Entry updated 20 May 2024. Tagged: Author.
(1907-1988) US author, educated at the University of Missouri and the US Naval Academy, Annapolis. After serving as a naval officer for five years, he retired due to ill-health in 1934, studied physics at the University of California Los Angeles for a time, then took a variety of jobs before beginning to publish sf in August 1939 with "Life-Line" for
Astounding
, a magazine whose
Golden Age
he would profoundly shape, just as he rewrote US sf as a whole in his own image. Heinlein may have been the all-time most important writer of American
Genre SF
; along with H G
Wells
, who established the
Scientific Romance
as well as formulating in usable form many of sf's central tropes, he was not only an initial shaper of genre but the central maker of stories in the genre he had shaped.
Though not sf's finest sf writer in strictly literary terms, Heinlein's grasp of narrative strategy was unparalleled in the field, and his presentation of the future as a venue where people actually lived was innovative and definitive; his pre-eminence from 1940 to 1960 was both earned and unassailable. In a style which exuded assurance and savvy, his early writing blended slang, folk aphorism, technical jargon, clever understatement, apparent casualness, a concentration on people rather than gadgets, and a sense that the world described was real; it was a kind of writing able to incorporate the great mass of necessary sf data necessary without recourse to the long descriptive passages and deadening explanations common to earlier sf, so that his stories spoke with a smoothness and authority which came to seem the very tone of things to come. His characters were competent men of action, equally at home with their fists and a slide-rule (see
Edisonade
) and actively involved in the processes and procedures (political, legal, military, industrial, etc.) which make the world turn. Described in tales whose apparent openness concealed very considerable narrative craft and cunning, these characters seemed genuinely to inhabit the worlds of tomorrow. By the end of his first three years of writing, Heinlein had domesticated the future. For the next half a century he was the father – loved, resisted, emulated – of the dominant US form of the genre.
He came to the role naturally. Unlike most of John W
Campbell
Jr's pre-World War Two recruits to
Astounding
, he entered the field as a mature man, already in his thirties, with one genuine career (the military) honourably behind him. He was smart, aggressive, collegial, competent and highly inventive. And he had already worked out, apparently on his own hook, what it was he needed to accomplish in order to gain the kind of influence he clearly aspired to. Before writing his first
Genre SF
stories he had, however, already composed a competent, modestly flamboyant
Utopia
– published nearly two decades after his death as
For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs
(written
circa
1938;
2004
) – whose protagonist visits a future society via a form of
Time Travel
based on J W
Dunne
's theories, which Heinlein had encountered through reading H G
Wells
's "New Light on Mental Life: Mr J W Dunne's Experiments with Dreaming" (10 July 1927
New York Times Magazine
). Like most utopias,
For Us, the Living
ultimately sacrificed narrative drive and verisimilitude in order to convey its cognitive gist, and was probably not publishable in 1938. Fascinatingly, however, the ideas and images boxed into this somewhat unalluring package constitute the germ – indeed the underlying rhythm of thought and aspiration – of much of Heinlein's work over the rest of his life, and demonstrate the strong and enduring influence of his second wife Leslyn's character and convictions (they were married 1932-1947): the use of
California
as a template from which to generate various speculations; the rough structure of his
Future History
; the interest in nudism and
Sex
in general; the advocacy of various forms of group marriage, which culminated in the line marriage structure brilliantly advocated in
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
(December 1965-April 1966
If
;
1966
); the argumentative uneasiness about state power over individuals; the radical bent of his thought on almost every issue. Clearly the naked foregrounding of so much opinion, so much of it unacceptable in 1930s America, helped keep the book from publication before the War broke out; it is also arguable that Heinlein, having learned his lesson, came to sf in 1939 with the secret yearning ultimately to sabotage – or at the very least liberate – the genre whose "domestic" acceptability in the world of American letters he did so much to create. It is a case which can be carried too far – but certainly his work from
Starship Troopers
(October-November 1959
F&SF
as "Starship Soldier";
1959
) on represents not only something new in Heinlein's vision of the world, but something old as well.
