On January 7, 2013  I posted a Heinlein timeline on the Heinlein Facebook page for a reader who asked for assistance in determining the order of Robert’s books.  The post drew a lot of looks, many more than I expected,  so I decided to create an improved timeline which of course wouldn’t fit in Facebook.   So I’m posting it here and linking it to Facebook.  Please comment on Facebook if you have questions or disagree with my post.  Cheers..

•  Born Butler, MO.  July 7, 1907
•  Winter 1907 his family moved to Kansas City, MO.
• Robert attended Kansas City schools and graduated High School in 1924
• He was appointed to Annapolis in 1925
• Robert graduated Annapolis in  1929 with a 4 year average of 20th in class.
• Went on active duty aboard the Lexington in 1929
• Married Elinor Lea Curry June 21, 1929
• Divorced Elinor Curry Oct. 1930
• Earliest known writings
  • Atlantis before 1929
  • The Last Adventure before 1929
  • Weekend Watch  1930
• Married Leslyn MacDonald on March 28, 1932
• Promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade. 1932
• Underwent tuberculosis treatment. 1933
• Discharged from Navy at age 27 for medical reasons. 1934
• Tried several professions most notably worked in EPIC campaign
• Purchased Lookout Mountain house. 1935
• Begins SF writing 1938
• Wrote For Us, The Living  ~ 1938 – 1939
• Ran for California Assembly seat.  1938
• Wrote  Life-Line  -August 1939
• Wrote  Misfit  -Nov. 1939
• Wrote or Published in 1940
  • Requiem  -Jan.
  • If This Goes On  -Feb.
  • Let There Be Light  -May
  • The Roads Must Roll  -June
  • Coventry  -July
  • Successful Operation  -Summer
  • Blowups Happen  -Sept.
  • Magic, Inc.  -Sept
• Payed off house on Lookout Mountain with proceeds from writing. 1940
• Wrote or Published 1941.
  • Sixth Column  -Jan.
  • –And He Built A Crooked House– -Feb.
  • Logic of Empire  -Mar.
  • Beyond Doubt  -Apr.
  • They  -Apr.
  • Universe  -May
  • Solution Unsatisfactory  -May
  • Methuselah’s Children  -July
  • –We Also Walk Dogs  -July
  • Elsewhen  -Sept.
  • By His Bootstraps
  • How to Write a Story
  • Common Sense  -Oct.
  • Lost Legacy  -Nov.
• Added a studio to Lookout Mountain house. 1941
• Delivered  GOH speech at 1941 Denver Worldcon.
• Tried to return to active duty. 1941
• Wrote or Published in. 1942
  • My Object All Sublime  -Feb.
  • Goldfish Bowl  -Mar.
  • Pied Piper  -Mar.
  • Beyond This Horizon  -Apr.
  • Waldo  -Aug.
  • The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag  -Oct.
• Rented out Lookout Mountain home. 1942
• Took a civilian position at the Naval Aircraft Factory in Phila. 1942
• Considered joining the Merchant Marines.  1943
• Realized he is unfit for combat. 1944
• Wrote Testing in Connection With the Development of Strong Plastics for Aircraft.  1944
• Resigned from NAES and drove back to L.A.  1945
• Thought seriously about going back to writing.  1945
• Renter wouldn’t leave home.  Had to stay in hotel.  1945
• Considered work at NAF a boondoggle.  1946
• Wrote or Published.  1946
  • How to Be A Survivor  -Apr.
  • How to Be a Politician  -Apr.
  • A Bathroom of Her Own
  • Larger Than Life
  • The Last Days of the United States
  • Pie from the Sky
  • America’s Maginot Line
  • Dance Session
  • Journey of Death
  • Why Buy a Stone Ax?
  • The Witches Daughters
• Ginny came as house guest.  1946
• Reacting to Leslyn’s problem Robert banned alcohol from house.  1946
• Filed for divorce. 1947
• Gave Lookout Mountain House to Leslyn and left.  1947
• Robert built trailer to live in.  Ginny joined him.  1947
• Wrote or published.  1947
  • Free Men
  • On the Slopes of Vesuvius
  • Flight into the Future  -Aug.
  • On the Writing of Speculative Fiction
  • Rocket Ship Galileo
  • The Green Hills of Earth  -Feb.
  • Space Jockey  -Apr.
  • Columbus Was a Dope  -May
  • They Do It with Mirrors  -May
  • No Bands Playing, No Flags Flying
  • It’s  Great to Be Back!  -July
  • Jerry Was a Man  -Oct.
  • Water Is for Washing  -Nov.
