Rating: 
Summary: A Book for Heinlein Readers and Fans
Review: A wonderful book with a wealth of material for the Heinlein scholar, critic, and collector...but its real contribution is to the serious Heinlein fan and reader (like me). Each time I re-read a Heinlein story, I flip open Gifford's book to see what he has to say about the story.
Rating:
Summary: The first excellent book ever written about Heinlein
Review: Finally, somebody has written a truly useful book about that most important of American science fiction authors, Robert A. Heinlein. In the past, sloppy criticism and the grinding of personal axes have ruined every single attempt to produce a book discussing Heinlein's works (I have the misfortune of having read them all). Gifford has produced what has to be the groundwork for all future studies of Heinlein: a basic categorization and numbering of every single published and unpublished work in the canon, along with the insiders' story on each entry. Readable from cover to cover, or as a reference work, Gifford has also performed the one invaluable goal of every reader's companion: he's sent me back to rereading the original works, but with fresh perspectives and insights. A perfect score, after twenty years of utter failures in Heinlein scholarship. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Must-Have for Heinlein Fans
Review: I fancy myself quite knowledgeable in Heinlein's works yet I learned a tremendous amount in just the first five minutes flipping through this book (with many things making me chuckle--like "Heinlein 3:16"). Each of Heinlein's works is itemized and described, with insights about what went into its creation. There are many fascinating tidbits of information you probably wouldn't otherwise know, with inside information provided by Mrs. Heinlein, among others. The format is very readable--either straight-through, or to jump around through the book. The writing style is very clear and readable. This is a first-rate piece of Heinlein scholarship that avoids the trap of being ponderous. Well worthwhile for both the casual and serious Heinlein reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs to be more--or less.
Review: I was really looking forward to getting this book, but I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed. It is obviously a labor of love, but I would recommend it only for Heinlein fans who have already read most of the Grand Master's works. It basically consists of an alphabetical listing with comments on all of the published works of RAH and it appears to be quite comprehensive. Some of the remarks and anecdotes are very interesting, but virtually all of them assume that you are already familiar with the plot of the particular story or novel. This is why I recommend it only for die-hard fans. It is no help at all for the reader who has read only a couple of Heinlein's works. I think there should have been at least a basic plot synopsis for each item so those folks could have been pointed to Heinlein pieces that would have been new to them that they might have found interesting. No work, not even Starship Troopers or Strangers in A Strange Land, gets more than three or four pages of comments (most are less than a page) and the book is only about 250 pages long. Rather pricey, too.
Rating:
Summary: An intelligent, broad-ranging book
Review: James Gifford has given us a book immense in its scope, detailing the works of one of Science Fiction's Grand Master, and one of the genre's most prolific authors. The format is very reader-friendly. The individual entries for each work are fascinating for any Heinlein lover, and the bibliography and opus list will prove invaluable to new readers who wish to delve into Heinlein's universe. Truly a landmark achievement in research and clarity.
Rating:
Summary: The One Essential Book about Heinlein
Review: Many of us waited over 5 years for this book to be published. It was well worth the wait. The author is the pre-eminent Heinlein scholar in the known multiverse ; ) and the information presented is both authoritative and fascinating, without being pedantic. Anyone with more than a very casual interest in the work of Robert A. Heinlein would do well to order this book ASAP. We can only hope that we won't have to wait another 5 years for further work in this area from Mr. Gifford. Anyone seriously interested in Heinlein may also want to check out sff.net. Mr. Gifford frequents the Heinlein oriented discussions there. The book has fascinating commentary about all of the major and many of the minor works of RAH, and Mr. Gifford's included New Heinlein Opus List is the definitive list of the Grand Master's work (and is used and cited by other scholars working in the field.)
Rating:
Summary: An authoritative guide to all of Heinlein's writings
Review: Robert A. Heinlein was one of the original grand masters of science fiction and this Reader's Companion by James Gifford professes to be the complete and authoritative guide to his work. Gifford has catalogued over 200 works by Heinlein and provides extensive cross-referencing along with an extended chronology of Heinlein's life and major works. Beyond the well known novels and short stories there are entries for every known Heinlein work, including his nonfiction articles and essays, films, rare and never-reprinted stories, unpublished works, and even the unwritten works known only from notes and outlines. Clearly, the more you know about Heinlein's work the more you will find this reference work to be useful. Gifford's focus is more on detailing the background and history as well as providing critical insights into these works than in providing synopses. Granted, such synopses would make this book perfect, simply because only the most ardent scholar or fan is going to have read even half of the works that Heinlein wrote, but such an omission is certainly within the purview of a Reader's Companion. I am teaching "Stranger in a Strange Land" for my Science Fiction class this semester and picked up Gifford's book to find out useful background information to pass on to my students. But once I started researching that particular topic I quickly found myself paging back and forth pursuing various threads. Devotees of Heinlein's science fiction will find this book useful, not only in providing a fuller appreciation of what they have already read, but in suggesting other works to find and devour as well.
Rating:
Summary: An authoritative guide to all of Heinlein's writings
Review: Robert A. Heinlein was one of the original grand masters of science fiction and this Reader's Companion by James Gifford professes to be the complete and authoritative guide to his work. Gifford has catalogued over 200 works by Heinlein and provides extensive cross-referencing along with an extended chronology of Heinlein's life and major works. Beyond the well known novels and short stories there are entries for every known Heinlein work, including his nonfiction articles and essays, films, rare and never-reprinted stories, unpublished works, and even the unwritten works known only from notes and outlines. Clearly, the more you know about Heinlein's work the more you will find this reference work to be useful. Gifford's focus is more on detailing the background and history as well as providing critical insights into these works than in providing synopses. Granted, such synopses would make this book perfect, simply because only the most ardent scholar or fan is going to have read even half of the works that Heinlein wrote, but such an omission is certainly within the purview of a Reader's Companion. I am teaching "Stranger in a Strange Land" for my Science Fiction class this semester and picked up Gifford's book to find out useful background information to pass on to my students. But once I started researching that particular topic I quickly found myself paging back and forth pursuing various threads. Devotees of Heinlein's science fiction will find this book useful, not only in providing a fuller appreciation of what they have already read, but in suggesting other works to find and devour as well.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Must Have For Heinlein Fans
Review: This is an absolute must have for any serious Heinlein fan. Gifford obviously put a lot of work and thought into crafting the Heinlein Opus list, which provides a complete compendium of everything Heinlein has written. There are also tidbits about Heinlein work not published as well. Gifford's precise, clear, and unbiased commentary on nearly all of Heinlein's works is interesting and concise. It does a great service by providing a clear chronological progression of Heinlein as a writer, which gives the reader a fuller understanding of the works produced at a given time in Heinlein's career. I often felt nostalgic when going through commentary because I could remember the work and the period of my life that I read it, and the enjoyment that it brought me at the time. This book is indeed a companion for Heinlein fans.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Must Have For Heinlein Fans
Review: This is an absolute must have for any serious Heinlein fan. Gifford obviously put a lot of work and thought into crafting the Heinlein Opus list, which provides a complete compendium of everything Heinlein has written. There are also tidbits about Heinlein work not published as well. Gifford's precise, clear, and unbiased commentary on nearly all of Heinlein's works is interesting and concise. It does a great service by providing a clear chronological progression of Heinlein as a writer, which gives the reader a fuller understanding of the works produced at a given time in Heinlein's career. I often felt nostalgic when going through commentary because I could remember the work and the period of my life that I read it, and the enjoyment that it brought me at the time. This book is indeed a companion for Heinlein fans.
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