Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.
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The play opened at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in 1982 and the text was published in London the same year. The British National Bibliography records 'Noises off: a play in three acts' as a Methuen paperback of 149 pages, London 1982, ISBN 0 413 50670 3, and the Internet Archive holds a scan of that Methuen 1982 issue. Many booksellers list the same ISBN as 1983, so look for 1982 on the copyright page. No 1982 Methuen hardback has been found. Samuel French also published the play in London in its acting edition series (ISBN 0 573 11312 2, copyright 1982), which the national bibliography listed later, in 1984. Frayn rewrote the play several times, most recently in 2000, so modern Methuen Drama texts differ from the 1982 one.
Read the full guide to Methuen first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.
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Methuen, London, in 1982, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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Read the guide →7 min readTo identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
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