Ditto...as would all the FReepers here if they only knew of this series. Instead, we usually see a version of Undersecretary Magnan.
Posted on 12/13/2003 4:44:45 AM PST by jalisco555
TORONTO - The American science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein is known for such classic novels as Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.
A new book reveals that Heinlein, at least early in his life, was a Socred, a believer in the Social Credit movement that came to power in Alberta in 1935.
Heinlein's long-lost first novel, For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs, is scheduled for publication in January. It imagines a future America patterned on 1930s Alberta.
Heinlein wrote the novel in the late 1930s. It tells the story of a U.S. Navy officer named Perry Nelson who is killed in a traffic accident and is somehow transported, alive, to the California of 2086.
The book was rejected by a number of publishers, probably because much of the story is actually a series of lectures on how Heinlein felt the future should look. In later works, Heinlein would use fictional characters for the same purpose.
In Heinlein's America of 2086, the country did not enter the Second World War, remaining isolated. (Hitler commits suicide after the collapse of the German economy, Mussolini just retires and the Duke of Windsor becomes king of a united Europe).
In the novel, in the 1950s, Fiorella LaGuardia (mayor of New York when Heinlein was writing) begins a series of economic reforms, starting with a banking system based on the Social Credit theories of Socred thinker Clifford Hugh Douglas. In the novel, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds these changes. In reality, in Canada, the Supreme Court rejected them.
In For Us, the Living, later presidents complete the reforms. These reforms then give people a basic income that bridges the gap between production and consumption, which then allows the Americans of 2086 to do what they really want, free of economic fear.
Robert James, who is writing a biography of Heinlein, says in the afterword that there was an active social-credit movement in Los Angeles at the time. According to James, Heinlein had to leave the U.S. Navy after he contracted tuberculosis. He then worked for Upton Sinclair's political campaign. The muck-raking author of The Jungle had long pushed for social reform in the United States.
In 1934, Sinclair ran for governor of California as a Democrat on an EPIC (End Poverty in California) ticket. Sinclair was crushed by the Republicans and the conservative California newspapers. Heinlein continued in the EPIC movement and was editor of the movement's newsletter. In 1938, he stood for the California state assembly in a district that included Beverly Hills and part of Hollywood, losing to a Republican.
After that, Heinlein turned to writing, and quickly became the star of the science-fiction pulp magazines, making enough money to pay off his mortgage. His first successful novel, Rocket Ship Galileo, about a trip to the moon, was published in 1947.
Heinlein then went on to write a series of juvenile novels, which drew many young people into the science-fiction world, followed by his adult fiction.
James quotes Heinlein as telling another science-fiction writer about the later changes in his political philosophy: "I've simply changed from a soft-headed radical to hard-headed radical, a pragmatic libertarian." James also says the events of the Second World War and the Cold War, including the threat from communism, influenced Heinlein's change of political philosophy. He supported Senator Barry Goldwater for president in 1964 (some political analysts consider Goldwater the first neo-conservative).
Heinlein, however, opposed what today is known as social conservativism. In the new novel, his first draft of future history includes a take-over of the United States by what he calls "Neo-Puritans" led by the televangelist Nehemiah Scudder, a character who is also prominent in his 1941 novella If This Goes On. The novella is the story of the second American revolution, when libertarians finally overthrow a dictatorship of the religious right.
For Us, the Living also includes one chilling incident, a surprise attack on the island of Manhattan by two giant helicopters that flood the island with poison gas, killing 80 per cent of the population. The helicopters are based on aircraft carriers and the attack comes when the United States is at war with Argentina, Brazil and Chile in December 2003.
OK, I'll bite :-). What was the single sentence?
And speaking of "pinkos", what's with your Big Stupid Republican Government "free" pill vote-buying scam, anyway?
See me when you actually have some.
"Namecalling is against the rules. It also reveals a paucity of social skills and a lack of factual rebuttals."
I repeat--BUZZ OFF, BOZO!!! I'm not interested in having a conversation with a nutcase whose sole "factual backing" is tin-foil-hattery based on sheer speculation and "guilt by association" (and yes, bozo, I checked the available on-line info on "Aleister Crowley" and "Heinlein", and it IS tin-foil-hatttery).
