# Is "Beyond This Horizon" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Beyond This Horizon by Robert A. Heinlein (Fantasy Press, 1948) is identified by: Fantasy Press first edition (Reading, Pennsylvania). 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.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Fantasy 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
- Publisher imprint reads Fantasy Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Fantasy Press |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Fantasy Press first edition (Reading, Pennsylvania) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Fantasy 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.

## Is this the true first?
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.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; reprints lack the Fantasy Press imprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Beyond This Horizon* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/beyond-this-horizon
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.