Robert A. Heinlein First Editions

• Rocket Ship Galileo — 1947 · Charles Scribner's SonsFirst printing carries the Scribner's capital 'A' together with the Scribner seal on the copyright page. The binding is black cloth, the front board showing the outline of a rocket in flight (printed in green) heading toward the Moon at the upper right; the volume runs 212 pages with four full-page black-and-white illustrations. The first-issue dust jacket carries its original printed price on the upper front…. US Charles Scribner's Sons first edition is the true first. Identify by the 'A' plus seal on the copyright page; a copy showing the year and seal but lacking the 'A' is a later state. A later jacket state shows the original printed price clipped from the front flap with a higher price ink-stamped in its place.
• Beyond This Horizon — 1948 · Fantasy PressFantasy Press first edition (Reading, Pennsylvania). Issued in a trade state and a signed/numbered limited issue of 500 copies with a tipped-in signature leaf, within a total run reported around 3,000 copies. US Fantasy Press hardcover is the true first in book form; the text was serialized earlier in Astounding (April and May 1942) under Heinlein's pseudonym Anson MacDonald. No book-club edition; reprints lack the Fantasy Press imprint.
• Space Cadet — 1948 · Charles Scribner's SonsNew York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1948. The first printing carries the Scribner's capital 'A' together with the Scribner seal on the copyright page. Bound in dark blue cloth stamped in light blue, and illustrated by Clifford N. Geary. The first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap and should be present and unclipped for a complete first-state jacket. The US Charles Scribner's Sons first edition is the true first; the 'A' with the Scribner seal on the copyright page identifies the first printing. Later printings lack the 'A' on the copyright page; the jacket price is a further first-issue tell.
• Red Planet: A Colonial Boy on Mars — 1949 · Charles Scribner's SonsFirst edition, first printing: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1949. The full title on the title page is "Red Planet: A Colonial Boy on Mars" — the census records the short form. Identified by the Scribner house formula: a capital "A" on the copyright page together with the Scribner's seal. Both must be present; the absence of the "A", the absence of the seal, or the presence of any added printing designation…. US original; Scribner's New York 1949 is the true first — the census claim is confirmed. The first British edition is Gollancz (London) 1963, 211 pages, red cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, jacket art by Alan Breese; this is confirmed as the first UK edition by James Cummins Bookseller and Fantastic Literature, and is a later, secondary edition. Both are collected; the Scribner carries precedence. FIRST-THUS…. Scribner book-club printings are the standard trap for this title. The reliable tells: the copyright page lacks the "A" and Scribner seal combination (collectors also report book-club copies that retain an "A" while omitting the seal and adding printer information at the foot of the copyright page, so the seal — not the letter alone — is the safer check); a blindstamped device (dot, circle, square or similar) is….
• Sixth Column — 1949 · Gnome PressGnome Press, New York, 1949, with "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page — the primary and sufficient point for this title. Bound in black cloth, the spine lettered in red; 256 pp. The dust jacket is by Edd Cartier, the front panel showing a red atomic symbol trailing chains to each side; the jacket should be priced at the flap (price present, unclipped) on an unrestored copy. The Gnome Press imprint…. US first; no UK hardcover precedes it, and this is the first book appearance in any market. The text was serialized in Astounding Science Fiction across January–March 1941 under Heinlein's pseudonym "Anson MacDonald," so the Gnome Press hardcover is the first appearance under Heinlein's own name but not the first appearance of the text. No book-club issue is documented for the Gnome Press edition in the sources consulted. The standing trap is the retitling: the 1951 Signet mass-market paperback appeared as The Day After Tomorrow (original title given as Sixth Column on the cover/title page). That is a later reprint and a paperback "first thus" under the new title — it is not a first edition of the work, and copies are regularly mis-listed as such.
