The points of issue
TCG hardcover (ISBN 1-55936-060-7) and a simultaneous wrappered issue (ISBN 1-55936-061-5). Copyright page of the first printing states 'First Edition, April 1993' with no later-printing line. The true-first hardcover dust jacket carries the original price on the front flap. 119 pp. The hardcover is the more collectible state.
Is this the true first?
US TCG edition (April 1993) is generally taken as the true first in book form; a Nick Hern Books UK acting-text edition also appeared in 1993. Collect the stated 'First Edition, April 1993' TCG hardcover with a priced dust jacket.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A US book-club hardcover does exist and is the most common confusion: book-club copies lack the price on the dust jacket flap and the volume is roughly a centimeter shorter than the true first. Also beware later TCG printings that add or advance a printing line, and the combined Part One/Part Two omnibus volumes (1995 onward), which are not the first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: TCG hardcover (ISBN 1-55936-060-7) and a simultaneous wrappered issue (ISBN 1-55936-061-5). Copyright page of the first printing states 'First Edition, April 1993' with no later-printing line. The true-first hardcover dust jacket carries the original price on the front flap. 119 pp. The hardcover is the more collectible state.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US TCG edition (April 1993) is generally taken as the true first in book form; a Nick Hern Books UK acting-text edition also appeared in 1993. Collect the stated 'First Edition, April 1993' TCG hardcover with a priced dust jacket.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
A US book-club hardcover does exist and is the most common confusion: book-club copies lack the price on the dust jacket flap and the volume is roughly a centimeter shorter than the true first. Also beware later TCG printings that add or advance a printing line, and the combined Part One/Part Two omnibus volumes (1995 onward), which are not the first.
I have a first edition of Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.