The Future History, by Robert A. Heinlein, describes a projected future of the human race from the middle of the 20th century through the early 23rd century. The term Future History was coined by John W. Campbell Jr. in the February 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. Campbell published an early draft of Heinlein's chart of the series in the May 1941 issue.[1]
Heinlein wrote most of the Future History stories early in his career, between 1939 and 1941 and between 1945 and 1950. Most of the Future History stories written prior to 1967 are collected in The Past Through Tomorrow, which also contains the final version of the chart. That collection does not include Universe and Common Sense; they were published separately as Orphans of the Sky.[1]
Chronology[]
The following is a chronology of the Future History. Years are included (where known) to indicate when each story takes place within the narrative timeline. Stories that were planned but never written are noted; see explanatory comments below.
- "Life-Line" (1939 in the original published version, 1951 in book collections)
- "Let There Be Light" (soon after Life-Line)
- Word Edgewise (never written)
- "The Roads Must Roll"
- "Blowups Happen"
- "The Man Who Sold the Moon" (1978)
- "Delilah and the Space Rigger"
- "Space Jockey"
- "Requiem"
- "The Long Watch" (1999)
- "Gentlemen, Be Seated!"
- "The Black Pits of Luna"
- "It's Great to Be Back!"
- "—We Also Walk Dogs"
- "Searchlight"
- "Ordeal in Space"
- "The Green Hills of Earth"
- Fire Down Below (never written)
- "Logic of Empire"
- "The Menace from Earth"
- The Sound of His Wings (never written)
- Eclipse (never written)
- The Stone Pillow (never written)
- "If This Goes On—"
- "Coventry"
- "Misfit"
- "Universe" (prologue only) (2119)
- Methuselah's Children (2136–2210) (Lazarus Long series)
- "Universe" (and its sequel "Common Sense") (~3500) (rewritten into Orphans of the Sky)
- Time Enough for Love (4272–and earlier time periods) (Lazarus Long series)
- To Sail Beyond the Sunset
- For information on Never Written books,
- visit Future History Wikipedia