• Farmer in the Sky — 1950 · Charles Scribner's SonsThe first printing carries the Scribner's capital 'A' together with the Scribner seal on the copyright page. Illustrated by Clifford N. Geary. The binding is navy/blue cloth with yellow lettering and a moon device stamped on the front board and spine. The pictorial dust jacket (indigo and yellow) should retain its printed price at the top of the front flap; the price being present, not any particular amount, is…. The US Charles Scribner's Sons first edition (1950) is the true first in book form; the story was serialized earlier in Boys' Life as 'Satellite Scout'. Later printings lack the 'A' and seal on the copyright page. Reprints and later-jacketed copies are common; the copyright-page 'A' plus seal is the decisive first-printing point.
• The Man Who Sold the Moon — 1950 · ShastaShasta Publishers first edition, stated. Issued in a trade state and a signed limited issue (reported as 500 copies) with a tipped-in signature leaf. Publisher's 'Future History' stickers affixed at the foot of the endpapers as issued. US Shasta Publishers first edition is the true first in this collected form; the title novella was written for this volume while other stories had earlier magazine appearances. No book-club edition; reprints lack the Shasta imprint.
• Waldo and Magic, Inc. — 1950 · Doubleday"First Edition" stated on the copyright page, with no later-printing codes. Published Garden City, New York, by Doubleday & Company, 1950, and bound in blue cloth. Collects the two novellas "Waldo" (first in Astounding, 1942) and "Magic, Inc." (first in Unknown, 1940). The pictorial color first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price to the front flap. The US Doubleday first edition (1950) is the true first in book form. Book-club editions lack the "First Edition" statement on the copyright page and typically show a blind-stamp on the rear board; the stated "First Edition" on the copyright page is the primary identifier, with blue cloth binding the correct trade issue.
• Between Planets — 1951 · Charles Scribner's SonsScribner's first printing carries the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner seal; illustrated by Clifford N. Geary. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed front-flap price and lists on the rear panel only the four preceding Heinlein Scribner juveniles (Rocket Ship Galileo, Space Cadet, Red Planet and Farmer in the Sky), with no later titles. Absence of the 'A', or added…. US Scribner's first edition is the true first; magazine serialization (in Blue Book, 1951) precedes the book but does not affect first-edition status of the hardcover. Later printings lack the 'A' and seal combination, and reprint jackets list Heinlein titles published after 1951 on the rear panel; the four-title rear-panel list plus the 'A'/seal marks the true first.
• The Green Hills of Earth — 1951 · Shasta PublishersShasta Publishers first edition, Chicago, 1951. Quarter black cloth over green paper-covered boards; cover and jacket art by Hubert Rogers. Jacket priced. A separate issue of subscriber's copies was signed by Heinlein on an inserted leaf; these exist in an undetermined quantity and are not a formally numbered or limited edition. Second volume in the Future History series. US Shasta first edition is the true first. No simultaneous book club edition of note; later reprints lack the Shasta imprint and Rogers jacket.
• The Puppet Masters — 1951 · Doubleday & Company'First Edition' stated on the copyright page; copyright date 1951 with a number line showing 17 to 22. Original dust jacket priced 2.75 on the front flap. Publisher's tan cloth, spine lettered in brown. US Doubleday first edition is the true first; magazine serialization (in Galaxy) precedes the book but does not affect first-edition status of the hardcover. Doubleday book club editions are identified by the absence of the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the blind-stamp impression on the rear board.
• The Rolling Stones — 1952 · Charles Scribner's SonsScribner's first printing is identified by the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner seal; the absence of that combination indicates a later printing. Octavo, illustrated by Clifford Geary, bound in publisher's green cloth stamped in dark blue. The first-state dust jacket, with Geary's artwork, carries its printed price on the front flap and should be present and unclipped. The US Charles Scribner's Sons edition (1952) is the true first edition. Later Scribner printings lack the 'A' and seal on the copyright page; that combination is the reliable first-printing point for this title.
• Assignment in Eternity — 1953 · Fantasy PressFantasy 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. US Fantasy Press first. No prior book edition. 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.
