Silver King: His Own Story

Silver King Associates, 1932. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. Moderate edgewear and light soiling to covers; small, unobtrusive previous ownership signature to front pastedown.. Royal octavo. 6.5 x 9.5 in. viii, 379 pp. Full blue cloth, titled & ruled in white with large black & white cut-out photograph of Silver King affixed to cover. Illustrated with a suite of 45 black & white reproductions of photographs at rear. 'Silver King, a.k.a. Silver Streak, the King of Dog Stars, the Wonder Dog (b. 1924) was a male German Shepherd that starred in motion pictures. He was a police dog with a long pedigree, the last in a great line that appeared in film. Silver King's education included thorough police training and army Red Cross work. He is said to be able to register several emotions at will, to have the power to throw a well-developed man, to understand over 150 words in German and English, and to need only to rehearse a scene once. He starred in The Silent Flyer (1926), Fangs of Justice (1926), The Snarl of Hate (1927), Where Trails Begin (1927), Cross Breed (1927), and Code of the Air (1928). In his retirement the King would continue to perform in front of a live audience, which included the trick of him sitting on a chair like a human. He would often end his shows sitting up on a chair while playing the piano and singing.' This copy is signed by Silver King, with his pawprint to verso of front free endpaper.