By 1942 – when he stopped writing to do his World War Two service as an engineer at the Naval Air Experimental Station, Philadelphia – Heinlein had already published almost thirty stories, including three novels which would only later be released in book form. Moreover, it had soon been made clear that those stories published under his own name – like "Requiem" (January 1940
Astounding
), "The Roads Must Roll" (June 1940
Astounding
), "Blowups Happen" (September 1940
Astounding
) and the short novel "If This Goes On –" (February-March 1940
Astounding
; rev in
Revolt in 2100
coll
1953
) – fitted into a loose
Future History
, the schema for which Campbell published in
Astounding
in 1941; in sf criticism, the term
Future History
is based on Campbell's use of the term. As a device for tying together otherwise disparate stories, and for establishing a privileged (and loyal) group of readers familiar with the overall structure into which individual units were magically inserted, Heinlein's outline of the future was an extraordinarily acute idea. It was imitated by many other writers (with considerable success by Poul
Anderson
and Larry
Niven
, to name but two), but for many years only Heinlein's and perhaps Isaac
Asimov
's similar scheme – by priority, and by claiming imaginative copyright on the imagined future – were able to generate a sense of genuine
Conceptual Breakthrough
. Heinlein himself largely abandoned his
Future History
after 1950 (if the
Recursive
novels of his last years are discounted for the moment); all the short stories in the sequence were soon assembled in book form as
The Man Who Sold the Moon
(coll
1950
; with 2 stories cut
1951
),
The Green Hills of Earth
(coll
1951
) and
Revolt in 2100
(coll
1953
; cut
1959
). Two early novels also belonged to the series:
Methuselah's Children
(July-September 1941
Astounding
; rev
1958
), which introduces Lazarus Long and the Families, a
Pariah Elite
whose near-
Immortality
has come about through selected breeding (see
Eugenics
), and
Universe
(May 1941
Astounding
;
1951
chap; exp as fixup with "Common Sense" [October 1941
Astounding
], vt
Orphans of the Sky
1963
) which contains an innovative presentation of the
Generation Starship
concept. With
Methuselah's Children
, the three collections were republished – "Let There Be Light" (May 1940
Super Science Stories
as by Lyle Monroe) being omitted and "The Menace from Earth" (August 1957
F&SF
) and "Searchlight" (August 1962
Scientific American
) added – in
The Past Through Tomorrow
(omni
1967
; with
Methuselah's Children
omitted, cut
1977
).
Not all of Heinlein's early writing consisted of
Future History
stories, although most of his non-series work was initially published under the pseudonyms Anson MacDonald, Lyle Monroe, John Riverside and Caleb Saunders, including the novels
Sixth Column
(January-March 1941
Astounding
as by Anson MacDonald;
1949
as Heinlein; vt
The Day After Tomorrow
1951
) and
Beyond This Horizon
(April-May 1942
Astounding
as Anson MacDonald;
1948
as Heinlein). In
Sixth Column
an Asiatic
Invasion
of the USA is defeated by a resistance – disguised as a
Religion
– which uses superscientific
Ray
-emitting gadgets to accomplish "miracles". The original idea came from Campbell, who had incorporated it in the then unpublished novella "All" (in Campbell's
The Space Beyond
[coll
1976
]).
Beyond This Horizon
describes a future society of material plenty where people spend their time seeking the meaning of life (see
Genetic Engineering
). Some of Heinlein's best stories belong to this period: "– And He Built a Crooked House" (February 1941
Astounding
), about an architect who inadvertently builds into another
Dimension
; "By His Bootstraps" (October 1941
Astounding
as by Anson MacDonald), a superb
Time-Paradox
fantasia; and "They" (April 1941
Unknown
), a fantasy about solipsism. "Waldo" (August 1942
Astounding
as by Anson MacDonald), about a crippled inventor who lives in a satellite, gave rise to a significant item of
Terminology
, the real-life equivalents of the protagonist's remote-control lifting and manipulation devices subsequently being known as
Waldoes
. The astonishingly thorough destruction of Los Angeles (see again
California
) unpacked in "The Year of the Jackpot" (March 1952
Galaxy
) has a prescient focus on the overuse of dwindling water resources. These stories, and the later non-series stories, are collected in various volumes:
Waldo and Magic, Inc.
(coll
1950
; vt
Waldo: Genius in Orbit
1958
),
Assignment in Eternity: Four Long Science Fiction Stories
(coll
1953
; vt 2vols
Assignment in Eternity
1960
UK and
Lost Legacy
1960
),
The Menace from Earth
(coll
1959
),
The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag
(coll
1959
; vt
6 X H
1961
),
The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein
(coll
1966
cut
1970
UK much exp vt
Expanded Universe: The New Worlds of Robert A Heinlein
1980
) and
Requiem: New Collected Works and Tributes to the Grand Master
(coll
1992
) edited by Eric
Kotani
.