• Revolt in 2100 — 1953 · Shasta PublishersShasta Publishers first edition, Chicago, 1953, with the trade issue carrying a stated first edition / first printing on the copyright page. Black spine over red cloth boards; jacket by Hubert Rogers priced 3.50. Contains the novel-length 'If This Goes On—' plus 'Coventry' and 'Misfit', with an introduction by Henry Kuttner. A separate subscriber's issue was signed by Heinlein on an inserted leaf. Part of the…. US Shasta first edition is the true first. No book club edition of note; later reprints lack the Shasta imprint.
• Starman Jones — 1953 · Charles Scribner's SonsScribner's first printing is identified by the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner seal; the absence of that 'A'-and-seal combination indicates a later printing. Octavo, illustrated by Clifford Geary, bound in publisher's cloth with the spine and covers stamped in a contrasting color and a spaceship motif. The first-state dust jacket carries its printed price on the front flap and should…. The US Charles Scribner's Sons edition (1953) is the true first edition; there is no earlier printing to precede it. Later Scribner printings lack the 'A' and seal on the copyright page. No Scribner book-club printing displaced the trade first; the 'A'-plus-seal test is the reliable first-printing point.
• The Star Beast — 1954 · Charles Scribner's SonsFirst printing has the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner Press seal/medallion; the 'A' appears to the right of 'Printed in the United States of America' with the Scribner medallion to the left. Bound in black cloth-covered boards with the author's name and title stamped on the spine in blue and the title stamped in blue on the front board. Illustrated by Clifford Geary. First-issue dust…. US Scribner's first (1954), part of the Scribner Heinlein juvenile series, illustrated by Clifford Geary. Later printings and reprints lack the 'A' code (later states show a Scribner letter-number slug such as a 'C' code on the copyright page); book club issues lack the Scribner 'A'.
• Tunnel in the Sky — 1955 · Charles Scribner's SonsFirst printing carries the Scribner 'A' on the copyright page (Scribner's convention for the first printing). Bound in light brown/tan cloth with brown lettering on the spine and decorative stamping on the front board. The first-issue dust jacket, with art by P.A. Hutchison, should retain its printed price on the front flap. US Scribner's first, part of the Scribner Heinlein juvenile series. Later Scribner printings lack the 'A'; book-club issues lack the Scribner 'A' on the copyright page.
• Double Star — 1956 · DoubledayTrue first is the 1956 Doubleday & Company hardcover (Garden City), the year's Hugo winner; it was serialized in Astounding Science-Fiction (1956) before book form. A caution title. The first states 'First Edition' on the copyright page and is bound in black boards with the spine lettered in white. First-issue dust-jacket points appear on the rear panel and flaps, which advertise other Doubleday science fiction:…. Caution: the Signet paperback and later printings are reprints, not the first. The Doubleday hardcover precedes all of them, and within the first printing the rear-panel 'The Long Tomorrow' / flap 'The Dragon in the Sea' advertisements mark the earliest state of the jacket. The Doubleday first states 'First Edition' on the copyright page; the Science Fiction Book Club edition lacks that statement, is smaller and more cheaply bound, carries a blind-stamp (small indentation) on the rear board, and its jacket omits the printed price.
• Time for the Stars — 1956 · Charles Scribner's SonsFirst printing carries the Scribner code 'A-8.56[v]' on the copyright page (the letter 'A' denoting the first printing, per Scribner's dating convention). Bound in blue cloth with black lettering, with star/galaxy pictorial endpapers matching the science-fiction subject. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap. US Scribner's first, part of the Scribner Heinlein juvenile series. Later Scribner printings lack the 'A' code; book-club issues lack the Scribner 'A' on the copyright page.
• Citizen of the Galaxy — 1957 · Charles Scribner's Sons, New YorkFirst printing carries the capital 'A' with the Scribner seal on the copyright page and the dated printing code 'A-7.57', reflecting July 1957 publication. Issued at 302 pages in publisher's cloth with the spine and front-board lettering stamped in orange-red. No later-printing statement; the printed price should be present on the front jacket flap. The US Scribner edition is the true first of this Heinlein juvenile, the twelfth in the Scribner juvenile series; the Scribner 'A' with seal and the 'A-7.57' code are the decisive points. The UK Gollancz issue is a much later, separate setting. No early book-club issue carries the Scribner 'A' and 'A-7.57' code. Any copy lacking the 'A' and seal on the copyright page is a later printing or club/reprint, not the first.
