# Is "Endgame" by Samuel Beckett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Endgame by Samuel Beckett (Grove Press, 1958) is identified by: First English-language edition, translated by Beckett from his French 'Fin de partie' and published by Grove Press, New York, 1958, with the full title 'Endgame: A Play in One Act, Followed by Act Without Words: A Mime for One Player.' Issued in cloth and in wrappers; a small cloth issue was also done. The French 'Fin de partie' (Les Editions de Minuit, Paris, 1957, original printed wrappers) is the true first of the play.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English-language edition, translated by Beckett from his French 'Fin de partie' and published by Grove Press, New York, 1958, with the full title 'Endgame: A Play in One Act, Followed by Act Without Words: A Mime for One Player.' Issued in cloth and in wrappers; a small cloth issue was also done
- The first printing shows no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel Beckett |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language edition, translated by Beckett from his French 'Fin de partie' and published by Grove Press, New York, 1958, with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First English-language edition, translated by Beckett from his French 'Fin de partie' and published by Grove Press, New York, 1958, with the full title 'Endgame: A Play in One Act, Followed by Act Without Words: A Mime for One Player.' Issued in cloth and in wrappers; a small cloth issue was also done. The first printing shows no later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The French 'Fin de partie' (Les Editions de Minuit, Paris, 1957, original printed wrappers) is the true first of the play. The Grove Press 1958 volume is the first English-language edition; the Faber and Faber UK edition is the first British English edition. Distinguish by imprint on the title and copyright pages.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is the collecting target. Identify the English first by the Grove (or Faber) 1958 imprint with no printing-history line on the copyright page; later printings are stated there.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Endgame* by Samuel Beckett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/endgame
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.