# Is "Four Two-Act Plays" by Sam Shepard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Four Two-Act Plays by Sam Shepard (Urizen Books, 1980) is identified by: Urizen Books, New York, 1980. US Urizen first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Urizen Books, New York, 1980
- Issued in glossy wrappers, with an introduction by Elizabeth Hardwick
- Contents: La Turista, The Tooth of Crime, Geography of a Horse Dreamer, and Operation Sidewinder
- Publisher imprint reads Urizen Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sam Shepard |
| Publisher | Urizen Books |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Urizen Books, New York, 1980 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Urizen Books, New York, 1980. Issued in glossy wrappers, with an introduction by Elizabeth Hardwick. Contents: La Turista, The Tooth of Crime, Geography of a Horse Dreamer, and Operation Sidewinder.

## Is this the true first?
US Urizen first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Four Two-Act Plays* by Sam Shepard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/four-two-act-plays
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.