# Is "The Green Hills of Earth" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Green Hills of Earth by Robert A. Heinlein (Shasta Publishers, 1951) is identified by: Shasta Publishers first edition, Chicago, 1951. US Shasta first edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Shasta Publishers first edition, Chicago, 1951
- Quarter black cloth over green paper-covered boards; cover and jacket art by Hubert Rogers
- Jacket priced
- A separate issue of subscriber's copies was signed by Heinlein on an inserted leaf; these exist in an undetermined quantity and are not a formally numbered or limited edition
- Second volume in the Future History series
- Publisher imprint reads Shasta Publishers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Shasta Publishers |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Shasta Publishers first edition, Chicago, 1951 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Shasta Publishers first edition, Chicago, 1951. Quarter black cloth over green paper-covered boards; cover and jacket art by Hubert Rogers. Jacket priced. A separate issue of subscriber's copies was signed by Heinlein on an inserted leaf; these exist in an undetermined quantity and are not a formally numbered or limited edition. Second volume in the Future History series.

## Is this the true first?
US Shasta first edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No simultaneous book club edition of note; later reprints lack the Shasta imprint and Rogers jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Green Hills of Earth* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-green-hills-of-earth
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.