SF Luminaries: Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke (1965)

I wonder if this preamble is as familiar to you as it is to me?

Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World (1980)

... Mysteries from the files of Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001 and inventor of the communications satellite. Now in retreat in Sri Lanka, he ponders the mysteries of this and other worlds.

Bookwig: Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World (1980)

There are a number of interesting leads in there. What better way to usher in this long-awaited new year, 2021, than by unpacking a few of them?

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The Utah Monolith (2016-20)

"author of 2001"

The Utah monolith is a metal pillar that stood in a red sandstone slot canyon in northern San Juan County, Utah. ... It was unlawfully placed on public land between July and October 2016, and stood unnoticed for over 4 years until its discovery and removal in late 2020. The identity of its makers, and their objectives, are unknown.

In the weeks after the discovery of the Utah pillar, dozens of similar metal columns were erected in other places throughout the world, including elsewhere in North America and various countries in Europe and South America. Many were built by local artists as deliberate imitations of the Utah monolith.

- Wikipedia

The Gingerbread Monolith (25/12/20)

The culmination of all these efforts was undoubtedly the Gingerbread monolith which appeared in a San Francisco park on Christmas Day, 2020.

When asked if he would be removing it, Phil Ginsburg, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department general manager, said that he had no such plans, "as it seemed to bring some joy and amusement to the community":

“Looks like a great spot to get baked. We will leave it up until the cookie crumbles ... We all deserve a little bit of magic right now.”

Joe Fitzgerald: "the cookie has crumbled" (27/12/20)

It's pretty good going if a reference to the central image of a film first released in 1968 makes immediate sense to people fifty years later. The famous black monolith from Kubrick & Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey was, of course, rectangular rather than triangular in form, but it's nice to know that it can still evoke such awe and perplexity after all this time.

Redbubble: Earth Monolith Greeting Card

It's harder to guess if the other, more subtle reference embedded in Phil Ginsburg's remark is intentional or not: "We all deserve a little bit of magic right now." It seems like a reference to Clarke's third law (discussed in more detail in my earlier post on his friend and rival Isaac Asimov) but perhaps I'm overreading it.

But then again, given the fact that the aptly named Ginsburg (albeit with a 'u' rather than an 'e') is an official of America's hippest city, San Francisco, maybe not.

Clarke's Three Laws

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Peter Menzel: Arthur C. Clarke scuba-diving (2000)

"in retreat in Sri Lanka"

For many years the official reason given for Clarke's 1956 shift from the UK to Sri Lanka's tropical shores was his passion for scuba-diving, which was indeed the subject of a great many of his later books (cf. the selected bibliography at the end of this post).

Arthur C. Clarke: The Treasure of the Great Reef (1964)

It seems, in retrospect, very sad that his homosexuality had to remain a secret for so long - though it's hardly suprising, given Britain's archaic laws on the subject. Male homosexuality wasn't actually decriminalised until the Sexual Offences Act of 1967. Nor was that the end of the matter. In his 2017 Guardian article on the subject, Peter Tatchell explains:

The 1967 legislation repealed the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for anal sex. But it still discriminated. The age of consent was set at 21 for sex between men, compared with 16 for sex between men and women; a decision that pandered to the homophobic notion that young men are seduced and corrupted by older men. The punishment for a man over 21 having non-anal sex with a man aged 16-21 was increased from two to five years.

Small wonder that so many British writers and artists sought refuge elsewhere in the world. Clarke never did 'come out' precisely - but he made increasingly little secret of his sexuality in his later years.

Until the scandal of his aborted knighthood, that is.

In 1998, the Sunday Mirror reported that he paid Sri Lankan boys for sex, leading to the cancellation of plans for Prince Charles to knight him on a visit to the country. The accusation was subsequently found to be baseless by the Sri Lankan police and was retracted by the newspaper. Journalists who enquired of Clarke whether he was gay were told, "No, merely mildly cheerful."

- Wikipedia

Clarke was knighted for services to literature two years later, in 2000.

Leslie Ekanayake & Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke died in 2008. He is buried in Sri Lanka beside Leslie Ekanayake, whom he called his "only perfect friend of a lifetime" in the dedication to his only novel to be set on the island, The Fountains of Paradise (1979).

Arthur C. Clarke & Leslie Ekanayake

In one of his three "posthumous poems," printed for the first time in his Collected Poems (1977), W. H. Auden remarked:

When one is lonely (and You
My Dearest, know why,
as I know why it must be),
steps can be taken, even
a call-boy can help.

- W. H. Auden, 'Minnelied' (c.1967)

W. H. Auden & Chester Kallman (Venice, 1950s)

Clarke's partner, Leslie Ekanayake, died young, in 1977, at the age of thirty (he was killed in a motorcyle accident); Auden's, Chester Kallman, outlived the poet by two years, but had a tumultuous private life which definitely precluded monogamy.

Christopher Isherwood & W. H. Auden (1938)

Auden's own escape from the homophobia of his native England went back as far as the 1920s, though, when he and his friend Christopher Isherwood chose to move to the more tolerant atmosphere of pre-Nazi Berlin.

So why did Clarke continue to keep his sexuality a secret? No doubt he knew that he would probably not have had access to so many circles of scientific and political influence if the fact had been revealed publicly. On the other hand, as Michael Moorcock recalled:

Everyone knew he was gay. In the 1950s, I'd go out drinking with his boyfriend. We met his protégés, western and eastern, and their families, people who had only the most generous praise for his kindness. Self-absorbed he might be and a teetotaller, but an impeccable gent through and through.

"Everyone knew" - but they didn't have to know it officially. Auden and Isherwood were (latterly, at least) far more upfront about their sexuality, but I don't really think it's a subject anyone else not under the same pressure can offer a meaningful opinion on - given the obvious consequences of such an admission at the time.

Rohan de Silva: Clarke on Hikkaduwa beach (2009)

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Steven Spielberg, dir. Close Encounters of the Three Kinds (1977)

"the mysteries of this and other worlds"

In his TV series Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World, Clarke defines the following three types of mystery:

1. Mysteries of the First Kind: Something that was once utterly baffling but is now completely understood, e.g. a rainbow.
2. Mysteries of the Second Kind: Something that is currently not fully understood and can be in the future.
3. Mysteries of the Third Kind: Something of which we have no understanding.

I guess the most memorable thing about the series - and its two successors, Arthur C. Clarke’s World of Strange Powers (1985) and Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe (1994) - is the scoffing incredulity with which the hard-headed Clarke, with his clipped, Somerset accent, shot down each new 'mystery' in its tracks.

The Goodies: Big Foot (1982)

Perhaps, in fact, the only real reason to remember those goofy British comedians the Goodies is because of their brilliant parody of Clarke in the "Big Foot" episode of their eponymous TV show. A yeti can be clearly seen on coming in and out of shot as Clarke is seen pontificating in the foreground, declaring the complete lack of any evidence for its existence. "Vewy, vewy wisible", as another group of contemporary comedians were wont to say.

