Tom Stoppard First Editions

• Lord Malquist and Mr. Moon (novel) — 1966 · Anthony BlondFirst edition, first printing, Anthony Blond, London, 1966, 191, [1] pages, octavo. Bound in publisher's red cloth with gilt titling to the spine. Issued in a pictorial dust jacket designed and illustrated by Colin Spencer; a first-state jacket carries the printed price to the front flap and should be unclipped. This was Stoppard's first book and remains his only novel, published when he was 29. The UK Anthony Blond edition of 1966 is the true first; the US Alfred A. Knopf edition followed in 1968, so Blond precedes it. No book club edition was issued. The title is scarce in the dust jacket.
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead — 1967 · Faber and FaberFirst edition, Faber and Faber, London, 1967. Issued simultaneously in a hardback bound in cloth (small print run) with a dust jacket with its printed price, and in the more common wrappers state with French flaps. The copyright page carries the Faber 'First published in 1967' statement with no later-impression line. The cloth hardback in the priced jacket is the preferred and scarcer state. The Faber 1967 issue is the true first (it precedes the US Grove edition). The hardback and the wrappers issue were published together; the hardback is the more desirable state because it is far scarcer, not because of a documented day-by-day priority over the wrappers. No book-club edition. The first impression is identified by the Faber 'First published in 1967' statement with no further-impression line. The wrappers issue is a separate, more common state of the same first edition. The US Grove printing is a separate first for the American market.
• Enter a Free Man — 1968 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 1968, with the 'first published in 1968' statement. Issued simultaneously in a clothbound hardback (dust jacket) and in wrappers. A revised version of Stoppard's earlier play A Walk on the Water. UK Faber true first; the hardback issue is the collectible form. No book club edition.
• The Real Inspector Hound — 1968 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 1968, in the Faber Plays series; 47 pages. Issued simultaneously in two forms: a hardback in royal blue cloth-covered boards with gilt titling to the spine, in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the flap; and a paperback in glossy cream printed wrappers lettered in black with French flaps, the printed price appearing on the rear wrapper. The hardback issue is…. UK Faber true first, issued simultaneously in a royal-blue-cloth hardback with dust jacket and in cream printed wrappers with French flaps; the hardback is the scarcer form. No book club edition; a later US book-club issue exists but is unrelated to the Faber first.
• Albert's Bridge and If You're Glad I'll Be Frank (radio plays) — 1969 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 1969. Two plays for radio, 64 pages. Issued in both a casebound hardback (black boards, dust jacket) and in printed wrappers with French folds; the casebound issue is notably scarce. UK Faber first, 1969, issued simultaneously in hardback and wrappers. No book club edition.
• After Magritte — 1971 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 1971. Paperback original, Crown 8vo (roughly 199 by 113 mm), issued in stiff card wrappers with French flaps, printed in yellow and black; 47 pages, described as 'A Play in One Act.' Not published in a clothbound issue, so the wrappered state is the only first form. The genuine 1971 first printing carries the Faber imprint on the title page with no reference to a later impression; the…. UK Faber first, 1971. Issued only in stiff card wrappers with French flaps; no hardback state exists. A 1973 Faber paperback is a second printing, not the first. No book club edition. Distinguish the 1971 first printing from the 1973 second printing, which reprints the same wrappered format.
• Jumpers — 1972 · Faber and FaberFirst edition, Faber and Faber, London, 1972. Issued simultaneously in publisher's scarlet (some copies orange) cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, in a typographic dust jacket printed in orange and black and priced 1.50 net, and in paper wraps with French flaps. Copyright page reads 'First published in 1972' with no later-impression statement. Baker & Wachs A8. UK Faber 1972 is the true first, preceding the US Grove edition. The hardback in jacket is scarcer and is the preferred collected state over the simultaneous paper-wraps issue. An unclipped jacket with the price intact is desirable. No book-club edition. The first impression is identified by the 'First published in 1972' statement with no additional impression line; later impressions are so stated.
• Artist Descending a Staircase and Where Are They Now (radio plays) — 1973 · Faber and FaberFirst published by Faber and Faber, London, 1973, in printed wrappers as a paperback play script. First edition, first printing has no later printing statement and retains the original Faber price on the wrapper. The UK Faber and Faber 1973 wrappered edition is the true first, collecting these two radio plays together. No book club edition.
