HAVE SPACE SUIT-WILL TRAVEL
November 8, 1957: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Here are three copies of my new novel for Scribner’s Have Space Suit-Will Travel. They are intended (I hope) for trade book, American serial, and British serial.
November 19, 1957: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Have Space Suit-Will Travel is a fine story…enjoyed all of it.
December 6, 1957: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein Scribner’s enthusiastic about the book.
CHAPTER IV
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THE LAST OF THE JUVENILES
STARSHIP TROOPERS
November 22, 1958: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I finished a draft of a novel, working title Sky Soldier, at 5:20 this morning; I will start patching its solecisms and such on Monday. It won’t have to be cut other than for dramatic reasons, as the draft runs about 60,000 words-proving that I can write a novel without forcing the publisher either to jack up the price or use smaller type…a point on which you may have entertained legitimate doubts.
You will receive the ms. some time after the first of the year; my typist will do it during her Christmas vacation. Miss Dalgliesh has inquired as to whether I intended to submit a book; I have admitted that I have-but I have not admitted that it has been written. I don’t want her to see this until the last possible moment (I have
94 given her only the title and theme: a boy serving his military service in the future). I want to give her the least possible time to have nervous-Nellie second thoughts about it…because I am not going to change it to suit her.
January 10, 1959: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Earlier today we mailed you two copies of Starship Soldier…since I anticipate that [Dalgliesh] is not going to like parts of this book, I might as well get the row over with…It is not a juvenile; it is an adult novel about an eighteen-year-old boy. I have so written it, omitting all cleavage and bed games, such that Miss Dal-gliesh can offer it in the same list in which she has my other books, but nevertheless it is not a juvenile adventure story. Instead I have followed my own theory that intelligent youngsters are in fact more interested in weighty matters than their parents usually are.
January 21, 1959: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Star ship Soldier enjoyed. Except that there were places where action stopped and author went in for lecturing.
EDITOR’S NOTE Starship Soldier, later Starship Troopers, was turned down by the entire Scribner’s editorial board.
Lurton called and advised me; Robert was still asleep. I had to tell him.
As a matter of fact, Lurton was certain that he could place the book with another publisher. Walter Minton, president of G. P. Putnam ‘s Sons, later said that one of his editors told him that there was a Heinlein juvenile available. Walter instructed the editor, ‘ ‘Grab it.”
Miss Dalgliesh made the following suggestions about the book:
1. use it only as an adult serial
2. sell it elsewhere
3. put it away for a while
The Scribner’s connection had ended; with it, the annual quarrels over what was suitable for juvenile reading. After Starship Troopers was published, Robert wrote only one more juvenile-Podkayne of Mars.
February 19, 1959: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
…I think I have handed you a less salable item than most in this ms. and I will be happy indeed to place it with Mills [Robert P., editor of F&SF magazine] and with any major trade book house-for which purpose I am willing to rewrite, revise, cut, or expand to any extent necessary. From a story standpoint, I am now convinced that this is not my best work; I intend to sweat and make it so. (But, privately to you, revision will be literary revision; I will not let even the ghost of Horace Greeley order me to revise my ideas to fit popular prejudice-I’ll hike up the story but the ideas will remain intact.) “Ep-pur si muove!” I stand by my heresies. But I have no intention of saying this to an editor quite so bluntly; I’ll simply improve the story as story until he will pass it.