# Is "Dirty Linen and New-Found-Land" by Tom Stoppard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dirty Linen and New-Found-Land by Tom Stoppard (Faber and Faber, 1976) is identified by: First published by Faber and Faber, London, 1976, as a paperback original in the publisher's illustrated stiff card wrappers, with a black-and-white photographic image to the front panel; no Faber hardback was issued. The UK Faber and Faber 1976 wrappered paperback original is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published by Faber and Faber, London, 1976, as a paperback original in the publisher's illustrated stiff card wrappers, with a black-and-white photographic image to the front panel; no Faber hardback was issued
- First edition, first impression carries the Faber printing statement with no additional impression line
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tom Stoppard |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by Faber and Faber, London, 1976, as a paperback original in the publisher's illustrated stiff card wrappers, with a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First published by Faber and Faber, London, 1976, as a paperback original in the publisher's illustrated stiff card wrappers, with a black-and-white photographic image to the front panel; no Faber hardback was issued. First edition, first impression carries the Faber printing statement with no additional impression line.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Faber and Faber 1976 wrappered paperback original is the true first. The separately issued American hardcover editions (Grove Press / Knopf, 1976) are later and distinct from this first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. Because the true first is a paperback original in card wrappers, later cloth hardcover appearances are American issues, not the Faber first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dirty Linen and New-Found-Land* by Tom Stoppard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dirty-linen-and-new-found-land
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.