Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction

by Alec Nevala-Lee

the magazine had printed a letter from a fan claiming to review an issue from a year in the future. One of the nonexistent stories was “Gulf,” by Heinlein’s pseudonym Anson MacDonald, and he proposed that if they persuaded the other writers to play along, they could do it for real. Campbell loved the notion, and Heinlein set to work. The title “Gulf” could mean almost anything, and when Heinlein turned to Ginny for suggestions, she proposed a plot about a “Martian Mowgli,” a human orphan raised by aliens on Mars. Heinlein drafted the first and last chapters and asked Campbell for feedback on potential endings: “Another solution is for him to become a messiah, either tragically unsuccessful, or dramatically successful.” The editor was intrigued, but it seemed too large for one story. Heinlein set it aside, and when he asked Ginny what else she had in mind, she reminded him of the discussion that had ensued when he asked, “What makes a superman?” She had replied, “They think better.” In the meantime, a publisher wanted to put out the Future History in hardcover, and Heinlein began work on “The Man Who Sold the Moon,” which would serve as a keystone for the entire series.