72dNV [Get free] Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: 1948-1988 The Man Who Learned Better Online [72dNV.ebook] Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: 1948-1988 The Man Who Learned Better Pdf Free William H. Patterson Jr. *Download PDF | ePub | DOC | audiobook | ebooks #458876 in Books 2016-03-15 2016-03-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 233.68 x 1.19 x 6.12l, 1.00 #File Name: 0765319632672 pages | File size: 52.Mb William H. Patterson Jr. : Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: 1948-1988 The Man Who Learned Better before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: 1948-1988 The Man Who Learned Better: 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I Didn't Want The Book To EndBy Ray SchneiderI just finished reading Volume 2 of William H. Patterson, Jr.'s biography of Heinlein. Some time ago I read the first volume, before the second was in press and corresponded briefly with Patterson telling him my experience growing up reading Heinlein's juveniles and that reading Heinlein and a few other science fiction writers had been fundamental in my interests both in becoming a scientist and a writer.This volume as one reviewer said starts with Heinlein at the peak of his powers and documents his decline in health and his departure from the standard science fiction genre to explore different avenues all very successfully. The book is detailed, and for a serious Heinlein enthusiast I think it is essential. One critic took the author to task for his anti-communism, but that's rather silly since what the author was doing was documenting Heinlein's anti-communism. Heinlein's life epitomized individualism so it is hardly a surprise that he would not be a fan of the collectivism that forces the individual to be a mere cog in a machine.The famous notion that there is always a "Heinlein character" in his books is an interesting one which I've encountered over the years and it speaks volumes that the principles that Heinlein espoused are often front and center in his books. I love Robert A. Heinlein, and I was very saddened to discover that Patterson had died just last year on April 21st. I guess I'll have to wait a while to have that discussion with him about the second volume. In the meantime, I'm poring over the end notes reading the lengthier ones because I so enjoyed the book I don't want the experience to end. But then I love Robert A. Heinlein and Patterson gave me a lot to think about as I read. I hope to see them both in the hereafter.12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. A Magnificent Account of a Magnificent LifeBy Lars D. HedborReading this unusually approachable literary biography of a writer whose influence on my own approach to life is probably second only to that of my parents, I am struck by how many times something clicked and a connection I'd never before suspected snapped into place.Heinlein's life would be intrinsically interesting, even if I weren't a fan of his work, and Patterson gave me the opportunity to come to know the man behind the stories, and to understand how his experiences might have informed the stories that had shaped my life.The ending of the book, as with all biographies, was no surprise, and yet I found myself weeping anew as I read it, both for The loss of Robert Heinlein, and also for the more recent loss of his biographer. Patterson has left a worthy legacy for all of us who love Heinlein's work and passions and I am sorry that we will not be able to further enjoy his company as we toast absent friends.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Rest of the Heinlein StoryBy Terry SundayThe "juvenile" science fiction novels of Robert A. Heinlein, such as "Space Cadet," "Starman Jones," "Red Planet" and "Have Space Suit--Will Travel," had a huge influence on me in my teens. The stories of Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke (not so much Isaac Asimov, who I never really cared for) nurtured my nascent fascination with spaceflight and steered me inexorably to my long career in aerospace engineering.Even after I grew up, I still anxiously devoured every new Heinlein book. "Stranger in a Strange Land" mesmerized me, so much so that I marked passages in it with a yellow highlighter--I still have that defaced first edition hardcover! I related less to Heinlein's later books, such as "I Will Fear No Evil," "To Sail Beyond the Sunset" and "The Number of the Beast." The plots were still interesting, and his writing style was still as dynamic, fast-paced and readable as ever. But I did not grok his obsession with pregnant female characters interested only in having babies. Thus my collection of Heinlein books ends with "Friday," published in 1982.Heinlein expert the late William H. Patterson, Jr., with the full cooperation of Heinlein's widow Virginia and with unprecedented access to Heinlein's archives, notes and personal papers, has written an outstanding two-volume biography of "the Grand Master." Volume 2 spans the second half of Heinlein's life, from 1948 through his death in 1988, and thus covers the period when he wrote some of his most impressive and important works.Mr. Patterson does a superb job of capturing the nature of the man behind the books and stories that I enjoyed so much. Heinlein's story is fascinating, well told, fast moving and easy to read. Many of the insights into Heinlein's character, his motivations and his literary production come from letters he exchanged with friends, fellow authors, agents, editors, fans, etc. Mr. Patterson quotes at length from this correspondence, which provides valuable contemporaneous glimpses into Heinlein, the man. I used two bookmarks as I read this volume, one for the text and one for the 150-plus pages of endnotes. Please don't ignore the notes--many of them just cite sources, of course, but some go on for paragraph after paragraph to provide additional detailed information.The second volume of Mr. Patterson's magnum opus held me as spellbound as did the first. The story behind the evolution of Heinlein's politics, his relationships with colleagues, fans and with his wife Ginny, his world travels, his health issues and virtually all other aspects of his life, leaps off the page, thanks to Mr. Patterson's consummate narrative skill.I was captivated to learn about how Heinlein's memorable stories came to be written. I lapped up Mr. Patterson's "behind-the-scenes" details about working titles, word counts, editorial demands for changes, payment rates, what it took in those pre-computer days to type a "clean" manuscript, and other minutia of the creative writing and science fiction marketing process. I'll never look at "Project Nightmare," "Tunnel in the Sky," "The Puppet Masters" and, especially, "Stranger in a Strange Land," the same way again after learning what really went into creating, polishing and publishing them.Mr. Patterson's two-volume Heinlein biography is absolutely fantastic, and ANY science fiction fan, young or old, should enjoy it. Buy it, read it and enjoy it--you can't go wrong. Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with his Century: 1948-1988 The Man Who Learned Better: The real-life story of Robert A. Heinlein in the second volume of the authorized biography by William H. Patterson!Robert A. Heinlein (1907ndash;1988) is generally considered the greatest American science fiction writer of the twentieth century. His most famous and widely influential works include the Future History series (stories and novels collected in The Past Through Tomorrow and continued in later novels), Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress?all published in the years covered by this volume. He was a friend of admirals, bestselling writers, and artists; became committed to defending the United States during the Cold War; and was on the advisory committee that helped Ronald Reagan create the Star Wars Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s.Heinlein was also devoted to space flight and humanity's future in space, and he was a commanding presence to all around him in his lifetime. Given his desire for privacy in the later decades of his life, the revelations in this biography make for riveting reading. From Booklist*Starred * This second volume of the authorized biography of arguably the most notable American science-fiction writer covers the second half of his life. In these years, Heinlein was continually exploring new approaches to old sf themes and then pushing the boundaries of the entire field steadily outward with new themes. This phase of his career began with Stranger in a Strange Land (more than 10 years in gestation) and continued to the end of his life. During that period, he battled censorship by stuffy editors, Hollywood directors of questionable ethics, and overly zealous or downright incompetent critics. He also battled a series of health problems that make harrowing reading, and that would probably have had most of us bedridden at an age when Heinlein was taking a cruise through the Arcticrsquo;s Northwest Passage. In all his enterprises, he was indispensably partnered with the remarkable Virginia Heinlein, wife, helpmate, organizer, business manager, corresponding secretary, and altogether worthy of a biography in her own right.