Have you ever seen a Warthog with social skills?? I could give a flying damn about social skills.
And as to your other postings, they are stuff I already know about Heinlein, and hence, to me, a waste of bandwidth--though other folks might be interested.
Ditto...as would all the FReepers here if they only knew of this series. Instead, we usually see a version of Undersecretary Magnan.
Series
Bolo
1 Bolo (1976) [C]
2 Rogue Bolo (1986) [C]
3 The Stars Must Wait (1990)
The Compleat Bolo (1990) [O/2C]
Retief
1 Envoy to New Worlds (1963) [C]
1 Retief: Envoy to New Worlds (1963) [C]
2 Galactic Diplomat (1965) [C]
3 Retief's War (1966)[Reviews]
Magazine Appearances:
Retief's War (Part 1 of 3) (1965)
Retief's War (Part 2 of 3) (1965)
Retief's War (Part 3 of 3) (1965)
4 Retief and the Warlords (1968)[Reviews]
5 Retief: Ambassador to Space (1969) [C]
6 Retief's Ransom (1971)
7 Retief of the CDT (1971) [C][Reviews]
8 Retief at Large (1978) [C][Reviews]
9 Retief: Emissary to the Stars (1975) [C]
10 Retief: Diplomat at Arms (1982) [C]
11 Retief to the Rescue (1983)[Reviews]
12 The Return of Retief (1984)
13 Retief in the Ruins (1986) [C][Lc1987 n]
14 Reward for Retief (1989)
15 Retief and the Rascals (1993)
16 Retief Unbound (1979) [C]
Retief and the Pangalactic Pageant of Pulchritude (1986) [O]
Imperium
1 Worlds of the Imperium (1962)
Magazine Appearances:
Worlds of the Imperium (Part 1 of 3) (1961)
Worlds of the Imperium (Part 2 of 3) (1961)
Worlds of the Imperium (Part 3 of 3) (1961)
2 The Other Side of Time (1965)
Magazine Appearances:
The Other Side of Time (Part 1 of 3) (1965)
The Other Side of Time (Part 2 of 3) (1965)
The Other Side of Time (Part 3 of 3) (1965)
3 Assignment in Nowhere (1968)
4 Zone Yellow (1990)
Lafayette O'Leary
The Time Bender (1966)[Synopsis]
Magazine Appearances:
Axe and Dragon (Part 1 of 3) (1965)
Axe and Dragon (Part 2 of 3) (1966)
Axe and Dragon (Part 3 of 3) (1966)
The World Shuffler (1970)
The Shape Changer (1972)
Magazine Appearances:
The Shape Changer (Part 1 of 2) (1970)
The Shape Changer (Part 2 of 2) (1971)
The Galaxy Builder (1984)
The Invaders
Enemies from Beyond (1967) [C][as Anthony LeBaron]
The Invaders
[vt The Meteor Men (UK 1967)] (1967) [C][as Anthony LeBaron]
The Avengers
The Afrit Afair (1968)
The Drowned Queen (1968)
The Gold Bomb (1968)
Time Trap
Time Trap (1970)
Back to the Timetrap (1992)
Novels
A Trace of Memory (1963)
Magazine Appearances:
A Trace of Memory (Part 1 of 3) (1962)
A Trace of Memory (Part 2 of 3) (1962)
A Trace of Memory (Part 3 of 3) (1962)
The Great Time Machine Hoax (1964)[Reviews]
Magazine Appearances:
A Hoax in Time (Part 1 of 3) (1963)
A Hoax in Time (Part 2 of 3) (1963)
A Hoax in Time (Part 3 of 3) (1963)
Embassy (1965)
A Plague of Demons
[vt Plague of Demons (1985)] (1965)[Ne1965 n]
Catastrophe Planet
[vt The Breaking Earth (rev 1981)] (1966)
Catastrophe Planet (1966)
Earthblood (1966) with Rosel George Brown
[Ne1966 x]
Magazine Appearances:
Earthblood (Part 1 of 4) (1966) with Rosel George Brown
Earthblood (Part 2 of 4) (1966) with Rosel George Brown
Earthblood (Part 3 of 4) (1966) with Rosel George Brown
Earthblood (Part 4 of 4) (1966) with Rosel George Brown
The Monitors (1966)
Galactic Odyssey (1967)