Newgrange, Ireland (1977)

The series as a whole exercised a strange fascination over me and my contemporaries. The main reason I felt compelled to visit the 5,000-year-old Newgrange tomb in Ireland in the late 1980s was as a result of having seen those haunting pictures of the light breaking into its dusty interior at Winter solstice dawn in Episode 8: "The Riddle of the Stones". It did not disappoint.

Winter Solstice, Newgrange

There were strange stories of poltergeists, lake monsters, missing apemen, and - perhaps best of all - Episode 7: "The Great Siberian Explosion", about the then-not-so-well-known Tunguska event of 1908. A great deal of original footage from the the 1930 Kulik expedition to the site was assembled very usefully here, which makes it, still, one of the best accounts of this particularly weird occurrence to date.

The Tunguska Explosion (1908)

In retrospect, it must have been the sheer wet blanket effect of his relentless scepticism which made the series so memorable. If it can get past him, we were more-or-less subtly conditioned to think, there really must be something in it. The fact that one or two of the mysteries stumped even Clarke seemed a powerful argument for their possible validity.

Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World (1980)

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Arthur C. Clarke: "Extraterrestrial relays" (Wireless World, 1945)

"inventor of the communications satellite"

Really? If you ask the question online, you'll soon discover that some doubt has been thrown on this assertion in recent years:

He wasn't the original source for the idea/actual inventor of the concept but starting with the article [above] ... he was a big proponent of the uses you could put geostationary satellites to. ...

The idea for geostationary satellites originally was published by Herman Potočnik in 1928 in his book Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums - der Raketen-Motor (The Problem of Space Travel - The Rocket Motor):

A partial translation to English, containing most of the essential chapters, was made as early as 1929 for the American magazine Science Wonder Stories and was issued in three parts (July, August and September 1929) and credited to "Captain Hermann Noordung, A.D., M.E., Berlin." The article was also published in Science Wonder Stories' sister publication Air Wonder Stories at the same time.

However, Wikipedia's article on Potočnik states the idea was "first put forward by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky."

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935)

Despite these quibbles, the Wikipedia "Communications satellite" article continues to accord Clarke the distinction:

The concept of the geostationary communications satellite was first proposed by Arthur C. Clarke, along with Vahid K. Sanadi building on work by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. In October 1945, Clarke published an article titled "Extraterrestrial Relays" in the British magazine Wireless World. The article described the fundamentals behind the deployment of artificial satellites in geostationary orbits for the purpose of relaying radio signals. Thus, Arthur C. Clarke is often quoted as being the inventor of the communications satellite and the term 'Clarke Belt' employed as a description of the orbit.

I guess the reason for belabouring the point is that there certainly was a fair measure of bigheadedness about Clarke. His later books, in particular, are full of skiting about various distinctions he's earned, asteroids he's had named after him, important people he's met ... It's hard to know, in a contest for greatest Sci-fi / Pop Science Gasbag, whether he or Asimov would gain the prize: let's call it a tie.

Unfortunately this fact can lead one to dismiss his actual importance and influence on many fields. Inventor of the Communications Satellite may be a bit of a stretch, but not by much. The problem, really, was that, like his predecessor H. G. Wells, he outlived his vogue - and the works of his maturity - by a number of decades.

Arthur C. Clarke: Selected titles

It's his early work that will endure - those brilliantly exciting, yet still scientifically plausible thrillers such as A Fall of Moondust or Rendezvous with Rama; those breathtakingly imaginative fantasies such as The City and the Stars or Childhood's End. His short stories, too, taken as a whole, combine the best slambang features of the pulp era with the more urbane prose of contemporaries such as John Wyndham or C. S. Lewis.

Arthur C. Clarke: The View from Serendip (1977)

Of the 'Big Three', it may actually be Clarke's works which will last best. The "View from Serendip" - the name of one of his many collections of reflective essays - seems to have served him well. British by birth, his intimate involvement with his place of residence, Sri Lanka, made his viewpoint not quite that of a Westerner - and the difference shows.

Perhaps I'm just sentimental, but the many happy hours I've spent reading and rereading his books makes me want to send him good thoughts wherever he may be now.

Tod Mesirow: Arthur C. Clarke (1995)

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Arthur C. Clarke: Astounding Days (1989)

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke
(1917-2008)

Series:

A Space Odyssey:
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey: A Novel. Based on the Screenplay by Arthur C. Clarke & Stanley Kubrick. 1968 (London: Arrow Books Ltd., 1974)
2. 2010: Odyssey Two. 1982 (London: Granada Publishing Ltd., 1983)
3. 2061: Odyssey Three. 1987. Voyager (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997)
4. 3001: The Final Odyssey. 1997. Voyager (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997)

Rama:
5. Rendezvous with Rama. 1972 (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1973)
6. [with Gentry Lee] Rama: The Omnibus. The Complete Rama Story. Rendezvous with Rama; Rama II; The Garden of Rama; Rama Revealed. 1972, 1989, 1991, 1993. Gollancz (London: Orion Publishing Group, 1973)

A Time Odyssey:
7. [with Stephen Baxter] Time's Eye (2003)
8. [with Stephen Baxter] Sunstorm (2005)
9. [with Stephen Baxter] Firstborn (2007)

Other Novels:


10. The Lion of Comarre & Against the Fall of Night. 1948, 1953, 1968. Corgi SF Collector’s Library (London: Transworld Publishers Ltd., 1975)
11. Prelude to Space [aka Master of Space & The Space Dreamers]. 1951 (London: Pan Books, 1954)
12. The Sands of Mars. 1951. Sphere Science Fiction Classics (London: Sphere Books Limited, 1972)
13. Islands in the Sky. 1952. Introduction by Patrick Moore. Puffin Books (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973)
14. Childhood's End. 1953. Pan Science Fiction (London: Pan Books, 1973)
15. Earthlight. 1955. Pan Science Fiction (London: Pan Books, 1973)
16. The City and the Stars. 1956. Corgi SF Collector’s Library (London: Transworld Publishers Ltd., 1975)
17. The Deep Range. 1957. Pan Science Fiction (London: Pan Books, 1973)
18. A Fall of Moondust. 1961. Pan Books (London: Pan Books, 1971)
19. Dolphin Island: A Story of the People of the Sea. 1963. Illustrated by Robin Andersen. Piccolo Science Fiction (London: Pan Books, 1976)
20. Glide Path. 1963 (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1980)
21. Imperial Earth: A Fantasy of Love and Discord. 1975 (London: Pan Books, 1977)
22. The Fountains of Paradise. 1979 (London: Pan Books, 1980)
23. The Songs of Distant Earth. 1986. Grafton Books (London: Collins, 1987)
24. [with Gentry Lee] Cradle (1988)
25. [with Gregory Benford] Beyond the Fall of Night (1990)
26. The Ghost from the Grand Banks. 1990. An Orbit Book (London: Macdonald & Co. Publishers Ltd., 1991)
27. The Hammer of God (1993)
28. [with Mike McQuay] Richter 10 (1996)
29. [with Michael P. Kube-McDowell] The Trigger (1999)
30. [with Stephen Baxter] The Light of Other Days (2000)
31. [with Frederik Pohl] The Last Theorem (2008)

