Sybil Thorndike
by THORNDIKE, Russell
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Good+
- Seller
-
Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Thornton Butterworth Limited, 1929. FIRST EDITION, DOUBLE SIGNED by both THORNDIKES. Large 8vo, pp. 320 + b/w frontis and plates. Original orange and yellow patterned cloth, spine and upper board lettered in black and blind ruled, Sybil Thorndike's facsimile signature black-stamped to upper board. Spine sunned, pushing and wear to spine ends and corners. Signed in black pen to tanned half-title by both subject and author, dated (in the latter's hand?) "June 6th 1929", ink offsetting from Russell's signature, page separating at heel, but holding firm. Blue Westminster Abbey service sheet (24,10.1982; incl. details about a short ceremony for the centenary of Sybil's birth) tipped in to rear fep gutter, newspaper clipping 'On This Day: March 27 1924' pasted to rear pastedown. Else, clean and tidy. A rare signed familial two-hander, marking the arrival of the doyenne of the twentieth century Shakespearean stage. Good+ The Thorndike siblings began their theatrical training and careers together, both studying at Ben Greet's Academy and subsequently touring with the company, notably in North America. While the elder Sybil (1882-1976) would go on to success and national recognition for her Shakespearean roles, Russell (1885-1972) found renown as a novelist, especially with his Doctor Syn series, featuring the vicar-cum-smuggler protagonist, Christopher Syn (Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh had appeared in 1915). In the 1920s, the decade capped by Russell's memoir, the siblings starred together at the Little Theatre in a series of Grand Guignol melodramas, directed by Thorndike's husband Lewis Casson; in titles such as The Hand of Death, The Kill, and Fear, "they were gainfully employed terrifying theatregoers" (ODNB). On the heels of the horror, the theatrical family concern set up management of the New Theatre. While Sybil was only 47 at its publication, her brother's memoir was far from premature: Saint Joan, which Bernard Shaw had written for the actor, had opened at the New Theatre in March 1924 and "marked the early but unchallenged climax of her career" (ibid). Two years after its publication, Sybil Thorndike was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, only the sixth actress to receive the title.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Quair Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2342
- Title
- Sybil Thorndike
- Author
- THORNDIKE, Russell
- Book Condition
- Used - Good+
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Thornton Butterworth Limited
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1929
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Bookseller catalogs
- Signed & Association Copies;
Terms of Sale
Quair Books
All our books are fully described. In the unlikely event of an item proving unsatisfactory, it may be returned, in its original condition, for a full refund. If you intend to return an item please email us (via quairbooks@gmail.com) within 7 working days of receipt of your parcel. Items may be returned (as received) within 14 days of receipt. Thank you!
About the Seller
Quair Books
About Quair Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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...
- Tipped In
- Tipped In is used to describe something which has been glued into a book. Tipped-in items can include photos, book plates,...
- 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....
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
- Heel
- The lower most portion of the spine when the book is standing vertically.
- Gutter
- The inside margin of a book, connecting the pages to the joints near the binding.
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Good+
- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.
- Facsimile
- An exact copy of an original work. In books, it refers to a copy or reproduction, as accurate as possible, of an original...
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