# Is "Copenhagen" by Michael Frayn a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Copenhagen by Michael Frayn (Methuen Drama, 1998) is identified by: Methuen Drama, London, 1998 (ISBN 0-413-72490-5); issued in wrappers, copyright page stating 'First published 1998 by Methuen.' Premiered at the Cottesloe, National Theatre, in 1998. UK Methuen 1998 is the true first; the US Anchor Books edition (2000) is a separate later first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Methuen Drama, London, 1998 (ISBN 0-413-72490-5); issued in wrappers, copyright page stating 'First published 1998 by Methuen.' Premiered at the Cottesloe, National Theatre, in 1998
- The first printing lacks a later-printing line; a revised edition with an added postscript followed after release of the Bohr letters
- Publisher imprint reads Methuen Drama
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Frayn |
| Publisher | Methuen Drama |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Methuen Drama, London, 1998 (ISBN 0-413-72490-5); issued in wrappers, copyright page stating 'First published 1998 by Methuen.' Premiered… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Methuen Drama, London, 1998 (ISBN 0-413-72490-5); issued in wrappers, copyright page stating 'First published 1998 by Methuen.' Premiered at the Cottesloe, National Theatre, in 1998. The first printing lacks a later-printing line; a revised edition with an added postscript followed after release of the Bohr letters.

## Is this the true first?
UK Methuen 1998 is the true first; the US Anchor Books edition (2000) is a separate later first. The revised Methuen text with new postscript is a 'first thus.'

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Methuen Student Edition (with study apparatus) and the revised-postscript editions are not the first. No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Copenhagen* by Michael Frayn a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/copenhagen
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.