# Is "Farmer in the Sky" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Farmer in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1950) is identified by: The first printing carries the Scribner's capital 'A' together with the Scribner seal on the copyright page. 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'.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The 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 point
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing carries the Scribner's capital 'A' together with the Scribner seal on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The 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 point.

## Is this the true first?
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'.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Farmer in the Sky* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/farmer-in-the-sky
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.