# Is "Lakeboat" by David Mamet a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lakeboat by David Mamet (Grove Press, 1981) is identified by: Grove Press, New York, 1981. US Grove Press first edition, 1981, in either the maroon cloth hardcover (jacketed) or the simultaneous wrappers issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Grove Press, New York, 1981
- The cloth issue is bound in maroon cloth with silver spine lettering, octavo, 111 pages, in a dust jacket designed by Roy Colmer; the jacket carries its printed price on the front flap and is not price-clipped in first state
- Grove issued the title simultaneously in wrappers as well as the cloth hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Mamet |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Grove Press, New York, 1981 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Grove Press, New York, 1981. The cloth issue is bound in maroon cloth with silver spine lettering, octavo, 111 pages, in a dust jacket designed by Roy Colmer; the jacket carries its printed price on the front flap and is not price-clipped in first state. Grove issued the title simultaneously in wrappers as well as the cloth hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
US Grove Press first edition, 1981, in either the maroon cloth hardcover (jacketed) or the simultaneous wrappers issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition noted for the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lakeboat* by David Mamet a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lakeboat
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.