# Is "Operation Sidewinder" by Sam Shepard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Operation Sidewinder by Sam Shepard (Bobbs-Merrill, 1970) is identified by: True first is the Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis) 1970 hardcover, Sam Shepard's play in two acts (his third published book), issued in grey cloth boards with the spine lettered in green and running roughly 126 to 127 pages. US Bobbs-Merrill 1970 hardcover is the first edition, described by dealers as First Edition, First Printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis) 1970 hardcover, Sam Shepard's play in two acts (his third published book), issued in grey cloth boards with the spine lettered in green and running roughly 126 to 127 pages
- Dealer descriptions of confirmed firsts note the green spine stamping and a pictorial, photo-illustrated dust jacket that carries the publisher's printed price at the top of the front flap; the price should be present on an unclipped example, though its presence rather than any figure is the point
- The play was first presented at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, in March 1970, and the first edition is contemporaneous with that staging
- Publisher imprint reads Bobbs-Merrill
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sam Shepard |
| Publisher | Bobbs-Merrill |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis) 1970 hardcover, Sam Shepard's play in two acts (his third published book), issued in grey… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis) 1970 hardcover, Sam Shepard's play in two acts (his third published book), issued in grey cloth boards with the spine lettered in green and running roughly 126 to 127 pages. Dealer descriptions of confirmed firsts note the green spine stamping and a pictorial, photo-illustrated dust jacket that carries the publisher's printed price at the top of the front flap; the price should be present on an unclipped example, though its presence rather than any figure is the point. The play was first presented at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, in March 1970, and the first edition is contemporaneous with that staging.

## Is this the true first?
US Bobbs-Merrill 1970 hardcover is the first edition, described by dealers as First Edition, First Printing.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Operation Sidewinder* by Sam Shepard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/operation-sidewinder
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.