• The Door into Summer — 1957 · Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NYFirst printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing statement. Publisher's red cloth, spine lettered in yellow; printed price on the front jacket flap. Time-travel and suspended-animation novel, preceded only by the 1956 magazine serialization. The US Doubleday hardcover is the true first, preceding the later UK Panther paperback. The first state shows 'First Edition' on the copyright page with no book-club gutter code. The Science Fiction Book Club issue carries the blindstamped gutter code in the lower corner of the rear board and an unpriced jacket marked 'Book Club Edition,' on thinner boards and cheaper paper.
• Have Space Suit—Will Travel — 1958 · Charles Scribner's Sons, New YorkFirst printing shows the capital 'A' with the Scribner seal on the copyright page, with the dated printing code 'A-9.58' present; price on the front jacket flap; cloth boards. Last of the Heinlein Scribner juveniles. The US Scribner edition is the true first; the capital 'A' with seal is the identifying point. Absence of the 'A' indicates a later state. Later school-library and club reprints lack the Scribner 'A' and seal; a missing 'A' or a different imprint means it is not the first edition.
• Methuselah's Children — 1958 · Gnome PressGnome Press first; first book form of the Lazarus Long material. First-state dust jacket priced 3.00 on the front flap and lists roughly 35 titles on the rear panel, with the full Gnome Press address. Black boards, spine lettered. US Gnome Press first book appearance; an Astounding Science-Fiction serialization (1941) precedes it in periodical form. Heinlein revised and expanded the text for this book edition. No book club edition under the Gnome imprint; reprints lack the Gnome Press imprint.
• Starship Troopers — 1959 · G. P. Putnam's SonsFirst printing bound in dark blue cloth lettered and stamped in silver, with star ornaments on the front board and spine. First edition so stated on the copyright page with no impression statement; the true second printing is otherwise identical but reads "Second Impression" on the copyright page. First-issue jacket has the printed price present on the front flap and, critically, lacks any Hugo Award blurb; the…. US Putnam is the true first, preceding the UK edition. Originally serialized in F&SF as 'Starship Soldier' — magazine appearance does not affect book-first status. SFBC edition: 'Book Club Edition' on the jacket flap, no printed price, blind-stamped dot/square on the rear board, and cheaper bulking paper. Watch also for the second printing masquerading as a first — check for the Hugo blurb on the jacket and "Second Impression" on the copyright page.
• The Menace from Earth — 1959 · Gnome PressGnome Press first; story collection of eight stories. Bound in black cloth with spine stamped in silver and gold; yellow endpapers. 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page. Point of issue: the first-issue dust jacket is UNPRICED on the front flap (no price printed there); the rear panel lists other Gnome Press science-fiction titles with their prices. US Gnome Press first. No book club edition under the Gnome imprint; reprints lack the Gnome Press imprint.
• The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag — 1959 · Gnome PressTrue first is the Gnome Press hardcover (Gnome title number 80), with First Edition stated on the copyright page and the price on the unclipped jacket. Tan cloth, jacket by W. I. van der Poel. This story collection was later reissued in paperback under the alternate title 6xH; that is a separate later edition, not a state of the Gnome first. US Gnome Press hardcover is the true first edition. No book club edition of the Gnome hardcover; later reprints and the 6xH paperback lack the Gnome Press imprint and the stated First Edition.
• Stranger in a Strange Land — 1961 · G. P. Putnam's SonsFirst printing has the publisher's code 'C22' in the gutter at the foot of page 408. Green cloth, spine stamped gilt, green top-stain. No statement of printing on copyright page. First-issue jacket with its printed price, with Heinlein's photo on the rear flap and a Starship Troopers ad/blurbs on the rear panel. US Putnam is the true first. The originally published (cut) text is the first; the later 'uncut/original' 1990 edition is a 'first thus,' not the true first. The C22 code on p.408 is the decisive point. The SFBC edition has 'Book Club Edition' on the jacket flap, no the printed price, lacks the C22 code on p.408, is smaller/lighter, and shows a blind-stamped dot on the rear board.
