# Is "Icecream" by Caryl Churchill a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Icecream by Caryl Churchill (Nick Hern Books, 1989) is identified by: Softcover in glossy pictorial wrappers (no hardcover was issued); Nick Hern Books, London, 1989, ISBN 1-85459-016-2, published in the Royal Court Theatre series to coincide with the play's 1989 Royal Court premiere. UK Nick Hern Books first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Softcover in glossy pictorial wrappers (no hardcover was issued)
- Nick Hern Books, London, 1989, ISBN 1-85459-016-2, published in the Royal Court Theatre series to coincide with the play's 1989 Royal Court premiere
- The play is set half in Britain and half in the United States, following an English brother and sister and an American couple
- Publisher imprint reads Nick Hern Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Caryl Churchill |
| Publisher | Nick Hern Books |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Softcover in glossy pictorial wrappers (no hardcover was issued) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Softcover in glossy pictorial wrappers (no hardcover was issued); Nick Hern Books, London, 1989, ISBN 1-85459-016-2, published in the Royal Court Theatre series to coincide with the play's 1989 Royal Court premiere. The play is set half in Britain and half in the United States, following an English brother and sister and an American couple.

## Is this the true first?
UK Nick Hern Books first. Hern founded his imprint in 1988 after leaving Methuen, so this 1989 play is a genuine NHB original rather than a Methuen title. The US Theatre Communications Group edition is later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; NHB play texts are issued only as trade softcovers, so there is no hardcover or club state to confuse with the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Icecream* by Caryl Churchill a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/icecream
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.