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I bought the book when it came out. If I remember correctly, I got it through the Science Fiction Book Club. I attended the WorldCon that year. I knew it had been nominated for a Hugo, so I took my copy with me. By coincidence, I had just sold my first story to John Campbell, editor of ANALOG. I introduced myself to him and he invited me to sit with his party at the Hugo awards. To my delight, Heinlein was also in the party. When the announcement was made that STARSHIP TROOPERS was a Hugo winner, I ran up to my room, grabbed my copy, and got Heinlein's autograph on it right then. It's one of my treasures. That started a personal friendship with Heinlein that ended only with his death.