# Is "'night, Mother" by Marsha Norman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman (Hill and Wang, 1983) 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. The US Hill and Wang 1983 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Hill and Wang
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Marsha Norman |
| Publisher | Hill and Wang |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 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… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *'night, Mother* by Marsha Norman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/night-mother
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.