# Is "The Grass Harp (play) and A Tree of Night" by Truman Capote a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Grass Harp (play) and A Tree of Night by Truman Capote (Random House, 1952) is identified by: Correct book is "The Grass Harp: A Play" alone, not a combined volume. US first edition of the play text; first appearance of the dramatization in book form.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Correct book is "The Grass Harp: A Play" alone, not a combined volume
- First edition in rough beige cloth with a printed paper title label on the front panel, a green topstain, and dust jacket; the dramatized stage version of the 1951 novella, illustrated with scenes from the 1952 Broadway production
- A small first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Truman Capote |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Correct book is "The Grass Harp: A Play" alone, not a combined volume |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Correct book is "The Grass Harp: A Play" alone, not a combined volume. First edition in rough beige cloth with a printed paper title label on the front panel, a green topstain, and dust jacket; the dramatized stage version of the 1951 novella, illustrated with scenes from the 1952 Broadway production. A small first printing.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition of the play text; first appearance of the dramatization in book form.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is recorded; the small original printing is the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Grass Harp (play) and A Tree of Night* by Truman Capote a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-grass-harp-play-and-a-tree-of-night
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.