• Glory Road — 1963 · G.P. Putnam's SonsPutnam first printing has no statement of printing on the copyright page; identification rests on the dust jacket, which carries the first-issue price on the front flap. Multiple dealer copies confirm the first-issue jacket price, which differs from the figure originally recorded. US Putnam first edition. The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction serialization precedes the book. Book club edition carries no price on the jacket flap and bears the club blind stamp on the rear board.
• Orphans of the Sky — 1963 · Victor Gollancz LtdVictor Gollancz Ltd, London, 1963. Octavo, issued in red boards with lettering; 160 pp. Gollancz house practice carries no explicit edition or printing statement, so a first is established by the 1963 title-page/copyright date with no later impression line, not by a stated point. The jacket should be priced at the flap (price present, unclipped) — many surviving copies are price-clipped. Note that the far more…. The census claim is confirmed and is the correct call: Victor Gollancz (London) 1963 is the true first, preceding the US G. P. Putnam's Sons (New York) 1964 edition. Currey states the point explicitly — "Preceded the 1964 Putnam edition" — and James Cummins Bookseller catalogues the Gollancz as "First edition, preceding the American." This is one of the few Heinlein titles where the UK edition holds precedence,…. No book-club issue is documented for the Gollancz first in the sources consulted. American book-club printings derive from the later Putnam text and so are two removes from the true first; they were not documented in the sources consulted and no reliable blindstamp or jacket-code tell for this specific title could be confirmed.
• Podkayne of Mars — 1963 · G.P. Putnam's SonsPutnam first printing has no statement of printing on the copyright page; identification rests on the dust jacket, which carries the first-issue price on the front flap (the jacket art is by Irv Doktor). Bound in charcoal cloth. US Putnam first edition. The Worlds of If magazine serialization precedes the book, and a restored-ending edition was published in 1995; the 1963 Putnam hardcover is the true first book edition. Book club edition carries no price on the jacket flap and bears the club blind stamp on the rear board.
• Farnham's Freehold — 1964 · G.P. Putnam's SonsG.P. Putnam's Sons first printing, 1964, with no statement of printing on the copyright page; because Putnam did not use a number line, identification rests on the binding and dust jacket. The book is bound in black cloth (over boards) lettered in gilt on the spine and front panel, with a yellow top-stain, and includes the interior illustrations by Irv Doktor. The first-issue pictorial dust jacket should carry…. US Putnam first edition is the true first in book form. The Worlds of If magazine serialization precedes the book. The book-club edition is printed from the same setting but carries no printed price on the jacket flap and bears the club blind-stamp (a small indented square) on the lower rear board; its boards and jacket paper also tend to be lighter in weight than the Putnam trade issue.
• The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress — 1966 · G. P. Putnam's SonsFirst printing bound in terra-cotta (brick-red) cloth with the spine and front cover lettered in gilt, 383 pages, with the Putnam code at the foot of the final text page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap; the presence of that price, not its amount, is the point. Originally serialized in Worlds of If (December 1965…. US Putnam is the true first, preceding the UK Gollancz edition of 1967. A Hugo Award winner; the priced first-issue jacket over the terra-cotta gilt-lettered binding is the identifying combination. The Science Fiction Book Club edition reads 'Book Club Edition' on the front flap, carries no printed jacket price, shows the blind-stamped dot ('gutter code') to the rear board, and is printed on bulkier, cheaper paper.
