Frankfurt: Suhrkamp, 1972

Small 8vo, pp. 138, 4pp. publisher's list bound in at rear. Plain cream boards. Lacking the dust jacket. German text. Rubbed and worn, lacking the dust jacket.

First German edition, appearing the same year as the first edition published by Eyre Methuen. THE AUTHOR'S COPY, WITH HIS VARIOUS OWNERSHIP SIGNATURES, AND WITH HIS EXTENSIVE PENCILLED ANNOTATIONS TO THE TEXT. OWNERSHIP SIGNATURE, INITIALS, AND 'NICHT STEHLEN' ('DON'T STEAL') WRITTEN BY BOND TO FRONT BOARD.

Bond directed a German-language production of Lear at the Burgtheater in Vienna in January 1973. This copy, with extensive pencilled underlinings and annotations throughout, is signed 'E. Bond' to the front board and front free endpaper, the front board is also initialled, and Bond has also written across it 'NICHT STEHLEN' ('DON'T STEAL').

Lear was first staged at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1971, in a production directed by Bill Gaskell, with Harry Andrews in the title role.