# Is "Rocket Ship Galileo" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Rocket Ship Galileo by Robert A. Heinlein (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947) is identified by: First printing carries the Scribner's capital 'A' together with the Scribner seal on the copyright page. US Charles Scribner's Sons first edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First 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 flap, unaltered
- Heinlein's first published novel and the first of his Scribner juveniles
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the Scribner's capital 'A' together with the Scribner seal on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First 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 flap, unaltered. Heinlein's first published novel and the first of his Scribner juveniles.

## Is this the true first?
US Charles Scribner's Sons first edition is the true first.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Rocket Ship Galileo* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/rocket-ship-galileo
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.