# Is "The America Play" by Suzan-Lori Parks a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The America Play by Suzan-Lori Parks (Theatre Communications Group, 1995) is identified by: 'The America Play and Other Works' (TCG, 1995, ISBN 1-55936-092-5 / 9781559360920), trade paperback original collecting The America Play, Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, and other plays and essays ('Possession,' 'from Elements of Style,' 'An Equation for Black People Onstage'). The TCG 1995 collection is the first book appearance of these early Parks works; softcover original, no hardcover first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'The America Play and Other Works' (TCG, 1995, ISBN 1-55936-092-5 / 9781559360920), trade paperback original collecting The America Play, Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, and other plays and essays ('Possession,' 'from Elements of Style,' 'An Equation for Black People Onstage')
- First printing without a later-printing line
- Publisher imprint reads Theatre Communications Group
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Suzan-Lori Parks |
| Publisher | Theatre Communications Group |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 'The America Play and Other Works' (TCG, 1995, ISBN 1-55936-092-5 / 9781559360920), trade paperback original collecting The America Play… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
'The America Play and Other Works' (TCG, 1995, ISBN 1-55936-092-5 / 9781559360920), trade paperback original collecting The America Play, Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, and other plays and essays ('Possession,' 'from Elements of Style,' 'An Equation for Black People Onstage'). First printing without a later-printing line.

## Is this the true first?
The TCG 1995 collection is the first book appearance of these early Parks works; softcover original, no hardcover first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue; later printings differ by an added number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The America Play* by Suzan-Lori Parks a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-america-play
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.