996.  The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both the 1997 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award.  The novella "Blood of the Dragon", comprising the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel, won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella.  In January 2011 the novel became a "New York Times" bestseller and reached #1 on the list in July 2011. Davos Seaworth, nicknamed the Onion Knight, is a fictional character from American novelist George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" epic fantasy series.  He is a point-of-view character in "A Clash of Kings", "A Storm of Swords" and "A Dance with Dragons" with a total of 13 chapters.  He is portrayed by Irish actor Liam Cunningham in the HBO television adaptation "Game of Thrones". Oberyn Nymeros Martell, nicknamed the Red Viper, is a fictional character in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation "Game of Thrones". Stannis Baratheon is a fictional character in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation "Game of Thrones".  He is the second son of Steffon Baratheon, the lord of Storm's End, and his wife Lady Cassana Estermont, and brother to Robert and Renly. George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), often referred to as George R. R. Martin, is an American novelist and short-story writer in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres, screenwriter, and television producer.  He is best known for his series of epic fantasy novels, "A Song of Ice and Fire", which was later adapted into the HBO series "Game of Thrones" (2011–present).  Martin serves as the series's co-executive producer, and also scripted four episodes of the series. "A Song of Ice and Fire" is an ongoing series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin.  The first installment of the series, "A Game of Thrones", which was originally planned as a trilogy, was published in 1996.  The series now consists of five published volumes, and two more volumes are planned.  The series is told in the third-person through the eyes of a number of point of view characters.  A television series adaptation, "Game of Thrones", premiered on HBO in 2011. Joffrey Baratheon is a fictional character in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation "Game of Thrones". "A Song of Ice and Fire" is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin.  The novels were later on adapted to the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones" in 2011. A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin.  He began the first volume of the series, "A Game of Thrones", in 1991 and had it published in 1996.  Martin, who initially envisioned the series as a trilogy, has published five out of a planned seven volumes.  The fifth and most recent volume of the series published in 2011, "A Dance with Dragons", took Martin five years to write.  He is still writing the sixth novel, "The Winds of Winter".
Answer: 1996