• The Past Through Tomorrow — 1967 · G.P. Putnam's SonsPutnam first printing has no statement of printing on the copyright page; the first-issue dust jacket carries the price on the front flap. Bound in navy cloth with the top edge stained green; a gutter code on the final text page is associated with the first printing. This is the first collected Future History omnibus, gathering twenty stories plus the novel Methuselah's Children. US Putnam first edition as a collected omnibus; the individual stories were published earlier in magazines and prior collections. Book club edition carries no price on the jacket flap and bears the club blind stamp on the rear board.
• I Will Fear No Evil — 1970 · G.P. Putnam's SonsPutnam first printing has no statement of printing on the copyright page; identification rests on the dust jacket, which carries the first-issue price on the front flap. Jacket design by Paul Bacon Studio. US Putnam first edition. Book club edition carries no price on the jacket flap and bears the club blind stamp on the rear board.
• Time Enough for Love — 1973 · G.P. Putnam's SonsFirst edition has no later-printing statement on the copyright page. The first-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price on the front flap and is unclipped; jacket illustration by Vincent Di Fate. Black cloth boards with gilt spine lettering and goldenrod endpapers. The U.S. Putnam hardcover of 1973 is the true first edition. No separately issued signed/numbered Putnam limited from 1973 could be confirmed; the only slipcased limited of this title is a much later reprint and does not precede the Putnam first. Book club editions are smaller and lighter, lack the printed price on the jacket flap (often blind-stamped or with a dot on the rear board), and use cheaper paper and binding.
• The Number of the Beast — 1980 · New English LibraryThe first U.S. issue from Fawcett Columbine is a trade paperback, not a standard hardcover, so a softcover priced on the rear cover is the ordinary first U.S. printing; a scarce Fawcett Columbine hardcover issue also exists. The U.K. New English Library hardcover is the first hardcover appearance, with the price printed on the jacket flap. Both were illustrated by Richard M. Powers. The first hardcover is the U.K. New English Library edition of 1980. A New English Library paperback was issued at about the same time and is reported to slightly precede the NEL hardcover, so it, not the hardcover, is the earliest appearance in book form. The U.K. and U.S. texts differ somewhat. U.S. book club hardcovers lack the printed jacket price and are typically identified by a blind stamp on the rear board; they are distinct from the scarce true Fawcett Columbine hardcover issue.
• Friday — 1982 · Holt, Rinehart and WinstonCopyright page states First Edition and carries a full descending number line ending in 1. First-issue jacket is unclipped with the original printed price. Quarter red cloth over grey paper boards with gilt spine lettering; wraparound jacket illustration by Richard M. Powers. The U.S. Holt, Rinehart and Winston hardcover of 1982 is the true first edition. Book club edition states Book Club Edition on the jacket flap and lacks the printed price; smaller and lighter than the trade first with a blind stamp on the rear board.
• Job: A Comedy of Justice — 1984 · Del Rey / BallantineCopyright page reads First Edition: September 1984 with a full descending number line ending in 1. First-issue jacket is unclipped with the original printed price. Quarter cloth over paper boards with spine lettering. The U.S. Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover of 1984 is the true first edition. A signed limited edition was also issued, comprising 750 numbered copies plus 26 lettered copies; that limited is distinct from the trade first. Book club edition lacks the printed jacket price and the stated First Edition / number line of the trade printing, and carries a blind stamp on the rear board.
• The Cat Who Walks Through Walls — 1985 · G.P. Putnam's SonsCopyright page carries a complete descending number line ending in 1. First-issue jacket is unclipped with the original printed price. The earliest printing is also noted to carry the full text of the third line on page 300, present without an errata slip. The U.S. Putnam hardcover of 1985 is the true first edition. Book club edition lacks the printed jacket price and is identified by a blind stamp on the rear board; smaller and lighter than the trade first.
• To Sail Beyond the Sunset — 1987 · Ace/PutnamTitle page bears the Ace/Putnam imprint; copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1. First-issue jacket is unclipped with the original printed price; jacket art by Boris Vallejo. The U.S. Ace/Putnam (Putnam) hardcover of 1987 is the true first edition; it was Heinlein's last novel. Book club edition lacks the printed jacket price and is identified by a blind stamp on the rear board; smaller and lighter than the trade first.

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