Heinlein on Audio

I love audio books.  One of the first things I wanted to hear when I discovered audio books was stories by Robert A. Heinlein.  And the first books I wanted to hear the most were all the Heinlein juveniles.  I joined Audible.com at the beginning of 2002 and my first two monthly selections were The Menace from Earth by Heinlein and Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. 

At the time they didn’t have any of the juveniles, unless you count Starship Troopers, the intended thirteenth book in the Charles Scribner’s Sons series that was turn down causing Heinlein to leave the publisher, and I assume give up on writing juveniles.  Podkayne of Mars was probably the 14th and last one written.  Variable Star written by Spider Robinson and recently published was inspired by an outline of Heinlein’s.  Finally, I consider Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin the closest thing you’ll ever get to another Heinlein juvenile, so I’d like to hear an audio edition of it.

Right now, February 2008, if you join Audible.com you can get the following books by Heinlein, including all four of his books to win the Hugo Award.  The list below is by Audible sales:

• Stranger in a Strange Land
• Starship Troopers
• Have Space Suit-Will Travel
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
• Friday
• The Rolling Stones
• Citizen of the Galaxy
• Double Star
• The Menace from Earth
• Farmer in the Sky
• The Door into Summer
• The Puppet Masters
• Rocket Ship Galileo
• The Star Beast
• Time Enough for Love
• The Cat Who Walks through Walls

In other words, I’ve gotten 6 of the 12 juveniles I wished for in 2002.  Full Cast Audio promises two more in their Coming Attractions page:

• Red Planet
• Between Planets

That leaves just four more for me to pray for:

• Starman Jones
• Tunnel in the Sky
• Space Cadet
• Time for the Stars

After that I hope to hear:

• Beyond This Horizon
• The Man Who Sold the Moon
• Waldo & Magic Inc.
• The Green Hills of Earth
• Assignment in Eternity
• Revolt in 2100
• The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag
• Methuselah’s Children
• Podkayne of Mars
• Orphans of the Sky
• Glory Road
• Farnham’s Freehold

There are several books I don’t care about but would still buy if they came out in audio:

• Sixth Column
• The Number of the Beast
• Job: A Comedy of Justice
• To Sail Beyond the Sunset

Of the unpublished audio Heinlein I would say the best to hear would be Tunnel in the Sky, Starman Jones, Orphans of the Sky and Time for the Stars, although Heinlein short story collections are fantastic and I’d particularly love to hear Assignment in Eternity almost as much as one of the remaining juveniles.  So if you are an audio book publisher please hear my prayers.  I checked Recorded Books, Books on Tape and Blackstone Audio and saw no indication of any future Heinlein audio books.  And it worries me that Full Cast Audio is taking so long to bring out the two books they have been promising for years.

I believe there was an edition of Job: A Comedy of Justice but it’s out of print.  And all of Heinlein’s stories made into radio shows are easily found.

Jim