# Is "Action & The Unseen Hand" by Sam Shepard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Action & The Unseen Hand by Sam Shepard (Faber, 1975) is identified by: Paperback wrappers; Faber and Faber, London, 1975 (Faber paperbacks; ISBN 0571107469). UK Faber first-thus for this two-play pairing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Faber and Faber, London, 1975 (Faber paperbacks
- ISBN 0571107469)
- Pairs the two plays Action and The Unseen Hand
- Publisher imprint reads Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sam Shepard |
| Publisher | Faber |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Faber and Faber, London, 1975 (Faber paperbacks |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Paperback wrappers; Faber and Faber, London, 1975 (Faber paperbacks; ISBN 0571107469). Pairs the two plays Action and The Unseen Hand.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber first-thus for this two-play pairing. The play The Unseen Hand had already been collected earlier in the US, as the title play in 'The Unseen Hand and Other Plays' (Bobbs-Merrill, 1972), so this Faber pairing is a genuine first-thus rather than the first appearance of that play.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Action & The Unseen Hand* by Sam Shepard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/action-the-unseen-hand
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.