The rules were written in three phases: as notes in 1803, then re-elaborated in 1816, and finally in systematic form in 1824. They were published only in 1832.

According to Agazzi, the parts on gestures are based on Adolph von Knigge's Über den Umgang mit Menschen (1788) (see).
 
LATER EDITIONS:
The 1833 version was published in:
- Goethe's Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand, Stuttgart und Tübingen, J. G. Cotta, 1833, vol. 44, pp. 286-315.
Online text: GOOGLE BOOKS
- Goethe's sämmtliche Werke, Paris, Tétot Frères, 1836, vol. 5, pp. 647-652.
Online text: GOOGLE BOOKS
- Goethe's sämmtliche Werke in vierzig Bänden, Stuttgart und Tübingen, J. G. Cotta, 1840, vol. 35, pp. 435-459.
Online text: GOOGLE BOOKS
- Goethe's sämmtliche Werke in dreitzig Bänden, Stuttgart und Tübingen, J. G. Cotta, 1851, vol. 13, pp. 640-657.
Online text: GOOGLE BOOKS
- Goethes Werke, Stuttgart, J. G. Cotta, 1867, vol. 31, pp. 353-371.
Online text: GOOGLE BOOKS


RECENT EDITIONS:
- Bonn, Götz Schwippert, 1947.

Published in:
- Schriften zur Literatur. Historisch-kritische Ausgabe, Bearbeitet von Horst Nahler, Berlin, Akademie, 1973, vol. 3.
- Seelen mit Methode: Schauspieltheorien vom Barock- bis zum postdramatischen Theater, Heraugegeben und mit einer Einf. von Jens Roselt, Berlin, Alexander-Verl., 2009, pp. 175-191. 

TRANSLATIONS:
Italian: «Regole per gli attori», in Arena, II, 5 (Aprile-Giugno 1954), 216-231 (see). Translation and notes by Luigi Squarzina.

- «Regole per gli attori», in Scritti sull'arte e sulla letteratura, edited by Stefano Zacchi, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 1992, 160-167 (see). Translation by Piercarlo Necchi and Markus Ophalders.

Also to be mentioned is a translation in Slovenian (2002).