In the years 1943-1946 Heinlein published no fiction, but in 1947 he expanded his career – and the potential reach of genre sf as a marketable literature – in two new directions. He began selling short stories to the
Slick
magazine the
Saturday Evening Post
, beginning with "The Green Hills of Earth" (8 February 1947
Saturday Evening Post
) and followed by three more in that same year; and he published – with Scribner's, a highly respectable mainstream firm – the first US juvenile sf novel to reflect the new levels of characterization, style and scientific plausibility now expected in the field. Only the first of his Scribner's titles,
Rocket Ship Galileo
(
1947
), reflects a pre-War model for boys's stories, with its three mutually reinforcing protagonists, its backyard
Invention
of a
Spaceship
powered by an unknown
Element
, and its climax on the
Moon
, where the chums confront and defeat a gaggle of conspiring Nazis. But the tale did remotely form the basis of a film,
Destination Moon
(
1950
), scripted by Heinlein; background information and other material are contained in
Destination Moon
(coll
1979
). Unremarkable in itself, it was the first in a series that represents the most important contribution any single writer has made to
Children's SF
.
Space Cadet
(
1948
), the second in the series, renders Heinlein's own experiences at Annapolis in sf terms; it includes a classic
Space Station
with the big-wheel construction. With the third,
Red Planet: A Colonial Boy on Mars
(
1949
; text restored
1989
) (see
Mars
), which recounts the adventures of two young colonists and their Martian "pet", Heinlein came fully into his own as a writer of sf for teenagers. A strong narrative line, carefully worked-out technical detail, realistic characters and brisk dialogue are the leading virtues of this and most of his later juveniles, which include
Farmer in the Sky
(August-November 1950
Boys' Life
as "Satellite Scout"; exp
1950
), a sober and enlightening tale set in the mode of a farmer-oriented
Western
Ganymede (see
Jupiter
), as human settlers
Terraform
their new home,
Between Planets
(September-October 1951
The
Blue Book Magazine
as "Planets in Combat";
1951
),
The Rolling Stones
(September-December 1952
Boys' Life
as "Tramp Space Ship";
1952
; vt
Space Family Stone
1969
),
Starman Jones
(
1953
),
The Star Beast
(May-July 1954
F&SF
as "Star Lummox";
1954
),
Tunnel in the Sky
(
1955
) (see
Colonization of Other Worlds
;
Matter Transmission
;
Stargates
),
Time for the Stars
(
1956
) (see
Telepathy
),
Citizen of the Galaxy
(September-December 1957
Astounding
;
1957
) with its numerous links to Rudyard
Kipling
's
Kim
(
1901
), and
Have Space Suit – Will Travel
(August-October 1958
F&SF
;
1958
). The last three of these, along with
Starman Jones
and
The Star Beast
, rank among the very best juvenile sf ever written; their compulsive narrative drive, their shapeliness and their relative freedom from the didactic rancour Heinlein was beginning to show when addressing adults in the later 1950s, all make these books arguably his finest works.
After 1950 Heinlein wrote very little short fiction – the most notable piece is the
Time-Paradox
tale "All You Zombies –" (March 1959
F&SF
) – concentrating for some years on his highly successful output of juveniles, although never abandoning the adult novel.
The Puppet Masters
(September-November 1951
Galaxy
;
1951
; text restored
1990
) is an effective if rather hysterical
Invasion
story featuring alien parasites (see
Parasitism and Symbiosis
) who control human minds, and a prime example of
Paranoia
in 1950s sf; a loose and entirely unauthorized film adaptation is
The
Brain Eaters
(
1958
), and the official film version of the novel – not, alas, notably successful – did not appear until
The
Puppet Masters
(
1994
).
Double Star
(February-April 1956
Astounding
;
1956
), about a failed actor who impersonates a galactic politician (see
Identity
;
Ruritania
), won a
Hugo
, and is probably his best adult novel of the 1950s, although the mellow and charming
The Door into Summer
(October-December 1956
F&SF
;
1957
), a
Time-Travel
story, is also much admired; all three books were assembled as
A Heinlein Trio
(omni
1980
).
His next novel, however, was something else entirely.
