The points of issue
First edition, Faber and Faber, London, 1967. Issued simultaneously in a hardback bound in cloth (small print run) with a dust jacket priced 18s net, 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.
Is this the true first?
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.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
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.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition, Faber and Faber, London, 1967. Issued simultaneously in a hardback bound in cloth (small print run) with a dust jacket priced 18s net, 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.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. 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.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
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.
I have a first edition of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.