Lazarus Long the Scot

[The Wizard of BC]

Please remember. Lazarus Long himself was not a Scot. His birth name is Woodrow Wilson Smith.

[kiltedrennie]

Please remember. Lazarus Long himself was not a Scot. His birth name is Woodrow Wilson Smith.

True. I believe he wore the kilt for pragmatic reasons. Easier to hide a blaster holstered to your leg under a kilt!

[Rick Y]

I've come to this discussion late due to a week-long computer failure but I confess to being a Heinlein fan also. I possess nearly all of his novels including many of the ones he wrote in conjunction with Boy's Life magazine for Scouting youth. I do believe that his very last works seemed to show a decline in quality. This includes the final work which was finished by his friend Spider Robinson.

Interestingly, as I was reading a novel today I found the author used the phrase "to grok". That word, along with TANSTAASFL, seem to be permanent entries into our vocabulary.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Actually, For Us the Living was actually the first, or one of the first, novels Heinlein wrote and it was written in 1938. It was not published until after Heinlein's death, and was finished by Spider Robinson from an incomplete draft of Heinlein's. It has a combination of elements that appear in later published works by Heinlein.

[ring0]

Spider Robinson wrote For Us the Living's foreword, but is not a coauthor of that book. Spider is coauthor of Variable Star, an incomplete draft that was completed by Spider. Both novels were published after Heinlein died. The posthumous novels are interesting, but if someone hasn't yet read Heinlein's Hugo winning novels they should definitely read those first.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Spider Robinson wrote For Us the Living's foreword, but is not a coauthor of that book. Spider is coauthor of Variable Star, an incomplete draft that was completed by Spider. Both novels were published after Heinlein died. The posthumous novels are interesting, but if someone hasn't yet read Heinlein's Hugo winning novels they should definitely read those first.

Thanks for the clarification, I was quoting from memory, which has faded.......

[Hiburnicus]

It's been a year or so sinceI last picked up a Heinlein novel. My fav of fav's has always been Starship Troopers (the movie was a travesty), but the Lazarus Long stories are a close second. Lazarus may have been my first real exposure to the idea of kilts as well.
I first discovered Heilnlein when I was 13 or 14, and being an extremely ravenous reader I rapidly read all of his books. I wish I'd had a chance to meet the man, he must have been an interesting one to talk with. He died while I was still in High School...

[Pleater]

I was allowed to use the adult section of the local library two years early, as I pointed out that I had read all the books in the junior part.

I have not seen the covers of most SciFi novels as I read them in the yellow dust jackets of the library Gollancz books.

One of the disappointments in my life was finding that there were far more interesting writers on the first section of the library shelves than in the two holding the rest of the alphabet.

The English for TANSTAAFL is of course, TINSTAAFL


Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Phil E. Begg]

RAH was a major influence on my life, one of the determining factors in deciding to join the Navy. Read his address to the Naval Academy's Midshipmen for a truly great analysis of why those who serve do so.

He passed away while I was overseas at my first duty station; I had planned on trying to meet with him on my return stateside. I spent twenty years in the Navy, ashore and afloat, and I am still grateful to "Admiral" Heinlein.

[sailortats]

Thanks for the mention of his address. I was not aware it was available in print before now. I have just read it and as a former Navy man myself I was very much impressed by what he said. I am sure what he said in that speech applies to enlisted personnel as well as officers.