Search Results: Drama from Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts, ABAA

New York: The Modern Library, n.y.. Hardcover. 12mo. Brown cloth with silver spine lettering, dust jacket. 527pp, (8pp ads). Near fine/very good. Quite mild jacket edgewear; "H" purple inkstamped on half-title page. Tight and attractive later printing of #200 -- first published in 1959, here undated but likely ca. 1970. A superb, bright copy.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1939. Hardcover. Foreword by Carl Sandburg.Small 8vo. Burgundy cloth, gilt lettering. xii, 250pp. Very good. A tight and quite attractive first edition of this Pulitzer Prize winner by the American playwright and screenwriter (1896-1955). Pages vii and viii list the original stage cast from the Playwrights' Company production of 1938, with of course Raymond Massey leading the way as Lincoln -- which leads to this copy's fun autograph addition: Tipped to the front flyleaf is an Autograph Note Signed penned by the third and last wife of Massey, Dorothy Whitney Massey, writing and signing on behalf of her husband. 1p, 6" X 7", n.p., 1939 September 15. Addressed to Arnold Gates (1914-93, noted Lincoln scholar). Very good. On "Raymond Massey" letterhead, it notes: "Thank you so much for your kind note. I appreciate your interest in my work, and I hope you will find the picture 'Abe Lincoln in Illinois' which I am now making as enjoyable as you found the play...." Signed… Read More

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919. Paperback. Introduction by Arnold Bennett. 12mo. Stiff pictorial wrappers. xii, 112pp. Frontispiece, 7 full-page illustrations. Very good. Minor edgewear. "Illustrated Souvenir Edition," illustrated with photographs from one of the early productions. Black, white, orange and tan pictorial front wrapper of a famed portrait of a young unbearded Lincoln is exceptionally nifty.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919. Hardcover. Introduction by Arnold Bennett. Small 8vo. Dark blue cloth spine with paper label and light blue paper over boards with blue Lincoln graphic. xii, 112pp. Very good. Almost, but not quite, rates "Near fine," as there's only a hint of mild edgewear. Tight and exceptionally bright early printing of this popular production. Front pastedown bears nice autograph addition: 2½" X 1¼" slip tipped on with a fine bold Drinkwater signature in brown ink above what appears to be a hotel name ("The Schuyler") and emblem in green.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919. Hardcover. Introduction by Arnold Bennett. Small 8vo. Dark blue cloth spine with paper label and light blue paper over boards with blue Lincoln graphic. xii, 112pp. Very good. Some edgewear, with spine paper label rubbed. Tight, attractive early printing of this popular production.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919. Hardcover. Introduction by Arnold Bennett. Small 8vo. Dark blue cloth spine with paper label and light blue paper over boards with blue Lincoln graphic. xii, 112pp. Very good. Mild edgewear, with spine paper label age toned and endpapers age toned. A tight and nice early printing of this popular production. Front pastedown bears interesting ownership signature in blue ballpoint: "Dorothy Dings Kohler / Kohler, Wis." -- yes, she (1904-89) of the Wisconsin plumbing fixtures dynasty and Republican politics family. She also pens "1st edition" on front flyleaf, but this is mistaken.

New York: The Viking Press, 1964. Hardcover. Small 4to. Tan cloth with gilt and burgundy lettering, glassine dust jacket, slipcase. Fine/very good/near fine. Book tight and pristine, glassine a bit age toned and edgeworn per usual. Sharp and lovely first "Special Edition," with limitation page preceding half-title page noting 500 (unnumbered) copies and boldly signed in blue ink by Miller. This thinly-veiled portrayal of Miller's divorce from wife Marilyn Monroe bears choice, relevant autograph additions: Facing the title page is a 3½" X 5½" black-and white magazine photograph -- a full-length candid shot of she in white dress and he in white suit hand in hand; across her white skirt is a bold but secretarial Monroe signature in blue ballpoint -- secretarial, remember, albeit well done. In addition, the front flyleaf bears three special heavy stock 5" X 3" cards signed by a trio from the original 1964 stage cast -- top to bottom: director ELIA KAZAN (1909-2003, Greek-American director, producer,… Read More

Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1967. Hardcover. Edited by M.R. Ridley. 8vo. Pale blue cloth with gilt spine lettering, price-clipped dust jacket. xlix, 278pp. Near fine/very good. Mild jacket age toning; small front pastedown ownership signature. Attractive and tight later printing of the ninth edition of the famed "Arden Edition," this title first published in that series in 1906.

Woodstock, IL: The Dramatic Publishing Company, n.y.. Paperback. 12mo. Stiff glazed decorative wrappers. 79pp. Fine. Later printing of this 1960 stage version of Winifred Wolfe's novel; the film version starred Shirley MacLaine and David Niven.

Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Studies, 1972. Hardcover. Edited by Terence Tobin. Small 4to. Brown cloth with silver spine lettering, dust jacket. v, 112pp. Near fine/very good. First modern edition of this Scottish comic play concerning religious hypocrisy, first published in 1722. The front flyleaf is handsomely inscribed by the editor "To the house / of / [huge sketch of family crest with "K" in middle] / Merry Christmas / Terry Tobin.

