Revolt in 2100 was published by Shasta Publishers in 1953, collecting three stories from Heinlein’s Future History series. The centerpiece, “If This Goes On—” (originally published in Astounding in 1940, substantially revised for this collection), imagines America under a fundamentalist theocracy: the Prophet Incarnate rules from New Jerusalem (formerly Kansas City), controlling the population through a secret police, compulsory church attendance, and the systematic suppression of science and free thought.
John Lyle, a young officer in the Angels of the Lord (the regime’s palace guard), discovers that the Prophet is a fraud and joins the Cabal — an underground resistance movement — to overthrow the theocracy. The novella is both a thriller and a political argument: Heinlein demonstrates, with chilling plausibility, how a democratic society could slide into theocratic totalitarianism through small, incremental steps.
Collecting Revolt in 2100
First edition (Shasta Publishers, Chicago, 1953): Red cloth binding. Dust jacket.
Market values (with dust jacket):
- Fine in dust jacket: $500–$1,500
- Very good in dust jacket: $200–$500
- Without dust jacket: $50–$150
Shasta Publishers had chronic financial problems, making their editions scarce and collected as important early SF imprints.
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Strong appreciation. The novella’s relevance to contemporary debates about religious nationalism has increased collector interest.
Projected values (2026–2036): Fine copies should reach $1,500–$3,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this part of the Future History? Yes. “If This Goes On—” is a key entry in Heinlein’s Future History timeline, which charts humanity’s development from the present through interstellar colonization. The theocratic period is a dark age that the revolution corrects.
How prescient is it? Written in 1940, revised in 1953, the novella’s portrait of a religious dictatorship using mass media, secret police, and compulsory worship to maintain control has been cited by readers in every decade since as disturbingly relevant to contemporary political trends.