Title: Are You a Rare Blood? (parts 1-3) - Article - Correspondence
Written:  researched beginning summer 1974; written in 1975  
Pages: 1077
 
Description:
Part 1, 200 pages, Denis J. Paradis correspondence from the beginning with a letter dated 18 July 1974. It’s effectively a fan letter that got a form reply from RAH with a handwritten note on the back. It was followed by a long letter from Paradis about blood types and the rare blood article (the reason this correspondence is in this Opus file even though its content diverts wildly from the subject of rare blood). The correspondence becomes regular about a year later, starting with discussion of the scientific aspects of blood and evolving into a personal correspondence and friendship. As Robert becomes ill, the letters from their end change to Ginny as the writer. Page 80 and on has discussion of RAH’s health and surgery in 1978. 
Part 2, 229 pages, Denis J. Paridis correspondence with Ginny continues starting with August 1982. Topics range through the era—politics, the AIDS epidemic, New Coke. Page 91 has a report of Robert’s illness of July 1986. 
Part 3, 310 pages, contains  several manuscript drafts of “Are You A Rare Blood?” Page 155 to 170 is, for no readily apparent reason, a travelogue commentary on world travel and the trip to Antarctica (a letter from Ginny on page 280 explains why it’s here). This is followed by a series of letters concerning border problems between the US and Canada of Paul Paradis who was coming to take care of the Heinlein’s house. A travelogue manuscript titled “The Northwest Passage to the Orient”. Highlights include a correspondence with Denis J. Paradis of Montreal—most is personal content and continues through to condolence letters after RAH’s death, Ginny talks about remodeling the house (to make it the house she and Robert had truly envisioned; completing the work so to speak), and about possible theft of mail (someone at the post office taking souvenirs Paradis suggests) and Ginny’s security problems at the house. Ginny also talks about burning paper RAH wanted destroyed. Page 237-240 has a long letter by Ginny talking about their experiences with Panshin. Page 250 has a letter from Ginny talking about being “browned off” at the de Camps for their focusing so much on Robert’s earlier marriage, she says she returned all the de Camp books Robert had, even if he bought them himself. Page 263 Ginny returns to the subject of Catherine de Camp and her relationship with Robert (speculations, on Ginny’s part). On page 295 Ginny says Robert did some special projects for the Navy in WWII but he never said what they were and she never asked.
 
Publication: 
1976 Compton Yearbook and never reprinted.
 
Notes: Cross referenced: Blood Drive correspondence, 1976. Article, notes, and research material Correspondence with Denis J. Paradis