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 snowcapped 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 The at www.heinleinsociety.org Heinlein Society Also by Robert A. Heinlein STRANGER ROCKET SHIP GALILEO IN A STRANGE LAND BEYOND THIS HORIZON GLORY ROAD SPACE CADET PODKAYNE OF MARS RED PLANET FARNHAM’S FREEHOLD SIXTH COLUMN ORPHANS OF THE SKY FARMER IN THE SKY THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON THE PAST WALDO AND MAGIC, INC. THROUGH TOMORROW BETWEEN PLANETS I WILL FEAR NO EVIL THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE THE PUPPET MASTERS THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST THE ROLLING STONES EXPANDED UNIVERSE ASSIGNMENT IN ETERNITY FRIDAY REVOLT IN 2100M JOB: A COMEDY OF JUSTICE STARMAN JONES THE CAT WHO WALKS THE STAR BEAST THROUGH WALLS TUNNEL IN THE SKY TO SAIL BEYOND THE SUNSET DOUBLE STAR TAKE BACK TIME FOR THE STARS YOUR GOVERNMENT! CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY TRAMP ROYALE THE DOOR INTO SUMMER GRUMBLES FROM THE GRAVE HAVE SPACESUIT WILL TRAVEL REQUIEM: NEW COLLECTED WORKS BY ROBERT A. HEINLEIN METHUSELAH’S CHILDREN AND TRIBUTES TO THE MENACE FROM EARTH THE GRAND MASTER STARSHIP TROOPERS THE FANTASIES OF ROBERT A. HEINLEIN THE UNPLEASANT PROFESSION OF JONATHAN HOAG AND THE NOTEBOOKS OTHER STORIES OF LAZARUS LONG 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 Afterword 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. SCRIBNER and 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 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 CONTENTS EDITOR’S NOTE INTRODUCTION FOR US, THE LIVING chapter I chapter II chapter III chapter IV chapter V chapter VI chapter VII chapter VIII chapter IX chapter X chapter XI chapter XII chapter XIII chapter XIV chapter XV APPENDIX TO CHAPTER IX AFTERWORD ABOUT THE AUTHOR