Magazine Appearances:
Spaceman! (Part 1 of 3) (1967)
Spaceman! (Part 2 of 3) (1967)
Spaceman! (Part 3 of 3) (1967)
Planet Run (1967) with Gordon R. Dickson
The Long Twilight (1969)
The House in November (1970)
Dinosaur Beach (1971) - Expansion of 'The Time Sweepers'
The Star Treasure (1971)
The Infinite Cage (1972)
Night of Delusions
[vt Knight of Delusions (rev 1982)] (1972)
The Glory Game (1973)
The Ultimax Man (1978)
Beyond the Imperium (1981)
Star Colony (1982)
End as a Hero (1985)
The Other Sky/the House in November (1985)
Retief Unbound (1985)
Judson's Eden (1991)
Cold Steel (2002)
Odyssey (2002) with Eric Flint
A Plague of Demons & Other Stories (2003)
Future Imperfect (forthcoming May03 US)
Collections
Nine by Laumer (1967)
The Day Before Forever and Thunderhead (1968)
Greylorn (1968)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Galaxy (1968)
Once There Was a Giant (1971)
The Big Show (1972)
Timetracks (1972)
The Undefeated (1974)
The Best of Keith Laumer (1976)
The House in November (1981)
Planet Run (1982) with Gordon R. Dickson
Worlds of the Imperium (1982)
Chrestomathy (1984)
Once There Was a Giant (rev 1984) (1984) - This Tor publication isn't
even closely related to the 1971 collection by the same title.
Alien Minds (1991)
Retief! (2002)
A Plague of Demons & Other Stories (2003)
Omnibus
The Star Treasure (1986)
Anthologies
Five Fates (1970)
The Breaking Earth (1981)
Short Fiction
Greylorn (1959)
Combat Unit (1960)
Dinochrome
[vt Combat Unit] (1960)
Dinochrome (1960)
Diplomat-at-Arms (1960)
Courier (1961)
Doorstep (1961)
The Frozen Planet
[vt Courier] (1961)
The Frozen Planet (1961)
Gambler's World
[vt Palace Revolution] (1961)
Hybrid (1961)
The King of the City (1961)
Palace Revolution (1961)
Stranger in Paradox (1961)
Worlds of the Imperium (Excerpt) (1961) - The appearance in Damon Knight's
A Century of Science Fiction is an excerpt.
Aide Memoire (1962)
Cocoon (1962)
Cultural Exchange (1962)
The Desert and the Stars (1962)
The Madman from Earth
[vt Policy] (1962)
Policy (1962)
Protest Note (1962)
Protocol (1962)
Retief of the Red-Tape Mountain
[vt Sealed Orders] (1962)
Sealed Orders (1962)
The Yillian Way
[vt Protocol] (1962)
A Bad Day for Vermin (1963)
End as a Hero (1963)
The Governor of Glave
[vt Native Intelligence] (1963)
It Could Be Anything
[vt A Trip to the City] (1963)
The Long Remembered Thunder (1963)
Mightiest Qorn
[vt Ultimatum] (1963)
Native Intelligence (1963)
The Night of the Trolls (1963)
Saline Solution (1963)
The Soul Buyer (1963)
The Star-Sent Knaves (1963)
The Time Thieves
[vt The Star-Sent Knaves] (1963)
The Time Thieves (1963)
A Trip to the City (1963)
Ultimatum (1963)
The Walls (1963)
The Castle of Light (1964)
The City that Grew in the Sea
[vt Wicker Wonderland] (1964)
The Exterminator
[vt A Bad Day for Vermin] (1964)
The Exterminator (1964)
The Great Time Machine Hoax (Excerpt) (1964)
The Other Sky
[vt The Further Sky] (1964)
The Other Sky (1964)
Placement Test (1964)
The Prince and the Pirate (1964)
Wicker Wonderland (1964)
The Brass God
[vt Retief, God-Speaker] (1965)
The Brass God (1965)
Giant Killer (1965)
The Other Side of Time (Excerpt) (1965)
Time Bomb (1965)
Trick or Treaty (1965)
The War Against the Yukks (1965)
The War with the Yukks