London: Dent, 1966. Hardcover. Introduction by M.C. Bradbrook. 12mo. Red cloth with gilt spine lettering, pictorial dust jacket. xiii, 475pp, 4pp ads. Decorative endpapers. Near fine/very good. Faint jacket edgewear only; small front pastedown ownership signature. Handsome and tight later printing of volumes #506, first published in this form in 1911, featuring a half dozen of this duo's plays.

Paris: The Limited Editions Club, 1937. Hardcover. Preface by A.P. Herbert. Illustrations by Mariette Lydis. Folio. Dark blue blind-embossed cloth with gilt lettering, rules and decorations. 121pp. Top edge gilt. Full-page lithographs. Near fine. Lacks slipcase. Tight and quite handsome copy of this large, early LEC production -- eighth title in their eighth series. This special copy bears a fine autograph addition: Tipped to inner flyleaf is a Typed Note Signed from preface-provider A.P. Herbert, 1p, 7" X 9", London, England, 8 March 1932. Addressed to H.D. Trevillian. Near fine. Original folds. On his personal imprinted letterhead, Herbert grudgingly consents "to your request for me to autograph one of my books for you," suggesting, "but would it not be easier to stick my signature at the end of this letter in one of them?" -- as indeed he eventually did! Boldly signed in full. (Herbert, 1890-1971, was not only an influential member of the British Parliament, but a prolific humorist, playwright,… Read More

London: Dent, 1967. Hardcover. Complete 2-volume set. Introduction by Felix E. Schelling. 12mo. Grey cloth with gilt spine lettering, pictorial dust jackets. xxviii, 642pp; vi, 738pp, 4pp ads. Near fine/near fine. Small front pastedown ownership signature in each volume. Handsome later printing of "Everyman's Library" volumes #489 and #490, first published in this form in 1910. Features all 18 of Jonson's plays. A superb, tight set.

New York: The Modern Library, n.y.. Hardcover. 12mo. Red cloth with gilt spine lettering, pictorial dust jacket. 479pp, (9pp ads). Grey patterned endpapers. Near fine/very good. Mild jacket edgewear. A tight, attractive later printing (undated, but ca. 1962) of #294, first published in this form in 1956.

Norwalk, CT: The Heritage Press, n.y.. Hardcover. Birds" introduction by Dudley Fitts and illustrations by Marian Parry. "Frogs" translation by William James Hickie, introduction by Gilbert Seldes and wood engravings by John Austen. 4to. Blue cloth with spine gilt lettering and front board pictorial giltstamping, slipcase. xii, 52pp; xviii, 62pp. Illustrations. Fine/fine. Handsome, pristine later printing (ca. 1980s) of these plays by the ancient Greek playwright (c. 446-386 B.C.), reprinted from the lovely 1959 Limited Editions Club edition. This copy bears choice autograph addition: Tipped to front flyleaf is a Typed Note Signed from Gilbert Seldes, 1p, 7¼" X 10½", New York, NY, 24 January 1939. Addressed to Arnold F. Gates (1914-93, noted Lincoln/Civil War scholar). Near fine. Faint original folds. On "Columbia Broadcasting System" letterhead (he was first television director for CBS News), the polymath author/editor/cultural critic/director/dramatist (1893-1970) thanks an admirer for birthday… Read More

London: Faber & Faber, 1966. Hardcover. 8vo. Red cloth, dust jacket. 62pp. Near fine/near fine. Handsome first edition.

New York: The Tenny Press, 1927. Hardcover. Small 4to. Blue cloth with gilt spine lettering. vii, 135pp. Frontispiece, illustrations. Near fine. Handsome, tight first edition of this curious study of a mysterious late 16th century play to which several dramatists' names were attached, always Anthony Mundy and Thomas Dekker and even William Shakespeare as reviser. In 1942 Tannenbaum published further findings in "Anthony Mundy Including the Play of 'Sir Thomas Moore' (A Concise Bibliography).

Boston: The F.W. Faxon Company, 1937. Paperback. Small 4to. Stiff blue wrappers. 20pp. Frontispiece. Very good. Slightest bit of faint wear only; inoffensive tiny check marks inked alongside a number of names in the Carl Sandburg checklist (only). Tight, clean, nice copy of this well-known journal, this issue with articles including William P. Schenck's "Carl Sandburg -- A Bibliography," Bradford A. Booth's "A Bibliography of John Galt," Dorothy Pierce's "Special Bibliography: The Stage Versions of Dickens' Novels," Jackson E. Towne's "A Bibliography of Polar Exploration" and more. A handsome early issue in lovely condition.

Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1983. Hardcover. 8vo. White cloth, dust jacket. vii, 228pp. Near fine/very good. Tight, attractive first edition.

New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1845. Hardcover. 12mo. Quarter red calf and marbled paper over boards. xxii, 229pp. Good only. Though hinges are tight, binding is heavily rubbed and edgeworn, with mild age toning and touches of foxing; small abrasion (with ½" paper loss) near center of title page; front flyleaf ownership signature. First published in London in 1817, in this U.S. edition Hazlitt's preface is preceded by an "Advertisement to the Third London Edition by Hazlitt's Son." Despite obvious wear, a decent and earlycopy of this uncommon, popular and influential classic -- part of "Wiley & Putnam's Library of Choice Reading" series.