Mary Anderson The Story of Her Life and Professional Career

London: David Bogue, 1884. (10) + 86 pages; tissue-guarded frontispiece photogravured steel engraved portrait of Mary Anderson after the original drawing by Henry Van der Weyde; the author's preface extols "...Very few actresses-none, indeed, of other than English birth-have so endeared themselves to the English theatre-going public...To have known Mary Anderson intimately is to have lived in the sunshine..."; Mary Anderson (1859-1940) American actress greatly appreciated on the English and American stages of the 19th century "...Anderson's classic beauty, great charm, superb acting ability, and rich contralto voice inspired such affection in her American fans that she was always referred to as "Our Mary" despite her long years abroad. Conservative in her choice of vehicles, she lent vivacity to the old-fashioned plays that consistently captivated her audiences..." (ANB) and "...she later prided herself on never having played a secondary role, and this relative lack of apprenticeship may account for allegations by her detractors that her acting relied on a limited range of devices employed indiscriminately regardless of context, and never displayed a truly imaginative grasp of character. But her popular appeal was undeniable, and for most members of the audience outweighed all other considerations. Certainly, few performers have been able to inspire such affection..." (DNB): nicely printed with type ornaments and with wide margins on good paper by T. Pettit & Co. London, with an old booksellers note in pencil "large paper 10/6" on the front endpaper, with a previous owner inscription ; bound in dark blue cloth, gilt cover & spine titles; some edge, tips wear & rubbing to binding, corners and ends a bit bumped, some tiny spotting to text, more so on endpapers; still, very good condition and interesting theater biography & history.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good.