[vt War Against the Yukks] (1965)
The War with the Yukks (1965)
Worldmaster (1965)
The Body Builders (1966)[Ne1966 x]
Dam Nuisance (1966)
Earthblood (Excerpt) (1966) with Rosel George Brown
Founder's Day (1966)
Photograph (1966)
Prototaph (1966)[Ne1966 x]
Truce or Consequences (1966)
The Day Before Forever (1967)[Ne1968 n]
The Forbidden City
[vt Retief, War Criminal] (1967)
The Forbidden City (1967)
The Forest in the Sky (1967)
Grime and Punishment
[vt Clear as Mud] (1967)
Grime and Punishment (1967)
The Last Command (1967)
Planet Run (Excerpt) (1967) with Gordon R. Dickson
The Planet Wreckers (1967)
Test to Destruction (1967)
Thunderhead (1967)
The Big Show (1968)
Excerpt from Retief & the Warlords (Excerpt) (1968)
Goobereality (1968)
The Mind Out of Time (1968)
Once There Was a Giant (1968)[Ne1968 n]
The Choice (1969)
The Half Man (1969)
The Long Twilight (Excerpt) (1969)
Mechanical Advantage
[vt Retief, the Long-Awaited Master] (1969)
Mechanical Advantage (1969)
A Relic of War (1969)
Street Scene
[vt Dunderbird] (1969) with Harlan Ellison
The Timesweepers (1969)
Ballots and Bandits (1970)
The Devil You Don't (1970)
The Dream Machine (1970)
The House in November (Excerpt) (1970)
In the Queue (1970)[Hu1971 n][Lc1971 n][Ne1970 n]
The Lawgiver (1970)
Message to an Alien (1970)
Of Death What Dreams (1970)
The Piecemakers (1970)
Pime Doesn't Cray (1970)
The Plague (1970)
Time Trap (Excerpt) (1970)
The All-Together Planet (1971)
Dinosaur Beach (Excerpt) (1971)
Internal Affair
[vt Retief, Insider] (1971)
Internal Affair (1971)
Retief's Ransom (Excerpt) (1971)
The Right to Resist (1971)
The Right to Revolt (1971)
The Star Treasure (Excerpt) (1971)
Street Scene (1971) with Harlan Ellison
Three Blind Mice (1971)
The Garbage Invasion (1972)
The Infinite Cage (Excerpt) (1972)
Night of Delusions (Excerpt) (1972)
The Hoob Melon Crisis (1975)
The Negotiators (1975)
The Troubleshooter (1975)
Field Test (1976)
The Wonderful Secret (1977)[Hu1978 n][Lc1978 n]
Magazine Appearances:
The Wonderful Secret (Part 1 of 2) (1977)
The Wonderful Secret (Part 2 of 2) (1977)
Birthday Party (1978)
The Ultimax Man (Excerpt) (1978)
The Secret (1982)
No Ship Boots in Fairyland (1984)
Final Mission (1986)
Retief and the Pangalactic Pageant of Pulchritude (1986)
Retief in the Ruins (1986)
Rogue Bolo (1986)
There Is a Tide (1986)
The Woomy (1986)
Protest Note
[vt The Desert and the Stars] (1987)
Rank Injustice (1987)
The Propitiation of Brullamagoo (1991)
Reverse English (1991)
Serials
The Hounds of Hell (Part 1 of 2) (1964)
The Hounds of Hell (Part 2 of 2) (1964)
And Now They Wake (Part 1 of 3) (1969)
And Now They Wake (Part 2 of 3) (1969)
And Now They Wake (Part 3 of 3) (1969)
The Seeds of Gonyl (Part 1 of 3) (1969)
The Seeds of Gonyl (Part 2 of 3) (1969)
The Seeds of Gonyl (Part 3 of 3) (1969)
Essays/Articles
The Limiting Velocity of Orthodoxy (1970)
The Limiting Velocity of Orthodoxy (1970)
A Short History of the Bolo Fighting Machines (1972)
Couldn't We All Just Be Dear, Dear Friends? (1980)
The Retief Series (1980)
Alternatives to Intelligence (1991)
ISFDB Engine - Version 1.13 (12/01/02) - [Queries served: 25722797]
Copyright (c) 2002 Al von Ruff
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.