Starship Troopers
(October-November 1959
F&SF
as "Starship Soldier";
1959
), originally written as a juvenile but rejected by Scribner's because of its violence, is the first title in which Heinlein expressed his opinions with unfettered vigour. A tale of interstellar
Future War
which helped establish the subgenre of
Military SF
and whose powered battlesuits inspired Japanese
Mecha
, it won a 1960
Hugo
but also gained Heinlein the reputation of being a militarist, even a "fascist". The plot as usual confers an earned adulthood upon its young protagonist, but in this case by transforming him from an uncertain pacifist into a professional soldier. This transformation, in itself dubious, is rendered exceedingly unpleasant (for those who might demur from its implications) by the hectoring didacticism of Heinlein's presentation of his case. Father-figures, always important in his fiction, tended from this point on to utter unstoppable monologues in their author's voice, and dialogue and action become traps in which any opposing versions of reality were hamstrung by the author's aggrieved partiality. The novel was adapted as a
Board Game
,
Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers
(
1976
), and filmed as
Starship Troopers
(
1997
).
But this, for good and for ill, was the fully unleashed Heinlein. His next novel,
Stranger in a Strange Land
(
1961
; text restored
1991
), a stronger work which won him another
Hugo
, is even more radical. Valentine Michael Smith ("Mike"), of human stock but raised on
Mars
, returns to Earth armed with his innocence and the
Psi Powers
bequeathed to him by the Martians (see
Martian
). After meeting Jubal Harshaw and being tutored by this ultimate surrogate-father and know-all voicebox for Heinlein himself, Mike begins his transformation into a
Messiah
-figure; demonstrates the nature of grokking –
Grok
(which see) being a term which Heinlein created for this book, and which can be defined as the gaining, sometimes more or less instantly, of deep spiritual understanding; eliminates those he deems unworthy through "discorporation", a form of dying which is painless and which can be freely imposed upon others; and eventually undergoes a deliberate, calculated martyrdom to further his self-founded
Religion
. Mike's costless discorporation of human beings (without moral qualms owing to the here demonstrable existence of an afterlife and
Reincarnation
) marks the book as a
Fantasy
, and not, perhaps, as one very markedly adult; and it was unfortunate for Sharon Tate that its dreamlike smoothness (a smoothness even more winningly evident in the much longer restored version) could, if his claims are to be credited, be translated into this-worldly action by the sociopathic murderer Charles Manson. However, among those capable of understanding the nature of a fiction, it has proved to be Heinlein's most popular novel, in the later 1960s becoming a cult-book among students (who were drawn to it, presumably, by its
Iconoclasm
and by Heinlein's apparent espousal of free love and mysticism), and remains by far the best of the books he wrote in his late manner.
There followed two minor works,
Podkayne of Mars: Her Life and Times
(November 1962-January 1963
If
;
1963
), an inferior juvenile which proved to be his last, and
Glory Road
(July-December 1963
F&SF
;
1963
), a largely unsuccessful attempt at
Sword and Sorcery
, albeit with a kind of
Galactic Empire
background.
Farnham's Freehold
(July-October 1964
If
;
1964
), another long and opinionated novel of ideas, invokes rather unpleasantly a Black despotism in the USA of the
Far Future
(see also
Race in SF
;
Survivalist Fiction
;
Timeslip
), and begins to fully articulate a theme that obsessed the late Heinlein: the notion of the family as utterly central. From this time onward, hugely extended father-dominated families, sustained by incest and enlarged by mating patterns whose complex ramifications required an increasing use of
Time Travel
and
Alternate History
, would tend to generate the plots of his novels. Before he plunged fully into this final phase, however, Heinlein published
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
(December 1965-April 1966
If
;
1966
), which won a 1967
Hugo
and marked a partial return to his best form. About a revolution among
Moon
-colonists – many historical parallels being made evident with the US War of Independence – it is of value partly because it shows the nature of Heinlein's political views very clearly. Rather than being a fascist, he was a right-wing anarchist, or "libertarian" (see
Libertarianism
), much influenced by
Social Darwinism
, as expressed more straightforwardly in
Take Back Your Government: A Practical Handbook for the Private Citizen Who Wants Democracy to Work
(
1992
), a text drafted in 1946.
But the fact that Heinlein's politics are a prime concern in discussions of his later novels points to the sad decline in the quality of dramatization in his sf. As Alexei
Panshin
, the most astute of his earlier critics, pointed out, Heinlein once dealt in "facts" but latterly he dealt only in "opinions-as-facts". And as these opinions-as-facts were uttered in Heinlein's voice by domineering monologuists, his last novels increasingly conveyed a sense of flouncing solitude, and were frequently described – with justice – as exercises in solipsism; for, no matter how many characters filled the foreground of the tale, his casts ultimately proved either cruelly disposable or members of the one enormous intertwined family whose begetter bore the countenance, and spieled the antic but ultimately dyspeptic tracts, of the author.
