# Is "Three Uses of the Knife" by David Mamet a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Three Uses of the Knife by David Mamet (Columbia University Press, 1998) is identified by: Quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, dust jacket; Columbia University Press, 1998. US Columbia University Press is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, dust jacket
- Columbia University Press, 1998
- Subtitle On the Nature and Purpose of Drama
- Three essays: The Wind-Chill Factor, Second Act Problems, and Three Uses of the Knife
- Publisher imprint reads Columbia University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Mamet |
| Publisher | Columbia University Press |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, dust jacket; Columbia University Press, 1998. Subtitle On the Nature and Purpose of Drama. Three essays: The Wind-Chill Factor, Second Act Problems, and Three Uses of the Knife.

## Is this the true first?
US Columbia University Press is the true first edition.

## 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 *Three Uses of the Knife* by David Mamet a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/three-uses-of-the-knife
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.