The Merchant of Yonkers : A Play [Hello Dolly!]
by WILDER, Thornton (1897-1975)
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Fine
- Seller
-
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1939. First Printing. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition (so stated) of Wilder's classic play and basis for "Hello Dolly." 8vo: [8],180pp. Publisher's peach-colored cloth, burgundy title block stamped gilt laid onto spine and front cover; illustrated end papers by Donald McKay, who also illustrated the dust jacket, which is priced $2.00. Perhaps a review copy, with date of publication (Mar. 30, 1939) rubber-stamped onto front flap. A spectacular example, square, tight ,and clean throughout; bright and brilliant jacket slightly sunned at top of spine. Goldstone & Anderson I-B-ii-5. Adapted by Wilder from Einen Jux will er sich machen (He Will Go on a Spree or He'll Have Himself a Good Time) by Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy (also the source of Tom Stoppard's "On the Razzle"), which, in turn had its origin in an 1835 one-act farce, "A Day Well Spent," by the English dramatist John Oxenford. Wilder's version centers on Horace Vandergelder, a wealthy Yonkers businessman in the market for a wife. The Merchant of Yonkers was not well received in 1938, partially owing to Max Reinhardt's heavy-handed direction, but significantly revised as The Matchmaker, in 1954, for the Edinburgh Festival and directed by Tyrone Guthrie, it became a hit in London and then on Broadway. Eventually it was adapted into the extraordinarily successful musical Hello Dolly! (Literary Encyclopedia) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable polypropylene sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).
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Details
- Bookseller
- Fine Editions Ltd (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- BB1873
- Title
- The Merchant of Yonkers : A Play [Hello Dolly!]
- Author
- WILDER, Thornton (1897-1975)
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Printing
- Publisher
- Harper & Brothers
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1939
- Bookseller catalogs
- MODERN FIRSTS;
Terms of Sale
Fine Editions Ltd
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About the Seller
Fine Editions Ltd
Biblio member since 2005
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
About Fine Editions Ltd
Fine Editions specializes in First Editions of English and American Literature, Landmarks In Science and the History Of Ideas, Natural History and Color-Plate books, Travel and Voyages, and books on Gardening and Landscape Design. Our hallmark is condition: with few exceptions (mostly relating to our antiquarian stock), all books sold are in Near Fine or better conditions and all are highly collectible.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...