Grumbles From the Grave
Page 19
But eventually he interests the masters enough to gain a very limited freedom. He learns of the existence of a "time machine." With it, he manages to get his group back to a little before the time of the blast.
They take refuge in a cave in an enclave in the hills and prepare. The war comes, the nuclear blasts occur, and then plague strikes. But they survive.
March 9, 1963: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
The new novel ([Farnham's Freehold] working title: Grand Slam) I did in 25 intense days, 503 pages. Ginny seems to like it better than Glory Road, says it moves fast and can't be cut much. However, I intend to cut it a lot and get it to my typist about the end of this month. I haven't read it yet, but enjoyed it as I wrote.
March 21, 1963: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
I don't know how you manage to produce a novel of 500 pages in 25 days, even a first draft.
July 8, 1963: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Good story in Farnham's Freehold, with enough adventure for some of the men's magazines.
August 21, 1963: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Peter [Israel] said he was writing you about cutting and revision ideas, and you probably have his letter by now.
October 4, 1963: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Peter Israel says, "Bob Heinlein is the boss. I'll express my opinions, but I have enough respect for his skill and judgment so that if he says a thing can't be done, I'll go along with the way Bob feels it has to be done. If he says the story cannot be cut below 100,000 words without seriously hurting it, I'll publish it at 100,000."
October 12, 1963: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Farnham's Freehold contract with Putnam's: On page two I have changed the wordage to "100,000" and struck out the delivery date and made it "to be arranged." I need to know [their] absolute rockbottom deadline for fall '64 publication. I know that he does not need the finished ms. by New Year's Day, that being what I struck out—nor could I deliver it by then in a smooth, retyped form; I've got too much to do to it, and my typist will need at least two months after I have finished cutting it. When you ask him for his absolute deadline, please point out to him that in twenty-five years I have never missed a deadline by even one day. I am quite sure that most editors stick at least a month of cushion into a deadline date since most writers are notoriously un-punctual in such matters. I want to know what his real date is. I will meet it.
THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS
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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress was originally titled Brass Cannon after the cannon the Heinleins bought on a trip to Louisiana.
While checking on "Mike," the computer that controls most functions on the Moon, Mannie finds that Mike has become conscious. Then Mannie finds himself heading the revolutionary movement with the Prof, the girl Wyoh, and Mike—who can assume many roles on the screen. The Moon was settled by convicts, but now enjoys a rich social life, though still badly exploited by Earth as master.
With the Prof's knowledge of history and Mike's powers, they plan a careful flight for freedom, using the catapults designed to sling their products to Earth to hurl rocks. Earth retaliates with nukes, but eventually surrenders. Mike, however, has been badly shaken by a nuclear strike. He still controls all electronics—but he no longer shows signs of consciousness.
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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress won the Hugo Award for Best Novel of 1966 at the World Science Fiction Convention, New York.
June 21, 1965: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
The original of this letter goes with the original ms. of The Brass Cannon [The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress], the carbon goes with the carbon ms. Both will be sent to you tomorrow, original by airmail in the early morning, carbon by air express in the late afternoon, in an attempt to have them go by different airplanes. As you probably know from the news, we are isolated other than by air—and the last I heard they were borrowing 1916 Curtiss pushers in order to move all the passengers, freight, mail, and food that is moving in and out of our small airport.
Anent ms.: Please send the original to Putnam; it has with it a form for their supercolossal prize contest. But would you please tell him that I really have no expectation of a science fiction novel winning. . . .
July 6, 1965: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Putnam's likes new book, same terms as last book. Don't like title; can you suggest another?
November 30, 1965: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
You saw a copy of ----'s letter to me; I phoned him today. He had thrown me a curve in his proposals to edit a ms. which ---- had approved in toto—but I tossed him another curve back saying okay and how quickly could he ship me the edited ms. for my approval?—and pointed out to him that I had never signed a contract in the past with Putnam's, nor accepted any advance, until the ms. was fully approved down to the least word. I think he was taken aback by this, but he quickly agreed to go over the ms. himself, see what the copy editor had done, and then either okay it the way I had submitted it, removing the copy editor's changes, or send it to me for my approval.
THE PAST THROUGH TOMORROW
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The Past Through Tomorrow collected Heinlein's "Future History" stories written for Astounding and the slicks.
This is a giant collection of the stories written for Astounding under the "Robert A. Heinlein" byline and many of the slicks. These stories all follow a consistent pattern of future history. When he began writing fiction, Heinlein laid out a big chart with the dates, major technical advances, political and sociological situation, and various remarks necessary for fuller understanding. There were also lines for the lifelines of major characters and for the beginning and duration of technical inventions. This came to be known as his "Future History" chart. The big chart was pinned to the wall, and stories, characters, and details were added to it as more stories were written or planned. It covered a period from about 1950 to the year 2200.