• Travesties — 1975 · Faber and FaberFirst edition, Faber and Faber, London, 1975. Publisher's green boards lettered in gilt on the spine, in a pictorial dust wrapper priced 2.50 net showing photographs of John Wood as Henry Carr and Beth Morris as Cecily. Copyright page reads 'First published in 1975' with no later-impression statement. (Play premiered 1974; book published 1975.). UK Faber 1975 is the true first, preceding the US Grove edition. The cloth/boards hardback in its pictorial jacket is the premium state. No book-club edition. The first impression is identified by the 'First published in 1975' statement with no later-impression line. The US Grove printing is a separate national first.
• Dirty Linen and New-Found-Land — 1976 · Faber and FaberFirst published by Faber and Faber, London, 1976, as a paperback original in the publisher's illustrated stiff card wrappers, with a black-and-white photographic image to the front panel; no Faber hardback was issued. First edition, first impression carries the Faber printing statement with no additional impression line. The UK Faber and Faber 1976 wrappered paperback original is the true first. The separately issued American hardcover editions (Grove Press / Knopf, 1976) are later and distinct from this first. No book club edition. Because the true first is a paperback original in card wrappers, later cloth hardcover appearances are American issues, not the Faber first.
• Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and Professional Foul — 1978 · Faber and FaberFirst published by Faber and Faber, London, 1978, in two simultaneous issues: a hardback in simulated cloth boards with dust jacket, and a paperback in wrappers (distinct ISBNs for the two issues). The hardback issue is generally treated as the primary first; look for the 1978 imprint and no later-printing statement. The UK Faber and Faber 1978 edition is the true first. It appeared in both a bound (hardback) issue and a wrappered issue. No book club edition.
• Night and Day — 1978 · Faber and FaberFirst published by Faber and Faber, London, 1978, in a hardback issue (black cloth, spine lettered in silver, in dust jacket) and a wrappered issue. First edition, first printing carries the 1978 imprint with no later-printing statement. The UK Faber and Faber 1978 edition is the true first, appearing in both hardback and wrappers. No book club edition.
• Dogg's Hamlet, Cahoot's Macbeth — 1979 · Inter-Action InprintFirst published by Inter-Action Inprint, London, 1979, as an Inter-Action playscript in wrappers, issued in a numbered limited state. This 1979 Inter-Action Inprint issue precedes the Faber and Faber edition, which did not appear until 1980. The true first is the Inter-Action Inprint 1979 edition, not Faber. The Faber and Faber edition dates to 1980 and is a later edition. No book club edition.
• Undiscovered Country (after Schnitzler) — 1980 · Faber and FaberFirst published by Faber and Faber, London, 1980, in pictorial printed wrappers (issued without dust jacket). First edition, first printing bears the 1980 imprint with no later-printing statement. This is Stoppard's adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's Das weite Land. The UK Faber and Faber 1980 wrappered edition is the true first of Stoppard's adaptation. No book club edition.
• On the Razzle (after Nestroy) — 1981 · Faber and FaberIssued by Faber and Faber, London, as a paperback original in publisher's printed illustrated card wrappers, with cover design by Pentagram; no simultaneous hardback of the first issue. Stoppard's version after Johann Nestroy's Einen Jux will er sich machen. UK Faber first, in printed wrappers. The play premiered at the National Theatre, London, in 1981; note that dealer and library records date the Faber first edition variously to 1981 and 1982, so the exact publication year is not settled among sources. No book club.
• The Real Thing — 1982 · Faber and FaberTrue first was issued in laminated card wrappers as a paperback original, Faber and Faber, London, 1982. The Faber hardback in dust jacket is a later (1983) issue, not the first. Text was later revised for the US production. UK Faber wrappers first (1982) precedes. A US Faber and Faber edition with revised text followed (1984). No book club.
• The Dog It Was That Died and Other Plays — 1983 · Faber and FaberIssued in wrappers as a paperback original by Faber and Faber, London, 1983; ISBN 0-571-13183-2, 192 pages. Collects the title radio play (written for BBC Radio, 1982) with other short plays and includes a Stoppard introduction. First-issue wrappers carry the printed cover price; a price should be present. UK Faber and Faber first, in wrappers; the paperback original is the true first, with no preceding hardcover trade issue. No book club edition.
• Rough Crossing (after Molnár) — 1985 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 1985, issued as a B-format paperback original in printed wrappers, 76 pages (ISBN 0-571-13595-1). No hardcover was published; the wrappered Faber edition is the true first in any form. Stoppard's free version of Ferenc Molnár's Játék a kastélyban, known in English as The Play at the Castle, transposing the action to an ocean liner bound for New York. UK Faber first, in wrappers as a paperback original. Because it was never issued in cloth, the wrappered state is the first edition, not a lesser format. Stoppard's version after Ferenc Molnár's The Play at the Castle. No book club edition.
