# Is "The Real Thing" by Tom Stoppard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard (Faber and Faber, 1982) is identified by: True first was issued in laminated card wrappers as a paperback original, Faber and Faber, London, 1982. UK Faber wrappers first (1982) precedes.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True 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
- issue, not the first
- Text was later revised for the US production
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tom Stoppard |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first was issued in laminated card wrappers as a paperback original, Faber and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True 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.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber wrappers first (1982) precedes. A US Faber and Faber edition with revised text followed (1984).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Real Thing* by Tom Stoppard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-real-thing
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.