# Is "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1966) is identified by: First printing bound in terra-cotta (brick-red) cloth with the spine and front cover lettered in gilt, 383 pages, with the Putnam code at the foot of the final text page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page. US Putnam is the true first, preceding the UK Gollancz edition of 1967.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing bound in terra-cotta (brick-red) cloth with the spine and front cover lettered in gilt, 383 pages, with the Putnam code at the foot of the final text page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap; the presence of that price, not its amount, is the point
- Originally serialized in Worlds of If (December 1965 through April 1966) before this first book appearance
- Publisher imprint reads G. P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing bound in terra-cotta (brick-red) cloth with the spine and front cover lettered in gilt, 383 pages, with the Putnam code at… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing bound in terra-cotta (brick-red) cloth with the spine and front cover lettered in gilt, 383 pages, with the Putnam code at the foot of the final text page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap; the presence of that price, not its amount, is the point. Originally serialized in Worlds of If (December 1965 through April 1966) before this first book appearance.

## Is this the true first?
US Putnam is the true first, preceding the UK Gollancz edition of 1967. A Hugo Award winner; the priced first-issue jacket over the terra-cotta gilt-lettered binding is the identifying combination.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club edition reads 'Book Club Edition' on the front flap, carries no printed jacket price, shows the blind-stamped dot ('gutter code') to the rear board, and is printed on bulkier, cheaper paper.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-moon-is-a-harsh-mistress
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.