# Is "The Door into Summer" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Door into Summer by Robert A. Heinlein (Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY, 1957) is identified by: First printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing statement. The US Doubleday hardcover is the true first, preceding the later UK Panther paperback.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing statement
- Publisher's red cloth, spine lettered in yellow; printed price on the front jacket flap
- Time-travel and suspended-animation novel, preceded only by the 1956 magazine serialization
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing statement |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing statement. Publisher's red cloth, spine lettered in yellow; printed price on the front jacket flap. Time-travel and suspended-animation novel, preceded only by the 1956 magazine serialization.

## Is this the true first?
The US Doubleday hardcover is the true first, preceding the later UK Panther paperback. The first state shows 'First Edition' on the copyright page with no book-club gutter code.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club issue carries the blindstamped gutter code in the lower corner of the rear board and an unpriced jacket marked 'Book Club Edition,' on thinner boards and cheaper paper.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Door into Summer* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-door-into-summer
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.