Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.
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We value a printing from verified sales of that exact printing, and none of the first impression has come to auction in our records so far. The chart and the value by condition appear here as soon as one does.
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The novel was first published in New York by Henry Holt in 1941, after a shorter version in Unknown in 1939, and was reprinted in America by Galaxy and Prime Press in 1949. The first British edition is the William Heinemann, London, hardback of 1955, issued in an illustrated dust jacket. Confirm Heinemann and 1955 on the title page; Holt, Prime Press, Galaxy, Pyramid, Ballantine and Science Fiction Book Club copies are American and not the UK first. Later reissues, such as the Gollancz SF Gateway e-book of 2011, are not firsts.
A Heinemann first printing normally carries a "First published (year)" line on the back of the title page and no later impression or edition listed under it. Heinemann recorded reprints and new editions in that same place.
How to read it
Read the full guide to William Heinemann first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.
Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.
William Heinemann, London, in 1955, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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Read the guide →7 min readTo identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →