Robert A. Heinlein : A Reader's Companion

by James Gifford

2001 Hugo Nominee! This complete guide to the works of science fiction grand master Robert A. Heinlein is sure to delight fans and scholars. Readers will find complete details on every known work of Heinlein's, including the rare and obscure items along with his well-known short stories and novels such as "The Green Hills of Earth" and Stranger in a Strange Land. A complete set of cross-references and dual indexes help readers locate specific works and information among the more than 200 entries. Subsections cover Heinlein's major works as well as film and television works, book reviews and forewords, and more. There's even information about the known never-completed works. Based on more than six years of research using Heinlein's own working papers and manuscripts, this is the authoritative yet readable reference fans, readers and scholars have been waiting for.

Genres: Science Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Kevin O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, but not exactly a page turner. What it does is provide the metadata for nearly everything (Some things have come out sine it was written) that Heinlein wrote. It will tell youwhen a piece was written, when it was published, where it has been collected, the circumstances surrounding the writing of it, and any "Curiosities and Anomalies" he finds in the piece. As such, it is not a book to be read in a sitting, but rathere one to be kept by the bookshelf and consulted when reading a Heinlein story or novel. And so it is really only for the hardcore Heinlein fan. Since there are still many such in the science fiction public, it has an audience, but if you are not a hardcore fan I would skip it in favor of something more congenial. I happen to be a hardcore Heinlein fan and consider this an important part of my collection.