# Is "The Old Religion (novel)" by David Mamet a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Old Religion (novel) by David Mamet (The Free Press, 1997) is identified by: Cloth over boards with dust jacket; The Free Press, New York, 1997. US Free Press is the true first edition of this novel based on the Leo Frank case.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth over boards with dust jacket
- The Free Press, New York, 1997
- First printing has the full number line ending in 1
- Quarter red cloth over black boards, titles gilt on spine, in an unclipped illustrated jacket
- Publisher imprint reads The Free Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Mamet |
| Publisher | The Free Press |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth over boards with dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth over boards with dust jacket; The Free Press, New York, 1997. First printing has the full number line ending in 1. Quarter red cloth over black boards, titles gilt on spine, in an unclipped illustrated jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Free Press is the true first edition of this novel based on the Leo Frank case.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition is a factor for the identified first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Old Religion (novel)* by David Mamet a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-old-religion-novel
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.