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Chart of Future History from The Past Through Tomorrow.
March 9, 1963: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I am returning herewith Peter Israel's letter concerning the Future History. I don't know just what he wants. I had had in mind an omnibus reprint book, using the first three books of the Future History. We hold all rights to these and we own the plates.
* * *
I suggest that we tell Israel that what we are offering is the first three volumes, for reprint, separately or as one jumbo volume—with plates furnished by us—and that if he does not want them, please tell us so in order that we may offer same to Doubleday's Science Fiction Book Club. I feel quite sure that they would take a chance on such an offer, with the plates laid in their laps. These three books are very famous in the field and they have not been available in hardcovers in years—and never from the S-F book club.
I WILL FEAR NO EVIL
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I Will Fear No Evil, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1970, was also serialized in Galaxy.
Johann Sebastian Bach Smith, an extremely wealthy man, is being kept alive through the use of life support systems, until a suitable body donor can be found, at which point his brain will be transplanted into the young body. The body turns out to be that of his very capable secretary, who was killed by a mugger.
The two personalities now inhabit the same body and talk to each other. And Johann Smith learns to look around him with new eyes, as a female. He/she has experiences unknown to anyone else, having been of both sexes.
Eventually, using semen deposited earlier by Johann Smith in a sperm bank, Johann/Joan Eunice bears a child. It is his own child on both sides.
August 21, 1969: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Robert says that the new novel is as long as the Bible, but considering the number of authors of that, I doubt it. It is still in the process of completion. We'll send up a few rockets when
it's done, and maybe you'll see one of them!
August 28, 1969: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
[Robert] left me a note saying, "Please tell him that I am anxious to learn what the new book is all about, too—especially the ending. I seem to be translating Giles Goat Boy into late Martian."
September 2, 1969: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Robert's up to what he says is the last chapter. Then he added thoughtfully, "I hope it isn't like the short story." But I think this time he means it. He spent last night killing off someone; must have been a sort of Rasputin, from the length of time it's taken.
October 1, 1969: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
What word do you want about the novel? It's in the cutting stages—I thought that it dragged in spots. Don't you want to be surprised? All I can tell you is that it is quite different from anything I've ever read before, by Heinlein or anyone else. It will go to the typist before we leave here for the class reunion . . .
October 7, 1969: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Re: the new book, Robert has his doubts about Mac [Truman MacDonald Talley of NAL] liking it, pointing out that he turned down Stranger, but says he's been publishing some far-out stuff lately. My comment was that he can't sell the public Elsie Dinsmore anymore.
October 13, 1969: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
The cutting goes along slowly . . .
November 12, 1969: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
While I was writing I Will Fear No Evil and you and Ginny and Margo were handling everything else, a lot of nonfrantic items accumulated in your box on my desk. It appears from the file that I have not acknowledged checks in writing since 22 June. I intend to acknowledge checks and books, so that you will have a written record.
December 4, 1969: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I'm just afraid that I shall have to type I Will Fear No Evil, which will completely spoil my winter! I think the first draft was 689 pages.
January 19, 1970: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
I spent more time reading I Will Fear No Evil than I've spent on a manuscript in years. This is only partly because of the book's length—I've gone through longer ones faster—but the novel has so many good lines in it that I gave myself time enough to enjoy and chuckle over them.
January 31, 1970: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Today Bob will probably sign his "X" on two powers of attorney. One for you, one for me. Yours will be for conducting business affairs, mine a general one . . . and I suggest that we both keep them, not limited in time, for emergency use.
* * *
Robert is in good spirits, but quite weak, with nurses around the clock. The incision looks huge to my inexperienced eyes, and it had a drain in it until yesterday . . .
February 12, 1970: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
This new novel is probably closer to mainstream than science fiction than any Robert has done . . . he wants to have some sort of mass distribution on it, either by early paperback or serial, or perhaps both. The paperback business doesn't seem to cut much into the trade edition sales, whereas the Doubleday Book Club does. If we can't get serial or early paperback publication, we'll reluctantly let it go into a book club edition. The sales on The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress proved my point on that.
February 26, 1970: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Just returned from the hospital, and Bob was trying to eat lunch . . . he ate his whole egg for breakfast, and I don't know how much more, but he's still getting IV feeding, and is very unsteady on his feet. But at least we're away from the wheelchair, and he goes out into the corridors to walk. He'd refused to leave his room for about a month, and this is [a] considerable breakthrough. Also, I gave him The Insult Dictionary, and he started reading it, which is better than the detergent dramas and quiz shows, etc., he's been watching on TV.