I Will Fear No Evil
(July-December 1970
Galaxy
;
1970
) is an interminable novel about a rich centenarian who has his mind transferred to the body of his young female secretary; it brought into the open the espousal of free
Sex
(and inevitable babies begat upon wisecracking women who long to become gravid for their guys) first published in
Stranger in a Strange Land
(though see
For Us, the Living
above).
Time Enough for Love, or The Lives of Lazarus Long
(
1973
), a late coda to the
Future History
series, was perhaps the most important of the late books in that it established the immortal Long, a central character in
Methuselah's Children
, as Heinlein's final – and most enduring –
alter ego
. Other novels which revolve around
Lazarus Long
, and must therefore be deemed somehow connected to the
Future History
from four decades earlier, include
"The Number of the Beast"
(October-November 1979
Omni
;
1980
),
The Cat Who Walks through Walls: A Comedy of Manners
(
1985
) and
To Sail Beyond the Sunset: The Life and Loves of Maureen Johnson: (Being the Memoirs of a Somewhat Irregular Lady
) (
1987
), which features, among other
Recursive
elements, the presence of Mark
Twain
. Assembled from manuscript fragments long after his death,
The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes
(
2020
) duplicates the first 159 pages of
"The Number of the Beast"
, then diverges into different
Parallel Worlds
. As a set, these late titles argue a kind of
Magic Realism
through generic exfoliation, and their melding of all genres and all characters, does something to justify the
World as Myth
surtitle which has been suggested for them. The final effect of these novels, however, – in direct contrast to their joke-saturated telling – is one of embitterment. It remains arguable that, by devaluing everything in the Universe except for the one polymorphic phoenix family, Heinlein effectively repudiated the genre whose mature tone he had himself almost singlehandedly established, and the America whose complex populism he had so vividly expressed. In the end, by seeming to embrace them into one all-consuming pyre, the father of sf abandoned his children. A not uncritical but more sympathetic view of the work of his later years can be found in Farah
Mendlesohn
's
The Pleasant Profession of Robert A Heinlein
(
2019
).
Two late novels, following
"The Number of the Beast"
but separate from the
Lazarus Long
sequence, were hailed with some relief by Heinlein admirers despite not equalling the drive and clarity of his best work.
Friday
(
1982
) is a loose sequel to "Gulf" (November-December 1949
Astounding
), whose titular heroine – a highly competent special agent, though plagued by a sense of inferiority about her
Android
status – travels through a fragmented future America and eventually via
Starship
to the prospect of a pioneering life, and babies.
Job: A Comedy of Justice
(
1984
) nods to the subtitle of James Branch
Cabell
's
Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice
(
1919
; rev
1921
), and likewise treats
Religion
ironically. A tour of
Parallel Worlds
culminates with the Last Trump and visits to Heaven and Hell; the usual role of all-knowing, wisecracking father-figure is played by Satan.
Heinlein was guest of honour at three World SF Conventions (see
Worldcon
): in 1941, 1961 and 1976. His works remained constantly in print. He has repeatedly been voted "best all-time author" in readers' polls such as those held by
Locus
in 1973 and 1977, and in 1975 he was recipient of the first
SFWA Grand Master Award
. His death in 1988 was deeply felt. He was posthumously inducted into the
Science Fiction Hall of Fame
in 1998. Awards given in his memory include the
Robert A Heinlein Award
for creators of fiction (invariably sf) and nonfiction that inspire space exploration. [JC/DP]
see also:
Agriculture
;
AI
;
Aliens
;
Anti-Intellectualism in SF
;
Arts
;
Astounding Science-Fiction
;
Automation
;
Cats
;
Children in SF
;
Clones
;
Computers
;
Crime and Punishment
;
Critical and Historical Works About SF
;
Cybernetics
;
Definitions of SF
;
Dystopias
;
Ecology
;
Economics
;
End of the World
;
Energy Beings
;
Eschatology
;
Evolution
;
Fantastic Voyages
;
Faster Than Light
;
Fermi Paradox
;
Galaxy Science Fiction
;
Gamebook
;
Gods and Demons
;
History in SF
;
History of SF
;
Hive Minds
;
Holocaust
;
Hypnosis
;
Juvenile Series
;
Laws
;
Lie Detectors
;
Linguistics
;
Longevity in Writers
;
Machines
;
The
Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
;
Magic
;
Mathematics
;
Monsters
;
Mutants
;
Near Future
;
Nuclear Energy
;
Optimism and Pessimism
;
Pastoral
;
Physics
;
Pocket Universe
;
Power Sources
;
Prediction
;
Psychology
;
Publishing
;
Pyramid Books
;
Radio
;
Rockets
;
SF in the Classroom
;
SF Music
;
Secret Masters
;
Seiun Award
;
Sociology
;
Space Elevator
;
Space Flight
;
Speculative Fiction
;
Stasis Field
;
Sun
;
Superman
;
Technology
;
Telekinesis
;
Time Loop
;
Time Viewer
;
Transportation
;
UFOs
;
Villains
;
Weapons
;
Women in SF
.
