# Is "The Play Goes On: A Memoir" by Neil Simon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Play Goes On: A Memoir by Neil Simon (Simon & Schuster, 1999) is identified by: Simon & Schuster, New York, 1999. The US Simon & Schuster 1999 hardcover is the true first edition of Simon's second volume of memoirs, the sequel to Rewrites.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Simon & Schuster, New York, 1999
- Bound in bright yellow paper-covered boards with a black cloth spine stamped in silver, blank endpapers, and twenty-nine black-and-white photographs in the text
- The first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full number line running down to 1; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed front-flap price
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Simon |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Simon & Schuster, New York, 1999 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Simon & Schuster, New York, 1999. Bound in bright yellow paper-covered boards with a black cloth spine stamped in silver, blank endpapers, and twenty-nine black-and-white photographs in the text. The first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full number line running down to 1; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed front-flap price.

## Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster 1999 hardcover is the true first edition of Simon's second volume of memoirs, the sequel to Rewrites.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No routine book-club conflict; verify the 'First Edition' statement and complete number line, the yellow boards with silver-stamped black spine, and a printed price on the jacket flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Play Goes On: A Memoir* by Neil Simon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-play-goes-on-a-memoir
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.