# Is "A Life in the Theatre" by David Mamet a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Life in the Theatre by David Mamet (Grove Press, 1977) is identified by: Grove Press, New York, 1977, issued simultaneously in cloth with dust jacket and in wrappers, first printing so stated on the copyright page; Grove catalog number GP-806, roughly 95 pages. The US Grove Press 1977 edition is the first edition, in a simultaneous cloth and wrappers issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Grove Press, New York, 1977, issued simultaneously in cloth with dust jacket and in wrappers, first printing so stated on the copyright page
- Grove catalog number GP-806, roughly 95 pages
- Jacket and cover design by Milton Glaser, depicting masked actors; the printed price should be present on the front flap
- A First Evergreen paperback (Grove number E-709), also with a Glaser masked-actors cover, is a separate later issue
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Mamet |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Grove Press, New York, 1977, issued simultaneously in cloth with dust jacket and in wrappers, first printing so stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Grove Press, New York, 1977, issued simultaneously in cloth with dust jacket and in wrappers, first printing so stated on the copyright page; Grove catalog number GP-806, roughly 95 pages. Jacket and cover design by Milton Glaser, depicting masked actors; the printed price should be present on the front flap. A First Evergreen paperback (Grove number E-709), also with a Glaser masked-actors cover, is a separate later issue.

## Is this the true first?
The US Grove Press 1977 edition is the first edition, in a simultaneous cloth and wrappers issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A hardcover book club edition also exists and should not be mistaken for the Grove Press first; the club issue lacks the first-printing statement and the printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Life in the Theatre* by David Mamet a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-life-in-the-theatre
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.