Robert Anson Heinlein
born
Butler, Missouri: 7 July 1907
died
Carmel, California: 8 May 1988
works
series
Future History
- The Man Who Sold the Moon
(Chicago, Illinois: Shasta Publishers,
1950
) [coll:
Future History
: hb/Hubert
Rogers
]
- The Green Hills of Earth
(Chicago, Illinois: Shasta Publishers,
1951
) [coll:
Future History
: hb/Hubert
Rogers
]
- The Robert Heinlein Omnibus
(London: The Science Fiction Book Club,
1958
) [omni of the above two:
Future History
: hb/C W Bacon]
- A Robert Heinlein Omnibus
(London: Sidgwick and Jackson,
1966
) [rev omni containing the above two plus
Beyond This Horizon
(not
Future History
):
Future History
: hb/uncredited]
- Universe
(New York: Dell Publishing Company,
1951
) [chap: first appeared May 1941
Astounding
:
Future History
: pb/Robert Stanley]
- Orphans of the Sky
(London: Victor Gollancz,
1963
) [
rev as fixup with "Common Sense" (October 1941
Astounding
) added: vt:
Future History
: hb/nonpictorial]
- The Man Who Sold the Moon
(Sydney, New South Wales: The Malian Press,
1952
) [story: chap: not to be confused with collection above:
American Science Fiction
series:
Future History
: pb/Stanley Pitt as Safone Jais]
- Revolt in 2100
(Chicago, Illinois: Shasta Publishers,
1953
) [coll of linked stories:
Future History
: hb/Hubert
Rogers
]
- Revolt in 2100
(London: Digit Books,
1959
) [coll of linked stories: one story and linking material cut:
Future History
: pb/Ed
Valigursky
]
- Methuselah's Children
(Hicksville, New York: Gnome Press,
1958
) [first appeared July-September 1941
Astounding
: full text restored:
Future History
: hb/Lionel
Dillon
]
- The Past Through Tomorrow
(New York: G P Putnam's Sons,
1967
) [coll:
Future History
: hb/Ben
Feder
]
Lazarus Long/Future History/World as Myth
individual titles: adult novels
- Sixth Column
(New York: Gnome Press,
1949
) [first appeared January-March 1941
Astounding
as Anson MacDonald: hb/Edd
Cartier
]
- Beyond This Horizon
(Reading, Pennsylvania: Fantasy Press,
1948
) [first appeared April-May 1942
Astounding
as Anson MacDonald: hb/A J
Donnell
]
- The Puppet Masters
(Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company,
1951
) [first appeared September-November 1951
Galaxy
: hb/uncredited]
- The Puppet Masters
(New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey,
1990
) [rev restoring cut manuscript material: pb/Barclay
Shaw
]
- Double Star
(Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company,
1956
) [first appeared February-April 1956
Astounding
: hb/Mel
Hunter
]
- The Door into Summer
(Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company,
1957
) [first appeared October-December 1956
F&SF
: hb/Mel
Hunter
]
- A Heinlein Trio
(New York: Science Fiction Book Club,
1980
) above [omni of the above three: hb/Gary Viskupic]
- Stranger in a Strange Land
(New York: G P Putnam's Sons,
1961
) [hb/Ben
Feder
]
- Glory Road
(New York: G P Putnam's Sons,
1963
) [first appeared July-December 1963
F&SF
: hb/Irv Docktor]
- Farnham's Freehold
(New York: G P Putnam's Sons,
1964
) [first appeared July-October 1964
If
: hb/Irv Docktor]
- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
(New York: G P Putnam's Sons,
1966
) [first appeared December 1965-April 1966
If
: hb/Irv Docktor]
- I Will Fear No Evil
(New York: G P Putnam's Sons,
1970
) [first appeared July-December 1970
Galaxy
: hb/uncredited]
- Friday
(New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
1982
) [hb/Richard
Powers
]
- Job: A Comedy of Justice
(New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey,
1984
) [hb/Michael
Whelan
]
- For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs
(New York: Scribner,
2004
) [from the 1930s manuscript: hb/Mark Stutzman]
- Variable Star
(New York: Tor,
2006
) with Spider
Robinson
[written by Robinson from outline: hb/Stephan
Martinière
]
individual titles: young adult novels
- Rocket Ship Galileo
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1947
) [hb/Thomas W Voter]
- Space Cadet
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1948
) [hb/Clifford N Geary]
- Red Planet: A Colonial Boy on Mars
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1949
) [hb/Clifford N Geary]
- Farmer in the Sky
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1950
) [first appeared August-November 1950
