The Bald Soprano (La Cantatrice chauve)

The French original has precedence, but NOT the edition the census names. Order of appearance: (1) Cahiers du College de 'Pataphysique nos. 7 and the printed price, Paris, 1952 — first appearance in print of any kind, periodical; (2) 'Theatre', Editions Arcanes, Paris, 1953 — the true first book edition; (3) Gallimard, 'Theatre I', Paris, 1954 — the second book appearance and a classic 'first thus' trap, since it is the edition everyone cites and the one the collected Gallimard text descends from. Flag it as first thus, not first. First English: both 1958, and both collected, so name both — Grove Press, New York, 'Four Plays' (translated by Donald M. Allen), where the play is titled 'The Bald Soprano'; and John Calder, London, 1958, in Donald Watson's translation, where it is titled 'The Bald Prima Donna'. The English title therefore differs by country, which is itself an identification point. Month-precedence between the two 1958 editions was not established in the sources consulted; the Calder 1958 date rests on a single source and should be verified against a copy. The celebrated Massin/Cohen typographic edition (Gallimard, 1964) is a designed first thus, not a first edition.