# Is "Assignment in Eternity" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Assignment in Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein (Fantasy Press, 1953) is identified by: Fantasy Press first; trade issue in cloth with dust jacket priced 3.00 on flap. US Fantasy Press first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Fantasy Press first; trade issue in cloth with dust jacket priced 3.00 on flap
- Collection of four novellas/novelettes
- Issued in the usual Fantasy Press dual format: a trade printing and a separate signed, numbered limited issue of 500 copies (signed on the limitation leaf); both are the true first edition
- Publisher imprint reads Fantasy Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Fantasy Press |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Fantasy Press first; trade issue in cloth with dust jacket priced 3.00 on flap |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Fantasy Press first; trade issue in cloth with dust jacket priced 3.00 on flap. Collection of four novellas/novelettes. Issued in the usual Fantasy Press dual format: a trade printing and a separate signed, numbered limited issue of 500 copies (signed on the limitation leaf); both are the true first edition.

## Is this the true first?
US Fantasy Press first. No prior book edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition under the Fantasy Press imprint; later reprints lack the Fantasy Press imprint. Note that some copies appear in a later (non-original) binding, distinct from the original cloth.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Assignment in Eternity* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/assignment-in-eternity
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.