Stories:


32. Expedition to Earth. 1953 (London: Sphere Books, 1968)
33. Reach for Tomorrow (New York: Ballantine Books, 1956)
34. Venture to the Moon (1956)
35. Tales from the White Hart. 1957 (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1973)
36. The Other Side of the Sky. 1958. Corgi SF Collector’s Library (London: Transworld Publishers Ltd., 1974)
37. Tales of Ten Worlds. 1962. Corgi Books (London: Transworld Publishers Ltd., 1971)
38. The Nine Billion Names of God (1967)
39. Of Time and Stars (1972)
40. The Wind from the Sun: Stories of the Space Age. 1972. A Signet Book. New American Library, 1973)
41. The Lost Worlds of 2001 (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1972)
42. The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1937-1971 (London: Sphere Books Limited, 1973)
43. The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1937-1955 (1976)
44. The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1956-1972 (1977)
45. The Sentinel (1983)
46. Tales From Planet Earth (1990)
47. More Than One Universe (1991)
48. The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. 2000. Gollancz (London: Orion Publishing Group, 2001)

Non-fiction:


49. Interplanetary Flight: An Introduction to Astronautics (1950)
50. The Exploration of Space. 1951. Rev ed. 1959. A Premier Book (Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publications, Inc., 1960)
51. The Exploration of the Moon. Illustrated by R.A. Smith (1954)
52. The Young Traveller in Space [aka Going Into Space & The Scottie Book of Space Travel]. 1954 (1957)
53. The Coast of Coral. Photos by Mike Wilson. Text by Arthur C. Clarke. Blue Planet Trilogy 1 (1956)
54. The Reefs of Taprobane: Underwater Adventures around Ceylon. Photos by Mike Wilson. Text by Arthur C. Clarke. Blue Planet Trilogy 2 (1957)
55. The Making of a Moon: The Story of the Earth Satellite Program (1957)
56. Boy Beneath the Sea. Photos by Mike Wilson. Text by Arthur C. Clarke (1958)
57. Voice Across the Sea (1958)
58. The Challenge of the Space Ship: Previews of Tomorrow’s World. 1959. New York: Ballantine Books, 1961.
59. The Challenge of the Sea (1960)
60. The First Five Fathoms. Photos by Mike Wilson. Text by Arthur C. Clarke (1960)
61. Indian Ocean Adventure. Photos by Mike Wilson. Text by Arthur C. Clarke (1961)
62. Profiles of the Future: an Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible. 1962. Rev. ed. 1973 (London: Pan Books, 1976)
63. [with the editors of Life] Man and Space (1964)
64. Indian Ocean Treasure. Photos by Mike Wilson. Text by Arthur C. Clarke (1964)
65. The Treasure of the Great Reef. Photos by Mike Wilson. Text by Arthur C. Clarke. Blue Planet Trilogy 3 (1964)
66. Voices from the Sky: Previews of the Coming Space Age. 1966. London: Mayflower Books Ltd., 1969.
67. The Promise of Space (1968)
68. [with Robert Silverberg] Into Space: a Young Person’s Guide to Space (1971)
69. Beyond Jupiter: The Worlds of Tomorrow. Paintings by Chesley Bonestell. Text by Arthur C. Clarke (1972)
70. Report on Planet Three and Other Speculations. 1972. Corgi SF Collector’s Library (London: Transworld Publishers Ltd., 1973)
71. The View from Serendip. 1977 (London: Pan Books, 1979)
72. [with Peter Hyams] The Odyssey File. 1984. Panther Books (London: Granada Publishing Ltd., 1985)
73. 1984, Spring: A Choice of Futures (1984)
74. Ascent to Orbit, A Scientific Autobiography: The Technical Writings of Arthur C. Clarke (1984)
75. 20 July 2019: Life in the 21st Century (1986)
76. Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography (London: Victor Gollancz, 1989)
77. How the World Was One: Beyond the Global Village [aka How the World Was One: Towards the Tele-Family of Man] (1992)
78. By Space Possessed (1993)
79. The Snows of Olympus - A Garden on Mars (1994)
80. Childhood Ends: The Earliest Writings of Arthur C. Clarke (1996)
81. Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds!: Collected Works 1934–1988 (1999)

Edited & Introduced:


82. [Ed.] Time Probe: The Sciences in Science Fiction (1966)
83. [Ed.] The Coming of the Space Age: Famous Accounts of Man's Probing of the Universe (1967)
84. [Foreword] John Fairley & Simon Welfare. Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World. 1980 (London: Collins, 1986)
85. [Ed., with George Proctor] The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Three: The Nebula Winners 1965–1969 (1982)
86. [Foreword] John Fairley & Simon Welfare. Arthur C. Clarke’s World of Strange Powers. 1984 (London: Collins, 1990)
87. [Foreword] John Fairley & Simon Welfare. Arthur C. Clarke’s Chronicles of the Strange & Mysterious (London: Guild Publishing, 1987)
88. [Afterword] Paul Preuss. Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime, Vol. 1: Breaking Strain (1987)
89. [Afterword] Paul Preuss. Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime, Vol. 2: Maelstrom (1988)
90. [Afterword] Paul Preuss. Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime, Vol. 3: Hide and Seek (1989)
91. [Afterword] Paul Preuss. Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime, Vol. 4: The Medusa Encounter (1990)
92. [Afterword] Paul Preuss. Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime, Vol. 5: The Diamond Moon (1990)
93. [Ed.] Project Solar Sail (1990)
94. [Afterword] Paul Preuss. Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime, Vol. 6: The Shining Ones (1991)
95. [Foreword] John Fairley & Simon Welfare. Arthur C. Clarke’s A-Z of Mysteries: From Atlantis to Zombies. Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke (London: Book Club Associates, 1993)
96. [Introduction] Gentry Lee. Bright Messengers (1995)
97. [Introduction] James Randi. An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural [aka The Supernatural A-Z: The Truth and the Lies] (1995)
98. [Tribute] Isaac Asimov. The Roving Mind: New Edition (1997)
99. Keith Allen Daniels, ed. Arthur C. Clarke & Lord Dunsany: A Correspondence (1998)
100. [Foreword] David G. Stork. Hal's Legacy: 2001's Computer As Dream and Reality (1998)
101. [Foreword] Simon Welfare and John Fairley. Arthur C. Clarke's Mysteries (1998)
102. [Foreword] Victoria Brooks, ed. Literary Trips 2: Following in the Footsteps of Fame (2001)
103. [Foreword] Dan Richter. Moonwatcher's Memoir: A Diary of 2001: A Space Odyssey (2002)
104. Ryder W. Miller, ed. From Narnia to A Space Odyssey: The War of Ideas Between Arthur C. Clarke and C. S. Lewis (2003)
105. [Preface] Anthony Frewin, ed. Are We Alone?: The Stanley Kubrick Extraterrestrial Intelligence Interviews (2005)
106. [Foreword] Dr. Gary Westfahl, ed. Science Fiction Quotations: From the Inner Mind to the Outer Limits (2005)