Boys' Life
as "Satellite Scout": hb/Clifford N Geary]
- Four Frontiers
(New York: Science Fiction Book Club,
2005
) [omni of the above four: hb/Bruce
Jensen
]
- Between Planets
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1951
) [first appeared September-October 1951
The
Blue Book Magazine
as "Planets in Combat": hb/Clifford N Geary]
- The Rolling Stones
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1952
) [first appeared September-December 1952
Boys' Life
as "Tramp Space Ship": hb/Clifford N Geary]
- Space Family Stone
(London: Victor Gollancz,
1969
) [vt of the above: hb/nonpictorial]
- Space Family Stone
(Oxford,Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press,
1978
) [adaptation by Rosemary Border of the above as a juvenile: pb/]
- Starman Jones
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1953
) [hb/Clifford N Geary]
- The Star Beast
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1954
) [first appeared May-July 1954
F&SF
as "Star Lummox": hb/Clifford Geary]
- To the Stars
(New York: Science Fiction Book Club,
2004
) [omni of the above four: hb/Bruce
Jensen
]
- Tunnel in the Sky
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1955
) [hb/P A Hutchinson]
- Time for the Stars
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1956
) [hb/Clifford N Geary]
- Citizen of the Galaxy
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1957
) [hb/Leonard Everett Fisher]
- Have Space Suit – Will Travel
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1958
) [first appeared August-October 1958
F&SF
: hb/Ed
Emshwiller
]
- Starship Troopers
(New York: G P Putnam's Sons,
1959
) [first appeared October-November 1959
F&SF
as "Starship Soldier": hb/Jerry Robinson]
- Podkayne of Mars: Her Life and Times
(New York: G P Putnam's Sons,
1963
) [first appeared November 1962-January 1963
If
: hb/Irv Docktor]
collections
Excluding
Future History
titles, listed above under that heading.
- Waldo and Magic, Inc.
(Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company,
1950
) [coll: hb/uncredited]
- Waldo: Genius in Orbit
(New York: Avon Books,
1958
) [coll: vt of the above: pb/Ed
Emshwiller
]
- Three by Heinlein
(Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company,
1965
) [omni of the above plus
The Puppet Masters
: hb/Ann Crews and Donald Crews]
- A Heinlein Triad
(London: Victor Gollancz,
1966
) [omni: vt of the above: hb/nonpictorial]
- Assignment in Eternity: Four Long Science Fiction Stories
(Reading, Pennsylvania: Fantasy Press,
1953
) [coll: hb/Ric
Binkley
]
- The Menace from Earth
(Hicksville, New York: The Gnome Press,
1959
) [coll: hb/uncredited]
- The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag
(Hicksville, New York: The Gnome Press,
1959
) [coll: hb/W I
Van der Poel
]
- The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein
(New York: Ace Books,
1966
) [coll: pb/Jack
Gaughan
]
- The Best of Robert Heinlein
(London: Sidgwick and Jackson,
1973
) [coll: edited by Angus
Wells
anonymously: hb/uncredited]
- Destination Moon
(New York: Gregg Press,
1979
) [coll:
Destination Moon
: hb/nonpictorial]
- Requiem: New Collected Works and Tributes to the Grand Master
(New York: Tor,
1992
) edited by Eric
Kotani
[coll: with some material by others: hb/Pat Morrissey]
- The Fantasies of Robert A Heinlein
(New York: Tor,
1999
) [coll: hb/Peter
Gudynas
]
- Off the Main Sequence: The Other Science Fiction Stories of Robert A Heinlein
(New York: Science Fiction Book Club,
2005
) [coll: hb/Bruce
Jensen
]
- Project Moonbase and Others
(Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press,
2008
) [coll: filmscripts and teleplays: hb/Bob
Eggleton
]
nonfiction
works as editor
- Tomorrow, the Stars
(Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company,
1951
) [anth: anonymous co-editors include Walter Bradbury, Judith
Merril
and Frederik
Pohl
: hb/Richard
Powers
]
about the author
- Damon
Knight
. "One Sane Man: Robert A. Heinlein" in
In Search of Wonder: Essays on Modern Science Fiction
(Chicago, Illinois: Advent: Publishers,
1956
) [nonfiction: coll: also in later revisions: hb/Jon Stopa]
- Sam
Moskowitz
. "Robert A. Heinlein" in
Seekers of Tomorrow: Masters of Modern Science Fiction
(Cleveland, Ohio: World Publishing Co,
1966
) [nonfiction: coll: hb/]
- Alexei
Panshin
.
