"Life-Line" is a short story by American author

Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

. Published in the August 1939 edition of ''

Astounding ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William Cl ...

'', it was Heinlein's first published short story. The protagonist, Professor Hugo Pinero, builds a machine that will predict how long a person will live. It does this by sending a signal along the

world line The world line (or worldline) of an object is the path that an object traces in 4-dimensional spacetime. It is an important concept in modern physics, and particularly theoretical physics. The concept of a "world line" is distinguished from con ...

of a person and detecting the echo from the far end. Professor Pinero's invention has a powerful impact on the life insurance industry, as well as on his own life. Pinero is mentioned in passing in the novels ''

Time Enough for Love ''Time Enough for Love'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, first published in 1973. The work was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1973 and both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1974. Plot The book cov ...

'' and ''

Methuselah's Children ''Methuselah's Children'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Originally serialized in ''Astounding Science Fiction'' in the July, August, and September 1941 issues, it was expanded into a full-length novel in 1958. ...

'' when the practically immortal

Lazarus Long Lazarus Long is a fictional character featured in a number of science fiction novels by Robert A. Heinlein. Born in 1912 in the third generation of a selective breeding experiment run by the Ira Howard Foundation, Lazarus (birth name Woodrow Wi ...

mentions having been examined and being sent away because the machine is "broken".

Writing history

Heinlein was motivated to write the story by an editorial in ''

Thrilling Wonder Stories ''Wonder Stories'' was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, ''Amazing Stor ...

'' magazine, in which

Hugo Gernsback Hugo Gernsback (; born Hugo Gernsbacher, August 16, 1884 – August 19, 1967) was a Luxembourgish–American editor and magazine publisher, whose publications including the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publ ...

wrote that he wanted to foster new talent in the field, and that "We shall endeavor to present one amateur writer's story in each forthcoming issue ..until further notice." ''Thrilling Wonder Storiess rate at the time was 0.5¢ per word. After Heinlein had written the 7,000-word story, he submitted it first to a rival magazine, ''

'', which paid 1¢ per word. ''Astounding'' bought the story, and at their higher rate, Heinlein was paid $70 (). According to

Virginia Heinlein Virginia Heinlein (April 22, 1916 – January 18, 2003), born Virginia Doris Gerstenfeld, was an American chemist, biochemist, engineer, and the third wife and muse of Robert A. Heinlein, a prominent and successful author often considered on ...

's introductory biography of her husband in ''

Grumbles from the Grave ''Grumbles from the Grave'' is a posthumous 1989 autobiography of science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein collated by his wife Virginia Heinlein from his notes and writings. Background The work is the closest that Heinlein, an ex-naval officer ...

'', upon receiving the check for the story Heinlein reportedly said, "How long has this racket been going on?" Later, Heinlein's authorized biography included a version of the story in which ''Thrilling Wonder Stories'' had advertised a $50 contest. The first known version of this story appeared in a 1985 interview published in '' Xignals'', a science fiction newsletter. "Life-Line" was later collected in ''

The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein ''The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein'' is a collection of science fiction short story, short stories by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1966. It includes an introduction entitled "Pandora's Box" that describes some of the difficult ...

'' (1966), '' Expanded Universe'' (1980), and in a

Baen Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher ...

edition of "The Man Who Sold The Moon" (1987).

Reception

One particular paragraph from "Life-Line" is often quoted in reference to (and criticism of) modern

intellectual property rights Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

: In the realm of science another passage has come to be quoted: A television web series loosely based on the short story began in 2017.

References

External links

*
"Life-Line"
on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

1939 short stories Short stories by Robert A. Heinlein Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact {{1930s-sf-story-stub