# Is "Motel Chronicles (prose/poems)" by Sam Shepard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Motel Chronicles (prose/poems) by Sam Shepard (City Lights, 1982) is identified by: City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1982, 143 pp. US City Lights first; issued in both wrappers and a red-cloth hardcover in 1982.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1982, 143 pp
- Issued in wrappers (cover price 5.95) and also in a hardcover issue (red cloth with black spine lettering, cream endpapers, yellow photo-illustrated dust jacket)
- Illustrated with photographs by Johnny Dark; designed by Nancy Joyce Peters
- Publisher imprint reads City Lights
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sam Shepard |
| Publisher | City Lights |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1982, 143 pp |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1982, 143 pp. Issued in wrappers (cover price 5.95) and also in a hardcover issue (red cloth with black spine lettering, cream endpapers, yellow photo-illustrated dust jacket). Illustrated with photographs by Johnny Dark; designed by Nancy Joyce Peters.

## Is this the true first?
US City Lights first; issued in both wrappers and a red-cloth hardcover in 1982.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Motel Chronicles (prose/poems)* by Sam Shepard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/motel-chronicles-prose-poems
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.