# Is "Starman Jones" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Starman Jones by Robert A. Heinlein (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1953) is identified by: Scribner'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. The US Charles Scribner's Sons edition (1953) is the true first edition; there is no earlier printing to precede it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Scribner'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 be present and unclipped; the jacket, with Geary's cover art, is the design used on the first printing
- Cited in Currey
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Scribner's first printing is identified by the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner seal; the absence of that… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Scribner'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 be present and unclipped; the jacket, with Geary's cover art, is the design used on the first printing. Cited in Currey.

## Is this the true first?
The US Charles Scribner's Sons edition (1953) is the true first edition; there is no earlier printing to precede it.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Starman Jones* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/starman-jones
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.