# Is "The Star Beast" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Star Beast by Robert A. Heinlein (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1954) is identified by: First printing has the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner Press seal/medallion; the 'A' appears to the right of 'Printed in the United States of America' with the Scribner medallion to the left. US Scribner's first (1954), part of the Scribner Heinlein juvenile series, illustrated by Clifford Geary.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner Press seal/medallion; the 'A' appears to the right of 'Printed in the United States of America' with the Scribner medallion to the left
- Bound in black cloth-covered boards with the author's name and title stamped on the spine in blue and the title stamped in blue on the front board
- Illustrated by Clifford Geary
- First-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price on the front flap (price present, not overprinted)
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner Press seal/medallion; the 'A' appears to the right of… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has the letter 'A' on the copyright page together with the Scribner Press seal/medallion; the 'A' appears to the right of 'Printed in the United States of America' with the Scribner medallion to the left. Bound in black cloth-covered boards with the author's name and title stamped on the spine in blue and the title stamped in blue on the front board. Illustrated by Clifford Geary. First-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price on the front flap (price present, not overprinted).

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner's first (1954), part of the Scribner Heinlein juvenile series, illustrated by Clifford Geary.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints lack the 'A' code (later states show a Scribner letter-number slug such as a 'C' code on the copyright page); book club issues lack the Scribner 'A'.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Star Beast* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-star-beast
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.