Stranger In a Strange Land

New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1961. 1961 at copyright; no other dates. Bluish green boards, yellow spine titles, light shelf wear. Deckled pages near fine, clean; no writing. Bright yellow top-stain. Bind fine; hinges intact. Scarce dust wrapper, light shelf wear, rub; protected in new, clear sleeve. Intriguing jacket design by Ben Feder features blue-green imagery of sculpture w/yellow spine titles; sculpture depicts muscular bodies embracing w/cubes as heads melting into each other amid several faces discovered of transmogrified alien faces w/three fingers/teeth biting in. Portrait of finely dressed Heinlein at back panel engrossed in book. Very attractive. Code 1881 at back flap. Robert Heinlein's Hugo Award-winning all-time masterpiece, the brilliant novel that grew from 'cult' status to mass control bestseller to deemed sci-fi classic. Intriguing as this 'communalism,' masked as more refined or correct status of mind, led to the blueprint of the generation grokking its contents. Also set the table for the 'space' race and Kubrick's odyssey, and mixed class messaging as in we own it all and thou shall share in squalor. Raised by Martians on Mars, Valentine Michael Smith is a human who has never seen another member of his species. Sent to Earth, he is a stranger who must learn what it is to be a man. But his own beliefs and powers exceed the limits of all others, and as he teaches them about grokking and water-sharing, he also inspires a transformation that will alter Earth’s inhabitants forever. According to review of Brooks Peck: Stranger in a Strange Land, winner of the 1962 Hugo Award, is the story of V. Michael Smith, born during, and the only survivor of, the first manned mission to Mars. Michael is raised by Martians, and he arrives on Earth as a true innocent: he has never seen a woman and has no knowledge of Earth's cultures or religions. But he brings turmoil with him, as he is the legal heir to an enormous financial empire, not to mention de facto owner of the planet Mars. With the irascible popular author Jubal Harshaw to protect him, Michael explores human morality and the meanings of love. He founds his own church, preaching free love and disseminating the psychic talents taught him by the Martians. Ultimately, he confronts the fate reserved for all messiahs. The impact of Stranger in a Strange Land was considerable, leading many children of the 60's to set up households based on Michael's water-brother nests. Heinlein loved to pontificate through the mouths of his characters, so modern readers must be willing to overlook the occasional sour note ("Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it's partly her fault."). That aside, Stranger in a Strange Land is one of the master's best, provocative as he always loved to be. Can you grok it? Printed in the USA. 414 pages. Insure post.. First Book Club Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Very Good. Illus. by Feder, Ben (Jacket Design). 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Book.