# Is "The Unseen Hand and Other Plays" by Sam Shepard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Unseen Hand and Other Plays by Sam Shepard (Bobbs-Merrill, 1972) is identified by: True first is the Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis and New York) 1972 hardcover in black textured paper-covered boards, spine stamped in metallic orange, with a photo-illustrated dust jacket showing the author and O-Lan Jones. US Bobbs-Merrill 1972 hardcover is the collectible first of this gathering.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis and New York) 1972 hardcover in black textured paper-covered boards, spine stamped in metallic orange, with a photo-illustrated dust jacket showing the author and O-Lan Jones
- Collects Forensic and the Navigators, Melodrama Play, The Rock Garden, Chicago, Icarus's Mother, and Red Cross
- Publisher imprint reads Bobbs-Merrill
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sam Shepard |
| Publisher | Bobbs-Merrill |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis and New York) 1972 hardcover in black… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis and New York) 1972 hardcover in black textured paper-covered boards, spine stamped in metallic orange, with a photo-illustrated dust jacket showing the author and O-Lan Jones. Collects Forensic and the Navigators, Melodrama Play, The Rock Garden, Chicago, Icarus's Mother, and Red Cross.

## Is this the true first?
US Bobbs-Merrill 1972 hardcover is the collectible first of this gathering.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Unseen Hand and Other Plays* by Sam Shepard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-unseen-hand-and-other-plays
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.