Cinema & TV:


107. 2001: A Space Odyssey, dir. Stanley Kubrick, writ. Arthur C. Clarke & Stanley Kubrick (based on 'The Sentinel' by Arthur C. Clarke) - with Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood - (UK/USA, 1968)
108. 2010: The Year We Make Contact, dir. & writ. Peter Hyams (based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke) - with Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren, Bob Balaban, Keir Dullea - (USA, 1984)
109. Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World, narrated by Gordon Honeycombe, prod. John Fanshawe & John Fairley, dir. Peter Jones, Michael Weigall & Charles Flynn (UK, 1980). 2-DVD set.
110. Arthur C. Clarke’s World of Strange Powers, narrated by Anna Ford, prod. John Fairley, dir. Peter Jones, Michael Weigall & Charles Flynn (UK, 1985). 2-DVD set.
111. Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe, narrated by Carol Vorderman, prod. John Fairley, dir. Peter Jones, Michael Weigall & Charles Flynn (UK, 1994). 4-DVD set.

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Arthur C. Clarke: The Collected Stories (2001)

SF Luminaries: Isaac Asimov

Yousuf Karsh: Isaac Asimov (1985)

So if Robert Heinlein was the 'Dean of Science-Fiction writers' and Arthur C. Clarke was the 'Colossus of Science Fiction', what - in the opinion of paperback blurb-writers, that is - was Dr. Isaac Asimov? He was, it would appear, the 'Grand Master of Science Fiction'.

Isaac Asimov: Forward the Foundation (1994)

Whatever your views on this vital matter, it does seem worth mentioning, if only to introduce the subject of the (so-called) 'Big Three' of Science Fiction from the second half of the twentieth century. Clarke dedicated his 1972 book Report on Planet Three and Other Speculations as follows:

In accordance with the terms of the Clarke-Asimov treaty, the second-best science writer dedicates this book to the second-best science-fiction writer.

To this Asimov riposted as follows:

Top 3 Asimov-Clarke Quotes

Then, of course, there are Clarke's three famous laws ("As three laws were enough for Newton, I have modestly decided to stop there"):

Clarke's Three Laws

To which the good doctor (Asimov was the only one with a PhD among the three of them, a distinction of which he took full advantage) replied:

Top 3 Asimov-Clarke Quotes

These rather infantile exchanges give you some idea of the level of much of the two writers' work. There's a cheap-smart cleverness to much of it which appeals to teenagers - it certainly did to me - but can wear off somewhat as one processes into middle age.

So what is there to be said for Isaac Asimov? His popular science writing; his historical surveys of this, that and the other (The Bible, American History, Byzantium and Ancient Rome, among many, many others); his joke-books and other ephemera have all lost currency with the passing years. The ongoing controversy about just how many books he had written (500-odd at final count); the 'why aren't you at home writing?' gag whenever anyone spotted him in a public place - all dust, all gone where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

The answer, then, would have to depend on two things: Robots, and the Foundation Trilogy.

The first of these can be summed up in the following set of laws, formulated in 1942 - long before Clarke's - with the help of Astounding editor John W. Campbell:

Android Authority

These may seem, at first sight, somewhat simplistic, but they proved fruitful territory for a long series of stories and novels over the next half-century. Here's one breakdown of their possible implications:

explain xkcd

And here's a list of the principal titles in the series:

Isaac Asimov: I, Robot (1950)

short story collections:


1. I, Robot (1950)
2. The Rest of the Robots (1964)
3. The Complete Robot (1982)
4. Robot Dreams (1986)
5. Robot Visions (1990)

novels:


6. The Caves of Steel (1954)
7. The Naked Sun (1957)
8. The Robots of Dawn (1983)
9. Robots and Empire (1985)

Alex Proyas, dir. : I, Robot (2004)

There's no denying the influence these stories have had on the whole field of SF. In fact, it's hard to consider the omnipresent 'android theme' at all without taking some position on Asimov's laws.

Isaac Asimov: The Foundation Series (1951-53)

However, before waxing too hyperbolic on the subject, it's important to backtrack a little:

In 1966, [Asimov's] Foundation trilogy beat several other science fiction and fantasy series to receive a special Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series". The runners-up for the award were Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Future History series by Robert A. Heinlein, Lensman series by Edward E. Smith and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

- Wikipedia

Mind you, if the vote had been held a few years later, it might well have gone to Frank Herbert's Dune series instead. Or not. Who knows? The point is that Foundation is not only the pinnacle of Asimov's work, but one of the most important sets of stories in SF history.

Isaac Asimov: The Foundation Series (1951-53)

Why? What is it about this series of stories (which first appeared in Campbell's Astounding in the late 1940s) which has given them such longevity? I mean, which of the other contenders for 'best all-time series' - with the exception of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings - can still be taken seriously at this late date?

It all comes down to Psychohistory. Psychohistory is an impossible idea, but it appealed strongly to readers then (and now). This imaginary science, invented by Asimov alter-ego Hari Selden, purports to be able to analyse long-term trends in society with sufficient accuracy to be able to foresee the future.

Isaac Asimov: The Foundation Series (Folio Society, 2016)

At first all goes swimmingly - the rise of the Foundation on the planet Terminus, the fight with the dying Empire, internal squabbles - until the advent of the Mule, a telepathic mutant who manages to upset the apple-cart (almost) entirely.

If you want a plot summary, you'll find a number of them online - or better still, you might feel inspired to read the series yourself. The point is that it was fascinating: not in spite of its pseudo-scientific trappings but because of them. Asimov always had a smooth way with a yarn, but here he outdid himself, wrapping conundrum within conundrum, mystery within mystery.

Isaac Asimov: Foundation's Edge (1982)

Then, some thirty years after publishing the last story in the series, Asimov decided to go back to it. The result, eventually, was two new sequels and two prequels to the original trilogy. These have elicited mixed opinions. Foundation's Edge itself is extremely readable, and certainly equal in merit to Second Foundation. Can the same be said of all the others? Probably not.

