After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1929 and serving in the Navy for five years, Heinlein pursued graduate studies in physics and mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. Except for engineering service with the Navy during World War II, he was an established professional writer from 1939.

His first story, "Life-Line," was published in the action-adventure pulp magazine Astounding Science Fiction. He continued to write for that publication--along with other notable science-fiction writers--until 1942, when he began war work as an engineer. Heinlein returned to writing in 1947, with an eye toward a more sophisticated audience. His first book, Rocket Ship Galileo (1947), was followed by a large number of novels and story collections, including works for children and young adults. After the 1940s he largely avoided shorter fiction. His popularity grew over the years, probably reaching its peak after the publication of his best-known work, Stranger in a Strange Land (1961). His broad interests and concern for characterization as well as technology brought him a considerable number of admirers among general-interest readers. Among his more popular books are The Green Hills of Earth (1951), Double Star (1956), The Door into Summer (1957), Citizen of the Galaxy (1957), and Methuselah's Children (1958).