Is My 'night, Mother a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Hill and Wang, New York, 1983, in Hill and Wang's drama line (issued in cloth and in wrappers), gray cloth hardcover, 89 pages, ISBN 0-8090-7361-7
• The first edition states 'First edition' on the copyright page
• Winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; first staged at the American Repertory Theatre (Cambridge) in late 1982 and on Broadway in 1983

How Hill and Wang marked a first edition

• First printing follows FSG house style: a copyright-page statement such as "First edition" or "First published" with the year, generally accompanied by a number line ending in 1

Full Hill and Wang first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The US Hill and Wang 1983 edition is the true first. The cloth hardcover is the collectible hardcover state; Hill and Wang concurrently issued a wrappered paperback in their drama series.P-020956

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The later Dramatists Play Service acting edition is a separate reference text, not the first. A book-club hardcover may exist, but no specific book-club issue points could be verified for this title, so rely instead on the stated 'First edition' and the present, unclipped dust jacket on the trade hardcover.P-020957

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of 'night, Mother a first edition?

A first edition of 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman (Hill and Wang) is identified by: Hill and Wang, New York, 1983, in Hill and Wang's drama line (issued in cloth and in wrappers), gray cloth hardcover, 89 pages, ISBN 0-8090-7361-7.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The US Hill and Wang 1983 edition is the true first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The later Dramatists Play Service acting edition is a separate reference text, not the first. A book-club hardcover may exist, but no specific book-club issue points could be verified for this title, so rely instead on the stated 'First edition' and the present, unclipped dust jacket on the trade hardcover.

I have a first edition of 'night, Mother — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.