# Is "Time for the Stars" by Robert A. Heinlein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Time for the Stars by Robert A. Heinlein (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1956) is identified by: First printing carries the Scribner code 'A-8.56[v]' on the copyright page (the letter 'A' denoting the first printing, per Scribner's dating convention). US Scribner's first, part of the Scribner Heinlein juvenile series.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the Scribner code 'A-8.56[v]' on the copyright page (the letter 'A' denoting the first printing, per Scribner's dating convention)
- Bound in blue cloth with black lettering, with star/galaxy pictorial endpapers matching the science-fiction subject
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the Scribner code 'A-8.56[v]' on the copyright page (the letter 'A' denoting the first printing, per Scribner's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the Scribner code 'A-8.56[v]' on the copyright page (the letter 'A' denoting the first printing, per Scribner's dating convention). Bound in blue cloth with black lettering, with star/galaxy pictorial endpapers matching the science-fiction subject. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner's first, part of the Scribner Heinlein juvenile series.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Scribner printings lack the 'A' code; book-club issues lack the Scribner 'A' on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Time for the Stars* by Robert A. Heinlein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/time-for-the-stars
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.