# Is "Farnham's Freehold" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Farnham's Freehold by Robert A. Heinlein (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1964) is identified by: 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. US Putnam first edition is the true first in book form.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- G.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 the printed first-issue price on the front flap (present unless the copy has been price-clipped), and the flap text and jacket art match the first-state jacket
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | G.P. Putnam's Sons first printing, 1964, with no statement of printing on the copyright page; because Putnam did not use a number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
G.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 the printed first-issue price on the front flap (present unless the copy has been price-clipped), and the flap text and jacket art match the first-state jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Putnam first edition is the true first in book form. The Worlds of If magazine serialization precedes the book.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Farnham's Freehold* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/farnhams-freehold
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.