They are all interesting, but hardly necessary for the appreciation of the original series. In many ways their main purpose appears to be to accomplish a link-up with Asimov's similarly extended 'Robot' series into a connected history of the cosmos from the near to the far future.

In any case, here they all are, arranged in chronological order for your convenience:

Isaac Asimov: Foundation Series (cover art by Chris Foss, 1976)

Foundation prequels:


1. Prelude to Foundation (1988)
2. Forward the Foundation (1993)

Original Foundation trilogy:


3. Foundation (1951)
4. Foundation and Empire (1952)
5. Second Foundation (1953)

Extended Foundation series:


6. Foundation's Edge (1982)
7. Foundation and Earth (1986)

Isaac Asimov: Galactic Empire Series (1951-93)

Galactic Empire series:


1. The Currents of Space (1952)
2. The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
3. Pebble in the Sky (1950)

In between the 'Robot' and the 'Foundation' series come the 'Galactic Empire' novels. These, though entertaining enough, lack the unity of the other two series, but do - in theory at least - bridge part of the gap between them.

What else? Short stories! Tons and tons of short stories, as befits one of those hardy pioneers who spanned the pulp and the hardback era. These are far too many to discuss in detail, though they do include 'Nightfall', which continues to be routinely included on lists of most important or influential SF stories.

The Early Asimov or, Eleven Years of Trying (1972)

What's most notable about them (imho) is the gradual way in which they morph from the hard Science Fiction of his beginnings into the mystery genre. Not being a great connoisseur of detective stories, it's difficult for me to judge his prowess in this form, but they do, collectively, seem to me to represent a bit of a come-down from his earlier work.

It is, however, arguable that Asimov never wrote anything but mysteries - whether set in the future or the present, fairyland or space. Here, in any case, is a list of his main publications in the field, including two novels and the extensive 'Black Widowers' series:

Isaac Asimov: Murder at the ABA (1976)

Novels:


1. The Death Dealers (1958)
2. Murder at the ABA (1976)

Short stories:


3. Asimov's Mysteries (1968)
4. Tales of the Black Widowers (1974)
5. More Tales of the Black Widowers (1976)
6. The Key Word and Other Mysteries (1977)
7. Casebook of the Black Widowers (1980)
8. The Union Club Mysteries (1983)
9. Banquets of the Black Widowers (1984)
10. The Disappearing Man and Other Mysteries (1985)
11. The Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov (1986)
12. Puzzles of the Black Widowers (1990)
13. The Return of the Black Widowers (2003)

Isaac Asimov: The Black Widowers series (1974-2003)

There's a certain laborious facetiousness in his work in this form - and in the fantasy genre, which he also ventured into in his later years - despite its undoubted smoothness and readability. The constant roguish and would-be flirtatious references to sex also date them somewhat, and make them increasingly difficult to stomach for a contemporary audience. Each to their taste, I suppose. Like virtually all of his fiction, they seem to have sold quite well, judging by the numbers of copies still to be found in second-hand bookshops.

So how should one sum up the life and work of Dr. Isaac Asimov? He appears to have had a good time, for the most part, and to have brought enjoyment to many, many readers. That's not a bad epitaph for any writer.

It's true that his reputation as a sage has now begun to fade, but it's hard to imagine a future where people will no longer read Foundation or the 'Robot' stories. His twin anthologies The Early Asimov (1972) and Before the Golden Age (1974) combine to give an excellent picture of that far-off era when Science Fiction (or the pulp variety, at any rate) was young.

For the rest, it's hard not to feel his levity became him well - at least he resisted the temptation to become a prophet, unlike his near-contemporaries Heinlein and Herbert, or (for that matter) his nemesis Arthur C. Clarke.

Isaac Asimov: Before the Golden Age: A Science Fiction Anthology of the 1930s (1974)

•


Isaac Asimov (1983)

Isaac Asimov
(1920-1992)

Novels:


1. Pebble in the Sky. 1950 (London: Sphere, 1974)
2. The Stars, Like Dust. 1951 (London: Panther, 1965)
3. Foundation. 1951 (London: Panther, 1973)
4. Foundation and Empire. 1952 (London: Panther, 1976)
5. The Currents of Space. 1952 (London: Panther, 1971)
6. Second Foundation. 1953 (London: Panther, 1975)
7. The Caves of Steel. 1954 (London: Panther, 1973)
8. The End of Eternity. 1955 (London: Panther, 1972)
9. The Naked Sun. 1957 (London: Panther, 1973)
10. A Whiff of Death [as 'The Death Dealers', 1958] (London: Sphere, 1973)
11. Fantastic Voyage. 1966. SF Collector’s Library (London: Corgi, 1973)
12. The Gods Themselves. 1972. A Fawcett Crest Book (Greenwich, Conn: Fawcett Publications, Inc., 1973)
13. The Heavenly Host (1975)
14. Murder at the ABA [aka 'Authorised Murder']. 1976. A Fawcett Crest Book (Greenwich, Conn: Fawcett Publications, Inc., 1976)
15. Foundation's Edge. 1982. A Del Rey Book (New York: Ballantine, 1983)
16. The Robots of Dawn. 1983. A Del Rey Book (New York: Ballantine, 1984)
17. Robots and Empire. 1985. A Del Rey Book (New York: Ballantine, 1985)
18. Foundation and Earth. 1986. HarperVoyager (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2016)
19. Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain (1987)
20. Prelude to Foundation. 1988. HarperVoyager (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2016)
21. Nemesis (1989)
22. [with Robert Silverberg] Nightfall (1990)
23. [with Robert Silverberg] Child of Time [aka 'The Ugly Little Boy'] (1992)
24. Forward the Foundation. 1993. A Bantam Book (New York: Doubleday, 1994)
25. [with Robert Silverberg] The Positronic Man (1993)

Short Story Collections:


26. I, Robot. 1950 (London: Panther, 1971)
27. The Martian Way and Other Stories. 1955 (London: Panther, 1974)
28. Earth Is Room Enough: Science Fiction Tales of Our Own Planet. 1957 (London: Panther, 1960)
29. Nine Tomorrows: Tales of the Near Future (1959)
30. The Rest of the Robots. 1964 (London: Panther, 1970)
31. Through a Glass, Clearly (1967)
32. Asimov's Mysteries. 1968 (London: Panther, 1972)
33. Nightfall and Other Stories. 1969. 2 vols (London: Panther, 1973 / 1976)
34. The Best New Thing (1971)
35. The Early Asimov or, Eleven Years of Trying. 1972. 3 vols (London: Panther, 1979 / 1974 / 1974)
36. The Best of Isaac Asimov (London: Sphere, 1973)
37. Have You Seen These? (1974)
38. Tales of the Black Widowers. 1974 (London: Panther, 1976)
39. Buy Jupiter and Other Stories. 1975 (London: Panther, 1977)
40. The Bicentennial Man. 1976 (London: Panther, 1978)
41. More Tales of the Black Widowers. 1976. A Panther Book (London: Granada, 1980)
42. The Key Word and Other Mysteries (1977)
43. Casebook of the Black Widowers. 1980 (London: Panther, 1983)
44. The Complete Robot. 1982 (London: Panther, 1983)
45. The Winds of Change and Other Stories. 1983 (London: Panther, 1984)
46. The Union Club Mysteries (1983)
47. Banquets of the Black Widowers (1984)
48. The Edge of Tomorrow (1985)
49. The Disappearing Man and Other Mysteries (1985)
50. The Alternate Asimovs (1986)
51. The Best Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov (1986)
52. The Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov (1986)
53. Robot Dreams (1986)
54. Azazel. A Foundation Book (New York: Doubleday, 1988)
55. Puzzles of the Black Widowers (1990)
56. Robot Visions (1990)
57. The Complete Stories. Vol. 1 of 2 ['Earth Is Room Enough', 'Nine Tomorrows', & 'Nightfall and Other Stories']. (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1990)
58. The Complete Stories. Vol. 2 of 2 (1992)
59. Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection (1995)
60. Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection. 1996. Voyager (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997)
61. The Return of the Black Widowers (2003)

Children's Books:


62. David Starr, Space Ranger. 1952 (London: New English Library, 1970)
63. Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids. 1953 (London: New English Library / Times Mirror, 1980)
64. Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus. 1954 (London: New English Library, 1983)
65. Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury. 1956 (London: New English Library, 1983)
66. Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter (1957)
67. Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn. 1958 (London: New English Library, 1974)

[with Janet Asimov]:


68. Norby, the Mixed-Up Robot (1983)
69. Norby's Other Secret (1984)
70. Norby and the Lost Princess (1985)
71. Norby and the Invaders (1985)
72. Norby and the Queen's Necklace (1986)
73. Norby Finds a Villain (1987)
74. Norby Down to Earth (1988)
75. Norby and Yobo's Great Adventure (1989)
76. Norby and the Oldest Dragon (1990)
77. Norby and the Court Jester (1991)

Non-fiction:


78. Asimov on Science Fiction. 1981 (London: Granada, 1983)

Edited:


79. Before the Golden Age: A Science Fiction Anthology of the 1930s (New York: Doubleday, 1974)
80. The Annotated Gulliver's Travels: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. 1726 / 1734 / 1896 (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. / Publishers, 1980)

•


Isaac Asimov, ed. The Annotated Gulliver's Travels (1980)

SF Luminaries: Robert A. Heinlein

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988)

Robert Heinlein was one of the first Science Fiction writers I ever read. Probably this was a result of the fact that my father had snaffled an old wire display rack from the throw-out pile outside a local shop, and used it as a repository for most of his old paperbacks.

Robert Heinlein: The Green Hills of Earth (1951)

This awkward object, known to us all as 'the squeaker' from the awful noise it made when you rotated it to make your selection, contained such gems as the two Pan Books editions of M. R. James's Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, as well as the even more garish covers of my father's SF collection.

M. R. James: More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911)

Don't you just love that sleek-looking spaceship above, speeding rapidly past the Moon to 'rest [its] eyes / on the fleecy skies / and the cool green hills of Earth'?

I have to say that I wasn't quite so keen on the look of its companion volume, The Man Who Sold the Moon, but the stories inside were every bit as good, and - what's more - introduced me to the basic concept of Heinlein's 'future history' series, a set of linked stories which added up to an extraordinarily coherent vision of the future.

Robert Heinlein: The Man Who Sold the Moon (1950)

Subsequently all - or almost all - of those stories would be collected in the compendium The Past Through Tomorrow, but there was always just enough bibliographical overlap to make it necessary to hang on to the original editions as well.

Robert Heinlein: The Past Through Tomorrow (1967)

Those stories were good. I liked them very much. They had a strong American can-do tone to them which contrasted nicely with those of Arthur C. Clarke and John Wyndham, my other two Sci-fi heroes of the time. The pieces of verse shoehorned in here and there were, however, rather more reminiscent of Kipling - it was plain that from an early age Heinlein aspired to be the Poet of the Spaceways, just as Kipling was of the Barrack Room.

Robert Heinlein: Farmer in the Sky (1950)

It wasn't till I started to ransack the libraries at my Intermediate School (Murrays Bay Intermediate), then my Secondary School (Rangitoto College) that I first came across the Heinlein juveniles, though. There are twelve of these in all. As you can see from the list below, they appeared yearly from Scribner's from 1947 until 1958:

1. Rocket Ship Galileo (1947)


2. Space Cadet (1948)


3. Red Planet (1949)


4. Farmer in the Sky (1950)


5. Between Planets (1951)


6. The Rolling Stones [aka 'Space Family Stone'] (1952)


7. Starman Jones (1953)


8. The Star Beast (1954)


9. Tunnel in the Sky (1955)


10. Time for the Stars (1956)


11. Citizen of the Galaxy (1957)


12. Have Space Suit – Will Travel (1958)

Robert Heinlein: Tunnel in the Sky (1955)

Not all of these dozen books are masterpieces, by any means, but there's a bustling joie-de-vivre about them which make them, collectively, one of Heinlein's greatest claims on posterity.

Robert Heinlein: Space Cadet (1948)

And, in general, while much has been made of the almost accidental 'predictions' to be found here and there in his work - waterbeds in Beyond This Horizon (1942), cellphones in Space Cadet (1948), the internet itself in Friday (1982) - it's the Mark Twain-like exuberance of his invention which keeps these books readable still.

Robert Heinlein: Friday (1982)

That comparison with Mark Twain is probably more to the point than the one with Kipling. Like Twain, Heinlein was a master storyteller, a superb fictional craftsman who could bang out a yarn on virtually any topic, in any setting. Like Twain, too, he gradually disappeared behind his persona as a dispenser of cracker-barrel wisdom on a set series of topics: mostly political and religious for Twain, mostly social and sexual for Heinlein. Both grew increasingly boring and longwinded with age.

Robert Heinlein: Starship Troopers (1959)

Whether you see it as a quasi-Fascist militarist tract (like SF pundit Darko Suvin), or a subtly concealed piece of progressive racial politics (like contrarian writer and critic Samuel R. Delany), there's no doubt that Starship Troopers is a powerful piece of work. It won Heinlein the Hugo Award in 1960, and inspired an almost equally controversial film adaptation in 1997.

Paul Verhoeven, dir.: Starship Troopers (1997)

After that it was clear that Heinlein was no longer willing to confine himself to the 'juvenile' genre. Instead he started to question all the basic moral tenets of his society in a series of increasingly massive novels, starting with that bestselling mainstay of American campus life in the 1960s, Stranger in a Strange Land:

Robert Heinlein: Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)

He then moved on through a series of ever more wacky and discordant fantasies, such as I Will Fear No Evil, where an elderly billionaire has his brain transplanted into the body of a young woman, and proceeds to act out his sexual fantasies in dialogue with her soul (which has remained with the body) until their combined 'self' dies in giving birth to a baby conceived through artificial insemination with his own sperm!

