# Is "Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung: Two Inter-Related Plays" by Edward Albee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung: Two Inter-Related Plays by Edward Albee (Atheneum, 1969) is identified by: Black cloth with gilt spine lettering and author's name embossed on the front board, goldenrod topstain, dust jacket; Atheneum, New York, 1969. The US Atheneum edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Black cloth with gilt spine lettering and author's name embossed on the front board, goldenrod topstain, dust jacket
- Atheneum, New York, 1969
- First edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Edward Albee |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Black cloth with gilt spine lettering and author's name embossed on the front board… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Black cloth with gilt spine lettering and author's name embossed on the front board, goldenrod topstain, dust jacket; Atheneum, New York, 1969. First edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The US Atheneum edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No contemporaneous book-club issue was located; a genuine first states 'First Edition' on the copyright page and retains the priced dust jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung: Two Inter-Related Plays* by Edward Albee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/box-and-quotations-from-chairman-mao-tse-tung-two-inter-rela
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.