Of BombShells and Shelters

I may have mentioned this before, but one of my favorite written lines is from Lewis Carroll in The Walrus and the Carpenter when the time has come to talk of many things, "Of cabbages--and kings--"

But on to relevant matters:

Things are *still* proceeding along and the books seem on track to be ready by the end of this week for shipping starting early next week. Clearly, this means the world is ending and I must go hide in my bunker with the emergency scotch supply.

In all seriousness, though, matters look positive.

In regards to my previous query about Podkayne of Mars:

We will be printing the volume in a manner similar, I believe, to that done by Baen recently. It will be printed with the original ending and an appendix will follow with the edited version that was originally published. We have correspondence which indicates that Mr. Heinlein was not pleased at having had to change that section of the work.

Also, for those who may have been wondering, it was decided to publish the extended Stranger in a Strange Land that Ginny released following Heinlein's death.

Unscheduled extra

I'm going to chat with Art and perhaps a few others on the idea, but I'm also curious as to the general tide out there:

Somebody asked which ending of Podkayne of Mars we intended to use. Of those of you that know the difference between the published and original ending, which do you prefer? (I'm intentionally not mentioning my thoughts or Heinlein's written thoughts on the matter, this is just to query the pool, as it were.)

I am back from vacation, nothing has exploded, the Earth still proceeds along its orbit, and, frabjous joy, Transcontinental has not exploded at the hands of alien aggressors.

Which is to say, Transcontinental is still on track to deliver books as of August 15th. They're a professional company with plenty of experience in these matters, but, nonetheless, we want to hear back as to how they perform. If books are delivered in poor form or the like, please let us know as soon as possible.

We have decided to grant archives access to all Virginia Edition subscribers. Those people who already have accounts will get access as soon as we set it up, those who don't will receive access when the letters volumes print and ship next year.

I have been reading through the printer text of Stranger in a Strange Land for the first time since middle school and it's a strange experience. First, I'm amazed I missed how directly Heinlein was poking fun at the Scientologists--I plead youthful ignorance, I won't let it happen again--but, more than that, I hadn't realized how influential the book had been on my own development until rereading it and finding rational arguments and methods that I've used time and again.

What about the rest of you? Any examples of Heinlein's influence in your life?