Robert Heinlein: I Will Fear No Evil (1970)

That last was where I stuck, I must confess. I couldn't really face the prospect of any more meganovels of that sort, so - while I continued to collect them in a desultory fashion - I didn't read any more of them after that. Also, I found the self-righteous authoritarianism of such novels as Farnham's Freehold (1965), in particular, abhorrent - but then The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, which came after it, was a thoroughly beguiling read. Go figure!

Robert Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966)

Recently, perhaps as a result of my decade of work on New Zealand Science Fiction (now embodied in my NZSF website), I've started to reconsider my views on the classic SF writers of my youth. I've been rereading Asimov, Arthur Clarke, Frank Herbert, and a number of others, and it suddenly occurred to me that it had been an awfully long time since I'd even opened the cover of one of Heinlein's books.

And yet it's increasingly difficult to ignore how much all of these luminaries - not to mention us readers - owe to him and his work. Way back in the forties, long before the Lord of the Rings and the Epic Fantasy book, Heinlein was already blending Fantasy and Science Fiction in such works as 'Magic, Inc.' (1950), and it was then that he coined that perennially useful term 'Speculative Fiction.'

Once before I decided to read all of a particular SF writer's works from beginning to end. It was Philip K. Dick that time, and it took me quite some time to read his 40-odd novels and five volumes of collected stories in sequence.

It was extremely informative, though. I'd always thought of Dick as a pulp novelist who constantly recycled the same themes and ideas in a slightly different form in his fiction. Reading all those garish paperbacks in one long serried rank of weirdness showed me just how very distinct each one of them was, however. What I'd seen as repetition and revisiting of the same themes stemmed mainly from Dick's habit of compiling novels out of previously published short stories and novellas.

The same is true of Raymond Chandler, Heinlein himself, and, indeed, most of the pulp-writers of the immediately pre- and post-war era, who sold their work for a pittance and had to make it do double-duty if they could. Read one after another, Dick's novels fell into place as a marvellously varied - and not at all repetitive - Human Comedy of the future.

I wondered if it would be possible to repeat this same experiment with Robert Heinlein?

•


Robert A. Heinlein: Job: A Comedy of Justice (1984)

Which is where I paused, well over a month ago. Since then I've been rereading all my old paperback Heinlein novels and short story collections, in as strict a chronological order as I can manage, together with some new ones added for the occasion.

These last included Job: A Comedy of Justice, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners (1985), and To Sail Beyond the Sunset, which I bought as a group, in their original hardback editions, on one splendid day in Ponsonby!

My conclusions remain mixed. I haven't come out of this experience as a complete fan, by any means, but it's true that many of his storytelling virtues remained right up to the end. My own feeling is that the multiverse, which gradually began to swallow up all of his old lines of narrative with the gargantuan Lazarus Long saga Time Enough For Love (1973), and became even more exacerbated with the idea of the actual existence of fictional timelines in 'The Number of the Beast' (1980), led him into some very sloppy and repetitive ways latterly. Everyone seems to be involved in multiple marriages, and vaguely salacious banter, almost all of the time, and the few scenes of action stand out like poignant reminders of what he once stood for.

Robert A. Heinlein: The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)

Job begins well, but starts to fall apart halfway through. The same is true of the intriguingly titled The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. It starts off with a hiss and a roar, but then disappears into the depressing region known as Lazarus-Long-land. Reading them in order, as I've done, does have the advantage of enabling me to work out who's who - more or less - in these increasingly entangled scenarios, but doesn't necessarily make them any more enjoyable.

My tentative conclusion, then (I haven't yet read any of the posthumously published novels, and I'm not sure if I will: they do sound a little peripheral to the main thrust of his work) is that Heinlein is a far better and more interesting writer than I've thought him to be for the past couple of decades. His 'sex-romp' proclivities have not aged well, however, and - in general - the later work, with a few splendid exceptions such as The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Glory Road, is not up to the standard of his pulp-era writing.

He definitely repays rereading, but one needs a strong stomach at times. His politics may not seem to me now quite as reprehensible as they did a few years ago, but the irrepressible demagogue in him was possibly his greatest handicap as a writer. To paraphrase Caxton's preface to the Morte d'Arthur:

for to pass the time these books shall be pleasant to read in; but for to give faith and believe that all is true that is contained herein, ye be at your liberty ...

Robert A. Heinlein: To Sail Beyond the Sunset (1987)

•


Farah Mendelsohn: The Pleasant Profession of Robert Heinlein (2019)

Robert Anson Heinlein
(1907-1988)

Novels:


1. Beyond This Horizon. 1948. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1978.
2. The Day After Tomorrow [aka 'Sixth Column']. 1949. Mayflower Science Fiction. London: Mayflower Books, 1962.
3. A Heinlein Triad: The Puppet Masters; Waldo; Magic, Inc. 1951 & 1950. Gollancz SF. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., n.d. [c. 1965].
4. Double Star. 1956. Panther Science Fiction. London: Panther Books Ltd., 1968.
5. The Door into Summer. 1957. A Signet Book. New York: New American Library, 1957.
6. Methuselah's Children. [Expanded version of a 1941 novella]. 1958. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1971.
7. Starship Troopers. 1959. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1977.
8. Stranger in a Strange Land. 1961. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1977.
   • Stranger in a Strange Land: The Science Fiction Classic Uncut. 1961. Rev. ed. 1991. Hodder Great Reads. London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., 2005.
9. Podkayne of Mars. 1963. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1978.
10. Orphans of the Sky. [Expanded version of the stories 'Universe' & 'Common Sense', 1941]. 1963. A Mayflower Science Fiction Classic. London: Mayflower Books, 1969.
11. Glory Road. 1963. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1980.
12. Farnham's Freehold. 1965. a Berkley Medallion Book. New York: Berkley Publishing Corporation, 1972.
13. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. 1966. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1969.
14. I Will Fear No Evil. 1970. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1979.
15. Time Enough for Love. 1973. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1977.
16. ‘The Number of the Beast’. 1980. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1981.
17. Friday. 1982. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1983.
18. Job: A Comedy of Justice. 1984. London: New English Library, 1984.
19. The Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners. 1985. London: New English Library, 1986.
20. To Sail Beyond the Sunset: The Life and Loves of Maureen Johnson (Being the Memoirs of a Somewhat Irregular Lady). An Ace / Putnam Book. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1987.

