# Is "On the Razzle (after Nestroy)" by Tom Stoppard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of On the Razzle (after Nestroy) by Tom Stoppard (Faber and Faber, 1981) is identified by: Issued 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. UK Faber first, in printed wrappers.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued 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
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tom Stoppard |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued by Faber and Faber, London, as a paperback original in publisher's printed… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued 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.

## Is this the true first?
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.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *On the Razzle (after Nestroy)* by Tom Stoppard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/on-the-razzle-after-nestroy
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.