NMLP P-011106 · True-first precedence · minted 2026-07-04

The Birthday Party

Harold Pinter · Encore Publishing Co. / Methuen · 1959

True first is the Encore wrappers edition (1959). The 1960 Methuen hardback is the first appearance in cloth but is the collected volume 'The Birthday Party and Other Plays,' which makes it a separate first-thus rather than simply a hardback of the same book. The play famously flopped in its 1958 premiere, so early printings are scarce.

Full identification guide for this title →

New Mexico Literacy Project — True-first precedence NMLP P-011106 for "The Birthday Party" by Harold Pinter (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/id/point/p-011106, CC BY 4.0, dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21184548).