# Is "Buried Child" by Sam Shepard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Buried Child by Sam Shepard (Urizen Books, 1979) is identified by: The true first book appearance is the Urizen Books volume 'Buried Child & Seduced & Suicide in Bb' (New York, 1979), ISBN 0-89396-011-X, issued in hardcover (the only hardcover of the Pulitzer-winning play) and in wrappers. There is no standalone US trade-hardcover first of Buried Child alone; the true first book text is the 1979 Urizen collection.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first book appearance is the Urizen Books volume 'Buried Child & Seduced & Suicide in Bb' (New York, 1979), ISBN 0-89396-011-X, issued in hardcover (the only hardcover of the Pulitzer-winning play) and in wrappers
- The hardcover is the desirable state
- The play is collected here with two other Shepard plays rather than published standalone
- Publisher imprint reads Urizen Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sam Shepard |
| Publisher | Urizen Books |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first book appearance is the Urizen Books volume 'Buried Child & Seduced & Suicide in Bb' (New York, 1979), ISBN 0-89396-011-X… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first book appearance is the Urizen Books volume 'Buried Child & Seduced & Suicide in Bb' (New York, 1979), ISBN 0-89396-011-X, issued in hardcover (the only hardcover of the Pulitzer-winning play) and in wrappers. The hardcover is the desirable state. The play is collected here with two other Shepard plays rather than published standalone.

## Is this the true first?
There is no standalone US trade-hardcover first of Buried Child alone; the true first book text is the 1979 Urizen collection. The play also appears later in the Bantam collection 'Seven Plays' (1981, trade paperback). Set expectations toward the Urizen 1979 hardcover as the collectible first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Samuel French and Dramatists Play Service acting editions are reference texts, not the collectible first. Bantam 'Seven Plays' (1981) is a trade paperback, not a book-club issue; later Vintage 'Seven Plays' reprints differ.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Buried Child* by Sam Shepard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/buried-child
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.