# Is "Fool for Love" by Sam Shepard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fool for Love by Sam Shepard (City Lights Books, 1983) is identified by: Issued by City Lights as 'Fool for Love and The Sad Lament of Pecos Bill on the Eve of Killing His Wife,' 1983, trade paperback wrappers, 120 pp., pairing the play with the comic operetta. The City Lights 1983 trade-paperback original is the true first US book edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued by City Lights as 'Fool for Love and The Sad Lament of Pecos Bill on the Eve of Killing His Wife,' 1983, trade paperback wrappers, 120 pp., pairing the play with the comic operetta
- ISBN 0-87286-150-3
- First printing has no later-printing line on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads City Lights Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sam Shepard |
| Publisher | City Lights Books |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued by City Lights as 'Fool for Love and The Sad Lament of Pecos Bill on the Eve of Killing His Wife,' 1983, trade paperback wrappers… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued by City Lights as 'Fool for Love and The Sad Lament of Pecos Bill on the Eve of Killing His Wife,' 1983, trade paperback wrappers, 120 pp., pairing the play with the comic operetta. ISBN 0-87286-150-3. First printing has no later-printing line on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The City Lights 1983 trade-paperback original is the true first US book edition. A City Lights hardcover state, distributed as a book-club issue, also exists from 1983.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club hardcover (City Lights, 1983) exists, identified by a blind-stamp on the rear board and absence of a price; the paperback original is the standard collectible first. Later Faber UK editions differ.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fool for Love* by Sam Shepard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fool-for-love
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.