The points of issue
Collected first hardcover: 'The Heidi Chronicles and Other Plays' (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990, ISBN 0-15-139985-9), copyright page states 'First edition' with a full descending letter/number line ending in 'A'; 249 pp.; cloth-spine boards. Contains The Heidi Chronicles, Uncommon Women and Others, and Isn't It Romantic.
Is this the true first?
The 1990 HBJ collection is the first hardcover/trade book appearance of the title play. A Dramatists Play Service acting edition of the play alone also exists as a separate softcover reference text. Collect the stated-first HBJ hardcover for the title play.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later HBJ/Harvest paperback printings drop the 'A' first-state line. No widely seen book-club hardcover.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Heidi Chronicles a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Collected first hardcover: 'The Heidi Chronicles and Other Plays' (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990, ISBN 0-15-139985-9), copyright page states 'First edition' with a full descending letter/number line ending in 'A'; 249 pp.; cloth-spine boards. Contains The Heidi Chronicles, Uncommon Women and Others, and Isn't It Romantic.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The 1990 HBJ collection is the first hardcover/trade book appearance of the title play. A Dramatists Play Service acting edition of the play alone also exists as a separate softcover reference text. Collect the stated-first HBJ hardcover for the title play.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later HBJ/Harvest paperback printings drop the 'A' first-state line. No widely seen book-club hardcover.
I have a first edition of The Heidi Chronicles — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.