first edition
1950 · New York
by Heinlein, Robert A.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1950. First edition. Very good plus in very good jacket.. First printing of this classic Heinlein juvenile — from the library of Hugo Award-winning fanzine editors and SF writers, Juanita and Robert Coulson. FARMER IN THE SKY, originally serialized in the pages of BOYS' LIFE as "Satellite Scout," follows parentified boy scout Bill and his uneasy blended family to Jupiter's moon Ganymede, after they leave a stressed and overpopulated Earth in search of a pristine new planet in traditional pioneer style. Like much of Heinlein's early work, FARMER shows an adolescent's growing embrace of responsibility and independence, and also includes a sensitive portrayal of a divided but loving family adapting to trauma and change.
This copy was first owned by Juanita Coulson, with her early bookplate as Juanita Ruth Wellons as well as the later rocket-themed bookplate shared with husband Robert Coulson, whom she married in 1954. The Coulsons co-edited the long-running fanzine YANDRO from 1953 to 1986; it earned numerous Hugo nominations and one award (in 1965) for Best Fanzine, and was a major influence on the young Roger Ebert, who remembered his discovery of YANDRO in the back pages of ASTOUNDING as "one of the most important formative acts" of his life (Singer). In addition to being deeply entrenched in fan culture, Juanita Coulson professionally published a number of fantasy, science fiction, and gothic novels, of which the best known are the four volumes of her CHILDREN OF THE STARS series. An important SF literary association. 8'' x 5.5''. Original black cloth stamped in yellow. Pictorial endpapers. In original unclipped ($2.50) indigo and yellow pictorial dust jacket. Illustrated by Clifford Geary. Slight spine lean, light foxing to edges of text block, minor wear to boards. Light chipping and a few small closed tears to jacket, light toning to spine and flap margins. Bright. (Inventory #: 53136)
This copy was first owned by Juanita Coulson, with her early bookplate as Juanita Ruth Wellons as well as the later rocket-themed bookplate shared with husband Robert Coulson, whom she married in 1954. The Coulsons co-edited the long-running fanzine YANDRO from 1953 to 1986; it earned numerous Hugo nominations and one award (in 1965) for Best Fanzine, and was a major influence on the young Roger Ebert, who remembered his discovery of YANDRO in the back pages of ASTOUNDING as "one of the most important formative acts" of his life (Singer). In addition to being deeply entrenched in fan culture, Juanita Coulson professionally published a number of fantasy, science fiction, and gothic novels, of which the best known are the four volumes of her CHILDREN OF THE STARS series. An important SF literary association. 8'' x 5.5''. Original black cloth stamped in yellow. Pictorial endpapers. In original unclipped ($2.50) indigo and yellow pictorial dust jacket. Illustrated by Clifford Geary. Slight spine lean, light foxing to edges of text block, minor wear to boards. Light chipping and a few small closed tears to jacket, light toning to spine and flap margins. Bright. (Inventory #: 53136)
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