The American Ballet

Philadelphia: Macrae Smith Company, 1959. Hardcover. Foreword by Ted Shawn. Small 4to. Blue cloth, pictorial dust jacket. 353pp. Numerous illustrations. Near fine/very good. Jacket rather edgeworn, with a few small edge chips. Tight, attractive later printing of this history of the three major dance companies -- American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet and Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo -- and bearing eight fine autograph addition: Tipped to the front flyleaf, flyleaf verso and half-title page are choice bold signatures of eight famed male dancers from this era of the ABT, each on matching heavy stock 5" X 3" cards. Front flyleaf, top to bottom: SCOTT DOUGLAS (1926-96, lead ABT dancer of 1950s and '60s and noted choreographer), who signs in black fineline and dates it 30 April 1968 at upper right; ELIOT FELD (b. 1942, noted ABT dancer and choreographer), who signs in red fineline and dates it 19 March 1977 at upper right; PETER GLADKE (1922-96, 1940s ABT dancer who also appeared in films and television, later a noted choreographer), who signs in black fineline, adds "A.B.T." and dates it 14 April 1982 at upper right. Flyleaf verso: JOHN KRIZA (1919-75, ABT principal dancer), who signs in black ballpoint and dates it 24 May 1967 at upper right; ENRIQUE MARTINEZ (1926-98, ABT dancer 1947-80), who signs in blue ballpoint and dates it 3 June 1985 at upper right; MICHAEL SMUIN (1928-2007, ABT principal dancer and choreographer who founded own ballet in San Francisco), who signs in black ballpoint. Half-title page: ANTONY TUDOR (1908-87, ABT mainstay and a towering figure among 20th century choreographers), who signs in black ballpoint and dates it 27 June 1977 at upper right; GEORGE ZORITCH (1917-2009, legendary Ballet Russe dancer who later danced with ABT and elsewhere), who signs enormously in blue ballpoint and dates it 6 June 1971 at upper right. Truly an extraordinary and most unusual copy. All eight original transmittal envelopes are laid in.