The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag was published by Gnome Press in 1959 (as 6 x H; later retitled) and collects six stories that show Heinlein at his most Twilight Zone-esque. The title novella (originally published in Unknown Worlds in 1942 under the pseudonym John Riverside) is a metaphysical detective story: Jonathan Hoag cannot remember what he does during the day. He hires a husband-and-wife detective team to follow him. What they discover challenges the nature of reality itself — the world may be a work of art, created by beings whose purposes are unknowable, and the substance of “reality” may be literally nothing.
The other stories include “The Man Who Traveled in Elephants” (a sentimental afterlife fantasy), “—All You Zombies—” (the most perfectly constructed time-travel paradox story ever written, in which a person is their own mother, father, and recruiter), and “They—” (a paranoid fantasy in which a man suspects that the entire world is a stage set constructed for his benefit).
”—All You Zombies—”
This short story, published in 1959, is the most perfectly constructed time-travel paradox in fiction. A person travels back in time, changes sex, impregnates their past self, and then recruits the resulting child — thereby becoming their own mother, father, and recruiting officer. The logic is airtight, the narrative voice is compelling, and the implications — that a person can be entirely self-generated — are genuinely disturbing. The 2014 film Predestination (starring Ethan Hawke) adapted it faithfully.
Collecting The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag
First edition (Gnome Press, Hicksville, NY, 1959): Published as 6 x H. Cloth binding with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $500–$1,500
- Very good: $200–$500
- Without jacket: $50–$150
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Strong appreciation, driven by Gnome Press scarcity.
Projected values (2026–2036): Fine copies should reach $1,500–$3,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Gnome Press edition so valuable? Gnome Press was a small specialty publisher; print runs were modest, and surviving copies in good condition are rare. The dust jacket, in particular, is scarce.
Is this representative of Heinlein? No — it shows a side of Heinlein (metaphysical horror, reality-questioning) that his better-known novels rarely display. Readers who know only the space operas and political novels may be surprised by the existential dread of the title story.