A1
Tom Stoppard – Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
A1 a. UK Edition
1a. First Edition Hardback
Faber and Faber. Published 4th May 1967. Hardback. White endpapers, half-title, title, [i], 90 pages numbered 7-96. Pages 200mm x 118mm. Blue cloth; down spine in gilt: ‘ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD . Tom Stoppard Faber’.
Dustjacket. 413mm x 210mm. Front: Bondi-blue with black text ‘ROSEN- | CRANTZ | and | GUILDEN- | STERN | are DEAD’; below a white bar and below that on pink with black text ‘by Tom | Stoppard’. No SBN. Price on front flap 18s.
1b. First Edition Paperback
Faber and Faber. Published 4th May 1967. Paperback with french wrappers. Half-title, title, [i], 90 pages numbered 7-96. Pages 198mm x 119mm. Front: Bondi-blue with black text ‘ROSEN- | CRANTZ | and | GUILDEN- | STERN | are DEAD’; below a white bar and below that on pink with black text ‘by Tom | Stoppard’. No SBN. Price on front flap 6s 6d.
2. Proof
Faber and Faber. Paperback. Front: grey with publication data text in black. No further details available.
3. Second Edition Paperback
Faber and Faber. Published October 1967. Paperback with french wrappers. Half-title, title, [i], 86 pages numbered 7-92. Pages 198mm x 118mm. Front: Bondi-blue with black text ‘ROSEN- | CRANTZ | and | GUILDEN- | STERN | are DEAD’; below a white bar and below that on pink with black text ‘by Tom | Stoppard’. No SBN. Price on front flap 6s 6d.
Note 1: This edition made significant changes to the original text.
4. Acting Edition
Samuel French. Published 1970. Paperback. Title, [i], 68 pages numbered 1-68. Pages 215mm x 132mm. Front: white with a vertical dark blue patterned band down the left and the title and author in blue. ISBN 0-573-01338-1.
See photos below.
A1 b. USA Edition
1a. First Edition Hardback
Grove Press. Published 1967. Hardback. White endpapers, half-title, title, [iii], 116 pages numbered 11-126, 1 blank. Pages 202mm x 132mm. Blue cloth; down spine in white: ‘Stoppard | Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Grove Press’.
Dustjacket. 483mm x 206mm. Front: black with two men in period costume (one in blue and one in green) with in yellow ‘Rosencrantz’, in white ‘&’, in yellow ‘Guildenstern | Are | Dead’, and in blue ‘a | play by | Tom | Stoppard’. No SBN. Price on front flap $3.95.
1b. First Edition Paperback
Grove Press. Published 1967. Paperback. Half-title, title, [iii], 116 pages numbered 11-126, 1 blank. Pages 202mm x 134mm. Front: black with two men in period costume (one in blue and one in green) with in yellow ‘Rosencrantz’, in white ‘&’, in yellow ‘Guildenstern | Are | Dead’, and in blue ‘a | play by | Tom | Stoppard’; along lower right side in white ‘Evergreen Original E-455 $1.95’. No SBN. Price on front cover $1.95.
Note 1: The MW collection includes a presentation copy from Stoppard to Bruce Levine who was in the cast of the New York premiere season in 1967.
2. Book Club Edition
Grove Press. Published 1967. Hardback. White endpapers, half-title, title, [iii], 116 pages numbered 11-126, 1 blank. Pages 208mm x 133mm with the top edge sprayed blue. Blue cloth quarter bound in black cloth; down spine in gold (not gilt): ‘Stoppard | Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Grove Press’.
Dustjacket. 510mm x 215mm. Front: black with two men in period costume (one in blue and one in green) with in yellow ‘Rosencrantz’, in white ‘&’, in yellow ‘Guildenstern | Are | Dead’, and in blue ‘a | play by | Tom | Stoppard’. No SBN. States ‘Book Club Edition’ on front flap.
Note 1: On the verso of the half-title and between pages 52-53 and pages 76-77 are black and white photographs of the 1967 New York production.
3. Acting Edition
Samuel French Inc. Published 1968. Paperback. Half-title, title, [ii], 93 pages numbered 7-99, [vi]. Pages 184mm x 123mm. Front: pale blue with text in black. No SBN.
4. Magazine Edition
Evergreen Review Vol 12 No 52. Published March 1968. Magazine. 26 pages numbered 47-72. The complete text of the Grove Press first edition.
5. Cast Recording
LA Theatre Works. 2 CD set released 2022. A studio recording from 2022 with the LA Theatre Works cast directed by Rosalind Ayres. ISBN 978-1-682661-68-0. Price on back cover $29.95.
See photos below.
A1 c. Italian Edition
1. First Edition
Libreria Feltrinelli. Published January 1968. Paperback. [i], title, [vi], 75 pages numbered 17-91, [ii]. Pages 178mm x 108mm. Front: a pale orange image of a spotlight on a cream background with text in purple. No SBN. Price on back cover Lire 500.
Note: The MW collection includes a copy signed by Stoppard and the Italian cast dated 9-2-68.
See photos below.
Theatrical Performances
UK Premiere: 24th August 1966 at the Cranston Street Hall as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The first professional performance was on 11th April 1967 at the Old Vic Theatre, London.
USA Premiere: 16th October 1967 at the Alvin Theatre, New York.
