SCARCE SIGNED COPY ! The Astaires: Fred & Adele Kathleen Riley 2012 FIRST 1st DW

New York: Oxford University Press., 2012. **** Inscribed By Author **** Dust jacket complete and not price clipped. Original cloth boards with bright gilt titling on spine. Frontis portrait. Photographs. 266 pages are clean and tight. Book sits solid and square and is possibly unread or very gently read. Dustwrapper has only the lightest signs of handling and now protected in a removable archival booksleeve to preserve its condition. Before 'Fred and Ginger', there was 'Fred and Adele', a show business partnership and a cultural sensation like no other. It is difficult in our celebrity-sated era to comprehend what a genuine phenomenon the Astaires were. At the height of their success in the mid-1920s the siblings were seasoned transatlantic commuters, ambassadors of an art form they had helped to revolutionize, adored by audiences, feted by royalty, and courted socially by the elite in just about every field of endeavour. They seemed to define the Jazz Age, a fascinating pair who wove fascinating rhythms in song and dance. The story of Fred and Adele Astaire is extraordinary and it is told here in depth and within its historical and theatrical context. It is not merely the first part of Fred's long and illustrious career; it holds a significance and a fascination of its own, as well as having implications for Astaire's subsequent career, which have not been fully appreciated. SCARCE COPY TO FIND HAVING BEEN SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ! Please see all attached photographs and scans. Any questions please ask - I will always get back to you as soon as possible. All book securely packed and posted promptly with postage discounts on multiple purchases. I always adjust the international postage fee on the final payment if it is less than quoted in my description. PLEASE SEE MY OTHER INTERESTING BOOKS, LETTERS, PICTURES AND INTERESTING EPHEMERA LISTED - MANY SIGNED. Thanks for taking the time to browse ! . Signed by Author. First Edition. Very Good/Very Good. FIRST EDITION.