# Is "Hapgood" by Tom Stoppard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hapgood by Tom Stoppard (Faber and Faber, 1988) is identified by: First British edition, first impression, Faber and Faber, London, 1988, of Stoppard's espionage play (which premiered at the Aldwych Theatre, London, in March 1988). 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.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First 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 different setting of 77 pages and should not be mistaken for the first
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tom Stoppard |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First British edition, first impression, Faber and Faber, London, 1988, of Stoppard's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First 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 different setting of 77 pages and should not be mistaken for the first.

## Is this the true first?
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.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hapgood* by Tom Stoppard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hapgood
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.