Heinlein in Dimension: A Critical Analysis
(Chicago, Illinois: Advent: Publishers,
1968
) [nonfiction: hb/Alex
Eisenstein
]
- James
Blish
. "First Person Singular: Heinlein, Son of Heinlein" in
More Issues at Hand: Critical Studies in Contemporary Science Fiction
(Chicago, Illinois: Advent: Publishers,
1970
) as by William Atheling Jr [nonfiction: coll: hb/Alex
Eisenstein
]
- Mark
Owings
.
Robert A. Heinlein: A Bibliography
(Baltimore, Maryland: Croatan House,
1973
) [bibliography: chap: pb/Judith Weiss]
- George Edgar
Slusser
.
Robert A. Heinlein: Stranger in his Own Land
(San Bernardino, California: The Borgo Press,
1976
) [nonfiction: chap: pb/Judy Cloyd]
- George Edgar
Slusser
.
The Classic Years of Robert A. Heinlein
(San Bernardino, California: The Borgo Press,
1977
) [nonfiction: chap: pb/nonpictorial]
- Joseph D
Olander
and Martin H
Greenberg
, editors.
Robert A. Heinlein
(New York: Taplinger Publishing Co,
1978
) [nonfiction: anth:
Writers of the Twenty-First Century
: hb/]
- H Bruce
Franklin
.
Robert A. Heinlein: America as Science Fiction
(New York: Oxford University Press,
1980
) [nonfiction: hb/Frank Kelly
Freas
]
- Peter
Nicholls
. "Robert A. Heinlein" in
Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
1982
) edited by E F
Bleiler
[nonfiction: anth: hb/]
- Phil
Stephensen-Payne
.
Robert Heinlein: Stormtrooping Guru: A Working Bibliography
(Leeds, West Yorkshire: Galactic Central Publications,
1993
) [bibliography: chap: second edition: in the publisher's
Bibliographies for the Avid Reader
series: pb/nonpictorial]
- Nancy Bailey Downing.
A Robert A. Heinlein Cyclopedia: A Guide to the Persons, Places, and Things in the Fiction of America's Most Popular Science Fiction Author
(San Bernardino, California: The Borgo Press,
1997
) [nonfiction: hb/]
- J Neil
Schulman
.
The Robert Heinlein Interview and Other Heinleiniana
(Mill Valley, California: Pulpless.com,
1999
) [
nonfiction: coll: introduction by Brad
Linaweaver
: previously published as 1990 ebook: chief piece is a 100+pp
Interview
with Heinlein, first appeared 1973-1974
New Libertarian Notes
: pb/photographic]
- William H Patterson.
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve
(New York: Tor,
2010
) [nonfiction: hb/photographic]
- William H Patterson.
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 2 (1948-1988): The Man Who Learned Better
(New York: Tor,
2014
) [nonfiction: hb/Donato
Giancola
as Donato]
- Thomas D
Clareson
and Joe
Sanders
.
The Heritage of Heinlein: A Critical Reading of the Fiction
(Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland,
2014
) [nonfiction: introduction by Frederik
Pohl
: pb/]
- Alex
Nevala-Lee
.
Astounding: John W Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A Heinlein, L Ron Hubbard and the Golden Age of Science Fiction
(New York: William Morrow/Dey Street Books,
2018
) [nonfiction: hb/Tavis Coburn]
- Farah
Mendlesohn
.
The Pleasant Profession of Robert A Heinlein
(London: Unbound,
2019
) [nonfiction: hb/Isobel Kieran from photo from Heinlein Prize Trust]
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