Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros is Eugène Ionesco's three-act play in which a town's people turn into rhinoceroses, published by Gallimard in 1959 after a 1957 short-story version. It premiered in Düsseldorf in November 1959 and in Paris in 1960; Orson Welles directed Laurence Olivier in London that year.
- Editions tracked
- 1
- First published
- Gallimard, 1959
Which edition do you have?
Editions
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
Awards, adaptations and setting
Adaptations
- Die Nashörner stage play
- Rhinoceros adaptation
In print
- Editions recorded
- 9 on Open Library, 3 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 22 languages
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
More by Eugène Ionesco
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How to Identify a First Edition
To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
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Read the guide →7 min readDust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
How many editions of Rhinoceros are there?
We track 1 edition of Rhinoceros. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Has Rhinoceros been adapted?
Yes, including Die Nashörner (stage play), Rhinoceros (adaptation), according to Wikidata.
When was Rhinoceros first published?
Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco was first published in 1959.
Where these facts come from
- Rhinoceros (play), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Voyage en littérature: Eugène Ionesco et les 60 ans de Rhinocéros, Livres Hebdo (livreshebdo.fr)
- Rhinocéros, Eugène Ionesco, Encyclopædia Universalis (universalis.fr)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 22 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.