The points of issue
Full title 'The Imitation Game: Three Plays for Television' (the three plays are Jack Flea's Birthday Celebration, Solid Geometry, and The Imitation Game). Speckled cloth, black spine titles; copyright page reads 'First published 1981'. First-issue dust jacket priced 5.95 net on the front flap.
Is this the true first?
UK Cape is the true first; no contemporaneous US hardcover. Collection of television plays.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition traced.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Imitation Game and Other Plays a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Full title 'The Imitation Game: Three Plays for Television' (the three plays are Jack Flea's Birthday Celebration, Solid Geometry, and The Imitation Game). Speckled cloth, black spine titles; copyright page reads 'First published 1981'. First-issue dust jacket priced 5.95 net on the front flap.
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. UK Cape is the true first; no contemporaneous US hardcover. Collection of television plays.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club edition traced.
I have a first edition of The Imitation Game and Other Plays — 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.