* * *
I am also sending a letter from Lady Gollancz. Robert read this letter, and said firmly, "No bowdlerization." So will you please tell [her] politely to go to hell? The passage referred to is the one in which the hero feels sorry for the victim rather than the criminal. She wanted to take it out.
Editor's Note: By this time, publishers in many countries were putting out Robert's work, especially his juveniles.
Several British publishers had contracts for books, among them Gollancz. The chief of that firm had been knighted by the crown—Sir Victor Gollancz. When Sir Victor died, his wife took over the firm.
When they were about to publish one of the juveniles (and I am not sure now just which one it was), Lady Gollancz asked whether she might omit several sentences dealing with punishment of a character for a crime he had committed. The law on this point is firm, both here and in the UK: no publisher of a reprint edition may make changes in copy once the sale is made, without the written consent of the author.
So Robert refused her request to make the change.
Yesterday, over in Santa Cruz, I ran across a note Robert had made about the new book. Sorry I can't quote it in full, but he said, "This may be my last novel. I am not going to let some editor cut it when he doesn't understand it completely." He's always said that this story couldn't be cut because of its complexity . . . although I thought it should be. It is possible that he's right. In any case, this is something that will have to be done cautiously rather than trying to fit it into a Procrustean bed. He did do some cutting before the final typing and Xeroxing. I read it and proofed and made changes, where the typist had made mistakes. And the cut version is a lot faster than the first one was!
March 7, 1970: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I know that [Robert] has definite ideas about what he wants in the new book contract, but he just says, "You and Lurton handle it," so we'll have to stall a while longer.
March 31, 1970: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Robert is pleased with the serial sale [of I Will Fear No Evil to If.] He had every intention of having serial publication on it, if possible.
* * *
The doctors are very pleased with Bob's progress, but he still spends most of the time in bed, and is really not up to doing any work at all. Besides, sometimes his mind isn't as sharp as it usually is, and we hope that by the time this copy-editing is completed, he'll be up to looking at it . . . And having had the close brush with eternity he recently had, he's going to make some changes in his way of living. Just what those changes will be remains to be seen. It will probably include such things as no speeches (he finds them quite disturbing), no interviews, etc.
April 8, 1970: Lurton Blassingame to Virginia Heinlein
Rush me Xerox of your power of attorney. We need to attach it to the new Putnam contract.
November 20, 1970: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
The reviewers seem to be complaining about the lack of explicit sex in I Will Fear No Evil. One said, "The Victorian Mr. Heinlein—" Does any book ever please reviewers?
January 14, 1971: Virginia Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Thank you very much for the article from the New York Times. I will salaam to the Boss every morning from now on. How does one person get to be the hero of the New Right, Women's lib, and the hippie culture all in the same breath? We must all be schizophrenic!
CHAPTER XII
TRAVEL
August 6, 1952: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Back home to a bushel of mail and a constantly ringing phone—I wonder why we came back! But it was a fine trip—Jackson's Hole, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone Park, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Sun Valley, the "Days of '47" at Salt Lake City, Zion Park, North Rim of the Grand Canyon—where we rode mules down to the floor of the Canyon—then Bryce Canyon, thence through the main range to Aspen, and finally home.
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Robert and Virginia in Sun Valley, during the 1952 tour of National Parks.
AROUND THE WORLD I
August 17, 1953: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
. . . very excited to hear plans for the round-the-world trip.
September 25, 1953: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
We sail from New Orleans on 12 November and will leave here about 7 November. I am sorry to say that I will not be on the East Coast either coming or going, as we leave from the Gulf and return via San Francisco . . .
We have our trip about lined up, having each received permission from the Navy Department, having received passports, having booked passage for the two principal legs of the trip. We've been vaccinated, shot for cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid, tetanus; will be stuck for yellow fever on Wednesday. Ginny is down seeing about visas right now, but all the main hurdles are passed. I will supply exact times and places later but here is how it shapes up now: By freighter S.S. Gulf Shipper (U.S. registry) New Orleans, Panama Canal, half a dozen west S.A. ports to Valparaiso, fly over Andes to Buenos Aires, embark cargo-liner (swimming pool and such) M.S. Ruys (Dutch), then Montevideo, Santos, and Rio de Janeiro, across South Atlantic to Cape Town, after which the ship hits half a dozen East African ports and Zanzibar, ending in Kenya before starting across Indian Ocean for Mauritius and Singapore. I want to leave the ship for a week at Cape Town to visit Kruger National Park, but Ginny insists that lions can open automobile doors—nevertheless, I want to make that motor trip and see lions, elephants, etc., in native habitat.
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The Heinleins in Buenos Aires, a stop on their world tour of 1953.