# Is "The Stonemason (play)" by Cormac McCarthy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Stonemason (play) by Cormac McCarthy (The Ecco Press, 1994) is identified by: Trade first is the hardcover: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page with no further printings noted; quarter black cloth over grey paper-covered boards, title in silver on spine, in dust jacket. Ecco US hardcover is the true first; McCarthy's first published drama.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade first is the hardcover: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page with no further printings noted; quarter black cloth over grey paper-covered boards, title in silver on spine, in dust jacket
- Trade run about 7,500 copies
- A separate signed limited edition of 350 numbered copies was issued in publisher's boards with a slipcase and no jacket
- An Ecco softcover first printing (full number line) also exists, but the collected true first is the trade hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads The Ecco Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Cormac McCarthy |
| Publisher | The Ecco Press |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Trade first is the hardcover: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page with no further printings noted; quarter black cloth over grey… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Trade first is the hardcover: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page with no further printings noted; quarter black cloth over grey paper-covered boards, title in silver on spine, in dust jacket. Trade run about 7,500 copies. A separate signed limited edition of 350 numbered copies was issued in publisher's boards with a slipcase and no jacket. An Ecco softcover first printing (full number line) also exists, but the collected true first is the trade hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
Ecco US hardcover is the true first; McCarthy's first published drama.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of note. Later printings drop the stated "First Edition" line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Stonemason (play)* by Cormac McCarthy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-stonemason-play
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.