For Us, the Living PDF
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FOR US, THE LIVING ROBERT A. HEINLEIN From Grandmaster Robert A. Heinlein comes a long-lost first novel, written in 1939 and never before published, introducing ideas and themes that would shape his career and define the genre that is synonymous with his name. JULY 12,1339 Perry Nelson is driving along the palisades when suddenly another vehicle swerves into his lane, a tire blows out, and his car careens off the road and over a bluff. The last thing he sees before his head connects with the boulders below is a girl in a green bathing suit, prancing along the shore.... When he wakes, the girl in green is a woman dressed in furs and the sun- drenched shore has transformed into snow-capped mountains. The woman, Diana, rescues Perry from the bitter cold and takes him inside her home to rest and recuperate. Later they debate the cause of the accident, for Diana is unfamiliar with the concept of a tire blowout and Perry cannot comprehend snowfall in mid-July. Then Diana shares with him a vital piece of information: The date is now January 7. The year ... 2086. When his shock subsides, Perry begins an exhaustive study of global evolution over the past 150 years. He learns, among other things, that a United Europe was formed and led by Edward, Duke of Windsor; former New York City mayor LaGuardia served two terms as president of the United States; the military draft was completely reconceived; banks became publicly owned and operated; and in the year 2003, two helicopters destroyed the island of Manhattan in a galvanizing act of war. This education in the ways of the modern world emboldens Perry to assimilate to life in the twenty-first century. But education brings with it inescapable truths—the economic and legal systems, the government, and even the dynamic between men and women remain alien to Perry, the customs of the new day continually testing his mental and emotional resolve. Yet it is precisely his knowledge of a bygone era that will serve Perry best, as the man from 1939 seems destined to lead his newfound peers even further into the future than they could have imagined. A classic example of the future history that Robert Heinlein popularized during his career, For Us, The Living marks both the beginning and the end of an extraordinary arc of political, social, and literary crusading that comprises his legacy. Heinlein could not have known in 1939 how the world would change over the course of one and a half centuries, but we have our own true world history to compare with his brilliant imaginings, rendering For Us, The Living not merely a novel, but a time capsule view into our past, our present, and perhaps our future. The novel is presented here with an introduction by acclaimed science fiction writer Spider Robinson and an afterward by Professor Robert James of the Heinlein Society. SPIDER ROBINSON was born in New York and holds a bachelor's degree in English from the State University of New York. He has won three Hugo Awards, a Nebula Award, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, among many others. Spider lives with his wife, Jeanne, in British Columbia, where they raise and exhibit hopes. ROBERT JAMES received his doctorate from UCLA in 1995. A veteran teacher, he lives in Los Angeles, California, with his two children and enough books to keep all three of them happy. He has published a number of articles on Robert Heinlein. If you are a fan of Robert Heinlein's work, join the Heinlein Society at www.heinleinsociety.org FOR US, THE LIVING A Comedy of Customs By Robert A. Heinlein With an Introduction by SPIDER ROBINSON and an Afterward by ROBERT JAMES, PH.D. SCRIBNER New York London Toronto Sydney Singapore SCRIBNER 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 Copyright©2004 by The Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Trust Introduction copyright©2004 by Spider Robinson Afterward copyright©2004 by Robert James, Ph.D. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.Scribnerand design are trademarks of Macmillan Library Reference USA, Inc., used under license by Simon & Schuster, the publisher of this work. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales: 1-800-456-6798 or DESIGNED BY ERICH HOBBING Text set in Janson Manufactured in the United States of America 13579 10 8642 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Heinlein, Robert A. (Robert Anson), date. For us, the living: a comedy of customs/by Robert A. Heinlein.p. cm. 1. Traffic accident victims— Fiction. 2. Twenty-first century—Fiction. 3. Time travel—Fiction. I. Title. PS3515.E288F67 2004 813'.54—dc22 2003065682 ISBN 0-7432-5998-X For Heinlein's Children "It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated to the unfinished work . . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom ..." —Lincoln at Gettysburg Editor's note This novel was written by Robert Heinlein between 1938 and 1939 and was never edited while Heinlein was alive. While the novel is presented in its original form, minor editorial changes have been made for clarity and style. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 8 FOR US, THE LIVING 11 I 11 II 13 III 18 IV 25 V 44 VI 51 VII 58 VIII 62 IX 66 X 76 XI 80 XII 84 XIII 87 XIV 89 XV 91
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