Red Planet: A Colonial Boy on Mars

Scribner book-club printings are the standard trap for this title. The reliable tells: the copyright page lacks the "A" and Scribner seal combination (collectors also report book-club copies that retain an "A" while omitting the seal and adding printer information at the foot of the copyright page, so the seal — not the letter alone — is the safer check); a blindstamped device (dot, circle, square or similar) is usually impressed into the rear board near the spine; the boards are bulkier and the paper cheaper; and the jacket lacks the flap price. Later Scribner trade printings drop the "A" entirely.