"Robert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land - Original Ve" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

The notes sat in a file for several years, at which time Robert began to
write what was to be Stranger in a Strange Land. Somehow, the story didn't quite
jell, and he set it aside. He returned to the manuscript a few times, but it was
not finished until 1960: this was the version you now hold in your hands.
In the context of 1960, Stranger in a Strange Land was a book that his
publishers feared-it was too far off the beaten path. So, in order to mini~ mize
possible losses, Robert was asked to cut the manuscript down to 150,000 words-a
loss of about 70,000 words. Other changes were also requested, before the editor
was willing to take a chance on publication.
To take out about a quarter of a long, complicated book was close to an
impossible task. But, over the course of some months, Robert accomplished it.
The final word count came out at 160,087 words. Robert was convinced that it was
impossible to cut out any more, and the book was accepted at that length.
For 28 years it remained in print in that form.
In 1976, Congress passed a new Copyright Law, which said, in part, that in
the event an author died, and the widow or widower renewed the copyright, all
old contracts were cancelled Robert died in 1988, and the following year the
copyright for Stranger in a Strange Land came up for renewal.
Unlike many other authors, Robert had kept a copy of the original
typescript, as submitted for publication~ on file at the library of the
University of California at Santa Cruz, his archivists. I asked for a copy of
that manuscript, and read that and the published versions side by side. And I
came to the conclusion that it had been a mistake to cut the book.
So I sent a copy of the typescript to Eleanor Wood, Robert's agent.
Eleanor also read the two versions together, and agreed with my verdict. So,
after the notification to the publisher, she presented them with a copy of the
new/old version.

No one remembered the fact that such drastic cutting had been done on this
book; over the course of years all the editors and senior officers at the
publishing house had changed. So this version was a complete surprise to them.
They decided to publish the original version, agreeing that it was better
than the cut one.
You now have in your hands the original version of Stranger in a Strange
Land, as written by Robert Anson Heinlein.

The given names of the chief characters have great importance to the plot.
They were carefully selected: Jubal means "the father of all," Michael stands
for "Who is like God?" I leave it for the reader to find out what the other
names mean.
-Virginia Heinlein Carmel, California

part one

HIS MACULATE ORIGIN


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