Rating: 
Summary: More than mere grumbling...
Review: Of course it's true that we can never really know another person, certainly not someone whom we've never met, but one way of getting at least a glimpse of another's inner workings is to get a peek at their personal correspondence.GRUMBLES FROM THE GRAVE is not only a collection of renowed science-fiction author Robert Heinlein's letters, but a look at most of his work, with input from his widow Virginia. There are also plenty of photos and reproductions of cover art from many of his novels. Another brilliant and beloved science fiction writer, the late Isaac Asimov, wrote in his book A MEMOIR that he thought that GRUMBLES shouldn't have been published because it showed a "meaness of spirit" in Heinlein... Heinlein comes out looking like a conscientious, caring man, so I truly have no idea what the good Dr. Asimov meant. Especially entertaining was the in-depth look at the decade-long
birth of Heinlein's masterpiece, STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, and reading Heinlein's short work "I Believe". Nice book.
Rating: 
Summary: a disservice to his legacy
Review: Only the most die hard Heinlein fans would want to read this. On the other hand, I think most die hard Heinlein fans who read it will wish they hadn't. This is not good, and is a disservice to his legacy.
Rating:
Summary: A choppy but important collection of letters
Review: Robert Heinlein remains the twentieth century's most important science fiction writer, and the one most capable of provoking arguments. This collection of letters, edited by Virginia Heinlein from the surviving correspondence of over 100,000 letters now locked away in the archives in UC Santa Cruz until fifty years after her death, is the closest we're going to see in this lifetime to Heinlein's private opinions on a variety of subjects. Publisher Lester Del Rey insisted on the letters being cut up into various topics, rather than the more standard chronological presentation; many of these letters contain the backgrounds to a number of Heinlein's fictional and personal projects. Most of the letters are to John Campbell and Heinlein's agent from the late forties until the mid-seventies, Lurton Blassingame; most of them also deal with something Heinlein wasn't happy about, so the title of the book is indeed descriptive: many of them do grumble pretty seriously. There are only three books that really give a picture of Heinlein the man, rather than Heinlein the writer: besides this one, there is "Expanded Universe," with its prefaces and afterwords that often reveal private insights, and there is "Tramp Royale," a travelogue which is the closest thing we'll ever see to an autobiography. None of these books is going to interest a casual reader, but all three are pure gold to a Heinlein fan. Until we finally see a full biography (which may not be for another fifty years, since the correspondence is locked up), this is the best we've got.
Rating:
Summary: A choppy but important collection of letters
Review: Robert Heinlein remains the twentieth century's most important science fiction writer, and the one most capable of provoking arguments. This collection of letters, edited by Virginia Heinlein from the surviving correspondence of over 100,000 letters now locked away in the archives in UC Santa Cruz until fifty years after her death, is the closest we're going to see in this lifetime to Heinlein's private opinions on a variety of subjects. Publisher Lester Del Rey insisted on the letters being cut up into various topics, rather than the more standard chronological presentation; many of these letters contain the backgrounds to a number of Heinlein's fictional and personal projects. Most of the letters are to John Campbell and Heinlein's agent from the late forties until the mid-seventies, Lurton Blassingame; most of them also deal with something Heinlein wasn't happy about, so the title of the book is indeed descriptive: many of them do grumble pretty seriously. There are only three books that really give a picture of Heinlein the man, rather than Heinlein the writer: besides this one, there is "Expanded Universe," with its prefaces and afterwords that often reveal private insights, and there is "Tramp Royale," a travelogue which is the closest thing we'll ever see to an autobiography. None of these books is going to interest a casual reader, but all three are pure gold to a Heinlein fan. Until we finally see a full biography (which may not be for another fifty years, since the correspondence is locked up), this is the best we've got.
Rating: 
Summary: Heinlein's thoughts, poorly edited
Review: This collection of Robert Heinlein's letters would be very interesting if they were not cut into small chunks and arranged in a non-threatening manner. Heinlein struggled in the early years, working hard for recognition, trying to please indifferent editors, and this book documents that struggle. But nearly every letter is edited heavily, abruptly ended just as Heinlein gets going. The overall picture is fractured, leaving the reader to guess about the missing contents. But the book is still worth a look. It provides a behind-the-scenes view of writing science fiction in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, showing how the field grew from stories about rocket ships to social commentary. Heinlein rode the wave from short story writer to literary author, and these letters show that progression. Unfortunately, the editing removes too much of the story. The editor did make one good move, however --- she devoted two chapters to letters about Stranger in a Strange Land. The background on this seminal sci-fi novel is interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the history of science fiction. Other readers may be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: For fanatics only
Review: Why in the world would anyone publish a writer's bread and butter notes to his agent? Besides the money, I mean. There are a couple or three interesting fulminations against this publisher or that editor, whom Heinlein feels did him dirty. But in the main this body of correspondence is of zero interest to any but the most complete worshipers of the sf master. Just enjoy the stories, and nevermind the workaday business of how they got published.
Rating:
Summary: For fanatics only
Review: Why in the world would anyone publish a writer's bread and butter notes to his agent? Besides the money, I mean. There are a couple or three interesting fulminations against this publisher or that editor, whom Heinlein feels did him dirty. But in the main this body of correspondence is of zero interest to any but the most complete worshipers of the sf master. Just enjoy the stories, and nevermind the workaday business of how they got published.
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