# Is "The Man Who Sold the Moon" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert A. Heinlein (Shasta, 1950) is identified by: Shasta Publishers first edition, stated. US Shasta Publishers first edition is the true first in this collected form; the title novella was written for this volume while other stories had earlier magazine appearances.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Shasta Publishers first edition, stated
- Issued in a trade state and a signed limited issue (reported as 500 copies) with a tipped-in signature leaf
- Publisher's 'Future History' stickers affixed at the foot of the endpapers as issued
- Publisher imprint reads Shasta
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Shasta |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Shasta Publishers first edition, stated |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Shasta Publishers first edition, stated. Issued in a trade state and a signed limited issue (reported as 500 copies) with a tipped-in signature leaf. Publisher's 'Future History' stickers affixed at the foot of the endpapers as issued.

## Is this the true first?
US Shasta Publishers first edition is the true first in this collected form; the title novella was written for this volume while other stories had earlier magazine appearances.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; reprints lack the Shasta imprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Man Who Sold the Moon* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-man-who-sold-the-moon
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.