• Dalliance and Undiscovered Country — 1986 · Faber and FaberIssued in pictorial wrappers as a paperback original; Faber and Faber, London, 1986. A simultaneous cloth issue in dust wrapper also exists. Stoppard's versions after Arthur Schnitzler. UK Faber first, 1986, in pictorial wrappers (a simultaneous cloth-in-jacket issue was also produced). No book club.
• Hapgood — 1988 · Faber and FaberFirst British edition, first impression, Faber and Faber, London, 1988, of Stoppard's espionage play (which premiered at the Aldwych Theatre, London, in March 1988). Issued as a paperback original in decorated wrappers, 89 pages. The first impression carries the 1988 date on the title page with no later reprint or 'Reprinted with corrections' statement on the copyright page; the corrected 1994 reprint is a…. UK Faber first, issued in decorated wrappers as a paperback original; confirm the 1988 date and absence of any reprint or correction statement on the copyright page. No book club edition.
• Arcadia — 1993 · Faber and FaberFirst edition, Faber and Faber, London, 1993, a paperback original in printed wrappers (green and black). There was no simultaneous trade hardback for the general issue. The first impression is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First published in 1993' with no later-impression statement. UK Faber 1993 is the true first. Because Faber issued it as a paperback original, the printed-wrappers issue is the collected first; US editions are later. Signed first-impression copies are handled by major dealers such as Peter Harrington and Raptis. No book-club edition. Rely on the 'First published in 1993' statement and the absence of a later-impression line rather than on a number line, which Faber did not consistently apply to its drama paperbacks of this period.
• Indian Ink — 1995 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 1995. Issued in both a hardback (in dust jacket) and a paperback in wrappers in the same year; the collectible trade first is the hardback in dust jacket. Verify the Faber imprint and 1995 date, and confirm no later-impression number line. UK Faber first. Precedes the US Grove Press edition. Note that Indian Ink adapts Stoppard's earlier radio play In the Native State. No book club edition traced for this title.
• The Invention of Love — 1997 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 1997 (ISBN 0-571-19271-8), issued as an octavo playscript in original illustrated wrappers, approximately 106 pages. First impression carries no statement of a later printing on the reverse of the title leaf; confirm the Faber imprint, the 1997 date, and that no additional impression is indicated. UK Faber first, preceding the US Grove Press edition (ISBN 0-8021-3581-1). No book club edition traced for this title.
• The Coast of Utopia (Voyage; Shipwreck; Salvage) — 2002 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 2002. The first edition of the complete trilogy was issued as a three-volume HARDCOVER set bound in black cloth with spines lettered in yellow, in pictorial dust jackets reproducing Aivazovsky's Storm on Cape Aya (Voyage purple, Shipwreck brown, Salvage tan). Individual playscripts were also issued in wrappers; the collected trilogy set is the hardback. Confirm the Faber imprint and 2002…. UK Faber first, preceding the US Grove Press edition. Tony Award winner (Best Play, 2007). No book club edition traced for this title.
• Rock 'n' Roll — 2006 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 2006. Original wrappers. The true first is the wrappers issue prepared ahead of the trade edition and sold at the Royal Court Theatre for the June 2006 premiere, with cast list and production details; it precedes the later trade impression. Confirm the Faber imprint and 2006 date. UK Faber first, preceding the US Grove Press edition. No book club edition traced for this title.
• The Hard Problem — 2015 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 2015. The standard trade first is issued in original printed wrappers as a Faber Drama playscript; confirm the Faber imprint, the 2015 date, and a copyright/impression line showing no later printing. The play premiered at the National Theatre, London, in January 2015, which fixes the earliest possible publication. A separate signed limited issue of one hundred copies was also produced in…. The UK Faber first (2015) precedes the US Grove Press edition, which appeared in October 2015. No book club edition traced for this title. Distinguish the ordinary trade playscript in wrappers from the signed limited hardcover issue of one hundred copies.
• Leopoldstadt — 2020 · Faber and FaberFaber and Faber, London, 2020. Original wrappers (playscript) is the common first-format tied to the January 2020 Wyndham's Theatre premiere; a hardback edition was also issued by Faber in 2020, so the format should be identified precisely when cataloguing. Confirm the Faber imprint and 2020 date. UK Faber first, preceding the US Grove Atlantic edition. Later Tony Award winner (Best Play, 2023). No book club edition traced for this title.

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