  • Back of the Moon
• Married Ginny in New Mexico.  Oct. 21, 1948
• Built House in Colorado Springs.  1948
• Wrote or published.   1948
  • Beyond This Horizon (book)
  • Space Cadet
  • Destination Moon screenplay
  • The Black Pits of Luna  -Jan.
  • Gentlemen, Be Seated  -May
  • Ordeal in Space  -May
  • The Billion Dollar Eye
• Wrote or published.  1949
  • Poor Daddy
  • Red Planet
  • Sixth Column (book form)
  • Our Fair City -Jan.
  • Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon  -Apr.
  • Gulf  -Nov.
  • Destination Moon filming  -Nov.
  • Delilah and the Space-Rigger  -Dec.
  • The Long Watch
•  Wrote or published. 1950
  • Farmer in the Sky
  • The Man Who Sold the Moon
  • Shooting Destination Moon  -July
  • Cliff and the Calories  Aug.
  • Destination Moon (novella)  -Sept.
  • Waldo and Magic, Inc.
  • The Historical Novel of the Future
• Wrote or published.  1951
  • Between Planets
  • The Puppet Masters
  • The Bulletin Board
• Wrote or published.  1952
  • The Rolling Stones
  • Where To?  -Feb.
  • The Year of the Jackpot  -Mar.
  • Ray Guns and Rocket Ships  -Nov.
  • This I Believe
• Wrote or published.  1953
  • Starman Jones
  • Sky Lift  -Mar.
  • Project Nightmare  -May
  • Assignment In Eternity
  • Revolt in 2100
• Wrote or published.  1954
  • The Star Beast
  • Tramp Royal
• Wrote or published.  1955
  • Tunnel in the Sky
• Wrote or published.  1956
  • Double Star
  • Time for the Stars
  • The Third Millennium Opens
• Wrote or published.  1957
  • Citizen of the Galaxy
  • The door into Summer
  • Science Fiction: It’s Nature, Faults & Virtues
  • The Menace from Earth  -Aug.
  • The man Who Traveled in Elephants
• Wrote or published.  1958
  • Have Space Suit — Will Travel
  • Methuselah’s Children (book)
  • Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry?
  • Tenderfoot in Space  -May
  • Robert Heinlein Omnibus
• Wrote or published.  1959
  • Starship Troopers
  • All You Zombies–  -Mar.
• Wrote or published.  1960
  • Inside Intourist
  • Pravda Means Truth  -Oct.
•  Wrote or published.  1961
  • Stranger in a Strange Land
  • GOH at Worldcon in Seattle
• Wrote or published.  1962
  • Searchlight  Aug.
  • Het Spectrum
• Wrote or published.  1963
  • Glory Road
  • Orphans in the Sky
  • Podkayne of Mars
  • All Aboard the Gemini
  • If You Don’t See It, just Ask
• Wrote or published.  1965
  • Farnham’s Freehold
  • Three by Heinlein
•  Wrote or published.  1966
  • The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
  • The Worlds of Robert A Heinlein
• Moved to Bonny Doon Santa Cruz, CA.  1966
• Wrote or published.  1967
  • The Past Through Tomorrow
• Rio de Janeiro Movie-Festival GOH Speech.  1969
• Robert had a severe attack of peritonitis.  1970
• Wrote or published.  1970
  • I Will Fear No Evil
• Wrote or published.  1973
  • Time Enough for Love
  • Channel Markers  -Apr.
  • The Notebooks of Lazarus Long
  • The Best of Robert Heinlein
  • The Mote in God’s Eye
• Wrote or published.  1975
  • Paul Dirak, Antimatter and You
• Wrote or published.  1976
  • Are You a Rare Blood?
  • GOH MidAmeriCon
• Robert suffered stroke.  1977
• Wrote or published.  1979
  • The Number of the Beast
  • Spinoff
  • Larger Than Life
  • Future Histories
• Wrote or published.  1980
  • Expanded Universe
  • The Happy Days Ahead
• Wrote or published.  1984
  • Job: A Comedy of Justice
• Wrote or published.  1985
  • The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
  • To Sail Beyond the Sunset
  • Preface to Sturgeon’s Godbody
• Robert A Heinlein died.  May 8, 1988
• Virginia Heinlein accepted NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal for Robert.  Oct. 1988
• Wrote or published.  1990
  • Grumbles From the Grave
• Wrote or published  1992
  • Requiem and Tributes to the Grand Master
• Robert A Heinlein A Reader’s Companion  by James Gifford.  2000
• For Us, The Living is found and published.  2004
• Variable Star written by Spider Robinson based on Robert Heinlein’s notes.  2005
• Centennial Souvenir Book 2007
• Robert A Heinlein In Dialog With His Century Vol  1 written by William Patterson.  2010