SF Juveniles:


21. Rocket Ship Galileo. 1947. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1980.
22. Space Cadet. 1948. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1977.
23. Red Planet. 1949. Pan Science Fiction. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1967.
24. Farmer in the Sky. 1950. Illustrated by Clifford Geary. 1962. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1967.
25. Between Planets. 1951. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1977.
26. Space Family Stone. [aka 'The Rolling Stones,']. 1952. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1973.
27. Starman Jones. 1953. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, n.d.
28. The Star Beast. 1954. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1972.
29. Tunnel in the Sky. 1955. Pan Science Fiction. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1973.
30. Time for the Stars. 1956. Pan Science Fiction. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1973.
31. Citizen of the Galaxy. 1957. A Peacock Book. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972.
32. Have Space Suit – Will Travel. 1958. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1978.

Short Stories:


33. The Man Who Sold the Moon. Introduction by John W. Campbell, Jr. 1950. London: Pan Books, 1955.
    1. Let There Be Light (1940)
    2. The Roads Must Roll (1940)
    3. The Man Who Sold the Moon (1950)
    4. Requiem (1940)
    5. Life-Line (1939)
    6. Blowups Happen (1940)
34. The Green Hills of Earth. 1951. London: Pan Books, 1956.
    1. Delilah and the Space Rigger (1949)
    2. Space Jockey (1947)
    3. The Long Watch (1949)
    4. Gentlemen, Be Seated! (1948)
    5. The Black Pits of Luna (1948)
    6. It's Great to Be Back! (1947)
    7. — We Also Walk Dogs (1941)
    8. Ordeal in Space (1948)
    9. The Green Hills of Earth (1947)
    10. Logic of Empire (1941)
35. Assignment in Eternity. 1953. 2 vols. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1971 & 1978.
    1. Gulf (1949)
    2. Elsewhen (1939)
    3. Lost Legacy (1939)
    4. Jerry Was a Man (1946)
36. Revolt in 2100. 1953. London: Pan Books, 1966.
    1. If this goes on – (1940)
    2. Coventry (1940)
    3. Misfit (1939)
37. The Menace From Earth. 1959. Corgi SF Collector’s Library. London: Transworld Publishers Ltd., 1973.
    1. The Year of the Jackpot (1952)
    2. By His Bootstraps (1941)
    3. Columbus Was a Dope (1947)
    4. The Menace from Earth (1957)
    5. Sky Lift (1953)
    6. Goldfish Bowl (1942)
    7. Project Nightmare (1953)
    8. Water Is for Washing (1947)
38. The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag. [aka '6 X H']. 1959. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1976.
    1. The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag (1942)
    2. The Man Who Traveled in Elephants (1957)
    3. — All You Zombies — (1959)
    4. They (1941)
    5. Our Fair City (1948)
    6. '— And He Built a Crooked House —' (1941)
39. The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein. 1966. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1970.
    1. Free Men (1947)
    2. Blowups Happen (1940)
    3. Searchlight (1962)
    4. [Life-Line (1939)]
    5. Solution Unsatisfactory (1940)
40. The Past Through Tomorrow. 1967. 2 vols. Times Mirror. London: New English Library, 1978 & 1979.
    1. Life-Line (1939)
    2. The Roads Must Roll (1940)
    3. Blowups Happen (1940)
    4. The Man Who Sold the Moon (1950)
    5. Delilah and the Space Rigger (1949)
    6. Space Jockey (1947)
    7. Requiem (1940)
    8. The Long Watch (1948)
    9. Gentlemen, Be Seated! (1948)
    10. The Black Pits of Luna (1948)
    11. 'It's Great to Be Back!' (1947)
    12. '— We Also Walk Dogs' (1941)
    13. Searchlight (1962)
    14. Ordeal in Space (1948)
    15. The Green Hills of Earth (1947)
    16. Logic of Empire (1941)
    17. The Menace From Earth (1957)
    18. 'If This Goes On —' (1940)
    19. Coventry (1940)
    20. Misfit (1939)
41. The Best of Robert A. Heinlein. London: Sphere Books Limited, 1973.
    1. Lifeline (1939)
    2. The Roads Must Roll (1940)
    3. And He Built a Crooked House (1941)
    4. The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag (1942)
    5. The Green Hills of Earth (1947)
    6. The Long Watch (1949)
    7. The Man Who Sold the Moon (1950)
    8. All You Zombies (1959)
42. Expanded Universe (1980)
    1. Forward
    2. Life-Line (1939)
    3. Successful Operation
    4. Blowups Happen (1940)
    5. Solution Unsatisfactory (1940)
    6. The Last Days of the United States
    7. How to Be a Survivor
    8. Pie from the Sky
    9. They Do It with Mirrors
    10. Free Men (1947)
    11. No Bands Playing, No Flags Flying
    12. A Bathroom of Her Own
    13. On the Slopes of Vesuvius
    14. Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon
    15. Pandora's Box / Where To? (1950, 1965, 1980)
    16. Cliff and the Calories
    17. Ray Guns and Rocket Ships
    18. The Third Millennium Opens
    19. Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry?
    20. Pravda Means Truth
    21. Inside Intourist
    22. Searchlight (1962)
    23. The Pragmatics of Patriotism
    24. Paul Dirac, Antimatter, and You
    25. Larger than Life: A Memoir in Tribute to E. E. "Doc" Smith
    26. Spinoff
    27. The Happy Days Ahead

Published Posthumously:


43. For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs (written 1939; published 2003)
44. Off the Main Sequence: The Other Science Fiction Stories of Robert A. Heinlein (2005) [previously uncollected stories marked in bold]:
    1. Successful Operation (1940)
    2. Let There Be Light (1940)
    3. '— And He Built a Crooked House —' (1941)
    4. Beyond Doubt (1941)
    5. They (1941)
    6. Solution Unsatisfactory (1941)
    7. Universe (1941)
    8. Elsewhen (1941)
    9. Common Sense (1941)
    10. By His Bootstraps (1941)
    11. Lost Legacy (1941)
    12. My Object All Sublime (1942)
    13. Goldfish Bowl (1942)
    14. Pied Piper (1942)
    15. Free Men (1966)
    16. On the Slopes of Vesuvius (1980)
    17. Columbus Was a Dope (1947)
    18. Jerry Was a Man (1947)
    19. Water Is for Washing (1947)
    20. Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon (1949)
    21. Gulf (1949)
    22. Destination Moon (1950)
    23. The Year of the Jackpot (1952)
    24. Project Nightmare (1953)
    25. Sky Lift (1953)
    26. Tenderfoot in Space (1958)
    27. All You Zombies (1959)
45. [with Spider Robinson] Variable Star (plotted 1955; published 2006)
46. The Pursuit of the Pankera (2020) [alternate version of The Number of the Beast]

Miscellaneous:


47. Project Moonbase and Others: Collected Screenplays (2008)

•


Robert A. Heinlein: Project Moonbase and Others (2008)