# Is "The Piano Lesson" by August Wilson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (Dutton, 1990) is identified by: First edition is the Dutton hardcover, 1990 (ISBN 0525249265), in cloth with dust jacket; the first printing is identified by a complete number line ending in 1. The Dutton hardcover, New York, 1990 is the true trade first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition is the Dutton hardcover, 1990 (ISBN 0525249265), in cloth with dust jacket; the first printing is identified by a complete number line ending in 1
- Winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- A Plume trade paperback was issued alongside, and a book-club hardcover also exists
- Publisher imprint reads Dutton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | August Wilson |
| Publisher | Dutton |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition is the Dutton hardcover, 1990 (ISBN 0525249265), in cloth with dust jacket; the first printing is identified by a complete… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition is the Dutton hardcover, 1990 (ISBN 0525249265), in cloth with dust jacket; the first printing is identified by a complete number line ending in 1. Winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A Plume trade paperback was issued alongside, and a book-club hardcover also exists.

## Is this the true first?
The Dutton hardcover, New York, 1990 is the true trade first edition. It precedes and outranks the simultaneous Plume paperback. Signed first-edition hardcovers have been handled by Heritage Auctions; a book-club hardcover is a separate secondary issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguish the Dutton trade hardcover first (number line ending in 1, with priced dust jacket) from the book-club hardcover, which is the secondary issue. The Plume paperback is a simultaneous but secondary trade format.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Piano Lesson* by August Wilson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-piano-lesson
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.