GIGI (Fine/Fine including photos of Audrey Hepburn as the original Gigi)
Colette (Novel) Anita Loos (Dramatist) Loos, Anita (dramatist) Colette (novel). GIGI. New York: Random House, (1952). First Edition, first printing. A Fine copy in a Fine priced ($2.50) dust jacket. The DJ has a little fade to the spine, perhaps 10%, otherwise this is one of the best copies we've seen of this undervalued title. There are a half-dozen photographs inside featuring Audrey Hepburn in the role of GIGI from its first Broadway run in 1950. Source for the 1959 musical film starring Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier, with the lyrics and music of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederic Loewe, which won an astonishing nine Academy Awards including Best Picture.- $250
- $250
CAROUSEL. A Musical Play (Superb Copy; and source for the 1956 Film Adaptation)
Rodgers, Richard (Music), Oscar Hammerstein II (Book & Lyrics). Rodgers, Richard (Music), Oscar Hammerstein II (Book & Lyrics). CAROUSEL. A Musical Play. With photos from the Broadway first run featuring John Raitt and Jan Clayton. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, (1946). First Edition. A Fine copy in a Fine priced ($2.50) dust jacket, a gorgeous example of a hard-to-find book, especially in this condition. Previous owner's neat blind-stamp on front free endpaper. Adapted into the 1956 film directed by Henry King and starring Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae. One of the most serious musical plays from the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon, perhaps best exemplified by the classic "You'll Never Walk Alone."- $400
- $400
THE WHITE SISTER (Original Photograph taken by James Abbe, of Lillian Gish and Ronald Colman in the 1923 Film Adaptation)
Crawford, F. Marion (Novel); Henry King (Director) Ronald Colman, Lillian Gish (Actors) Crawford, F. Marion (novel) Henry King (Director) Ronald Colman, Lillian Gish (actors). THE WHITE SISTER. Los Angeles: Metro Film Studios, [1923]. Original vintage portrait photo of LILLIAN GISH and RONALD COLMAN taken by legendary photographer James Edward Abbe (as indicated bottom right). Glossy, roughly 8.25" by 10" and in Very Good to Near Fine condition. Reverse has studio-stamped information. Dramatic plot in which a young woman becomes a nun after her fiancé is killed in WW1 leading to complications when he turns up alive. Abbe's portraits of Lillian Gish are particularly prized.- $150
- $150
THE BLACK ARROW: A Tale of the Two Roses
Stevenson, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Louis. THE BLACK ARROW: A Tale Of The Two Roses. New York: Scribners, 1888. First Edition, first issue, published six weeks before the First English Edition. Illustrated. Very Good in original publisher's red cloth stamped in gilt. Spine gilt remains bright, spine tips lightly worn, edges and corners a little bumped. Tight inner hinges, previous owner's signature, contents clean. Despite these faults, a bright example with eye appeal. Far less common than the First English Edition. Adapted to Film twice, in 1948 and 1985. Beinecke 429.- $150
- $150
![THE DYNAMITER [MORE NEW ARABIAN NIGHTS]](https://rarebookinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/31443880106-1-600x672.jpg)
THE DYNAMITER [MORE NEW ARABIAN NIGHTS]
Stevenson, Robert Louis & Fanny Van De Crift Stevenson Stevenson, Robert Louis & Fanny Van De Crift Stevenson. THE DYNAMITER [More New Arabian Nights]. London: Longmans, Green & Co, 1885. Very Good. First Edition in original publisher's brick red cloth which is slightly rubbed and soiled but retains excellent eye appeal. Tight inner hinges, fine contents, previous owner's signature. According to the publisher's own records, the hardcover is 16 times rarer than the same edition issued in wrappers. This is not a random short story collection; it is a continuation of Stevenson's 1882 classic New Arabian Nights (containing some truly scary tales) which was published as a now exceedingly rare two-volume set. These stories are equal in quality and offer a few strong well-drawn female characters, unusual for Stevenson and Victorian fiction in general. With lots of suspense and adventure, THE DYNAMITER is a worthy addition to the canon of the author of KIDNAPPED and TREASURE ISLAND. Beinecke 325- $295
- $295
CHICAGO. A Musical Vaudeville (SIGNED BY COMPOSER JOHN KANDER)
Kander, John (Music) Fred Ebb (Lyrics) Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse (Book) Kander, John (Music) Fred Ebb (Lyrics) Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse (Book). CHICAGO. A Musical Vaudeville. New York: Samuel French, (1976). True First Edition (there was no published trade edition) SIGNED by composer John Kander to Clive Hirschhorn, London theater critic and author of several books on Hollywood. Original publisher's cream colored wraps (no hardcover was issued). In Fine condition save for a tiny tear at the bottom of the spine and some minor blemishes. The only signed libretto of Chicago we've ever seen (or heard of).
ORIGINAL PEN-AND-INK PORTRAITS OF THE MAD HATTER, DORMOUSE, and MARCH HARE AT THE MAD TEA PARTY (From the 1929 Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland By Lewis Carroll Illustrated By Willy Pogany
Pogany, Willy (Lewis Carroll) Carroll, Lewis (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). Willy Pogány (Hungarian/American, 1882-1955). ORIGINAL PEN-AND-INK PORTRAITS (From his illustrated 1929 Alice's Adventures In Wonderland published by E. P. Dutton). These marvelous drawings illustrate "The Mad Tea Party" chapter and grace pages 102 and 103. The images are both 4.75" x 3.5" situated in two corners of a large sheet of 11" by 14" heavy art paper. Pogány has printed his name in full on the March Hare drawing at the top right and initialed the Mad Hatter drawing at the lower left. His lightly penciled outline and notations can also be seen. The details of the drawings is spectacular in comparison to the actual printed book (see published drawing for comparison). Near Fine original condition. In a Victorian-Style frame with museum glass. Ex- Book Sail 16th Anniversary Catalog (1984). Unique.
PETER PAN or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (Fine/ Fine in Superb Original Dust Jacket)
Barrie, J. M. Barrie, J. M. PETER PAN or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1928. Although part of Hodder & Stoughton's Uniform Edition, this is indeed the First Separate Edition, First Printing. Although Peter Pan had appeared as a character in various earlier works, Barrie had continuously worked and re-worked the play until this definitive stand-alone edition. A Fine copy in a Fine, bright, priced (Five shillings) and unsoiled cream-colored Original Dust Jacket. As nice an example as one could hope for.
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (First Edition Signed By Katharine Hepburn)
Barry, Philip Barry, Philip. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY. NY: Coward, McCann, (1939). First Edition. A Near Fine copy in a Very Good to Near Fine priced ($2.00) example of the scarce original Dust Jacket, very rarely found in this superior condition. The DJ is lightly used with some mellow spine fade but is otherwise without repair and untouched. Film source for the 1940 Film Adaptation, a classic American comedy which tells the story of a socialite (Katharine Hepburn) whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband (Cary Grant) and a good-looking journalist (James Stewart, who won an Oscar for his performance). INSCRIBED BY KATHARINE HEPBURN on the front free endpaper: "To C.H. with all good thoughts, Katharine Hepburn." From the collection of Clive Hirschhorn, film and theater critic for London's Sunday Express across four decades. ALSO: a one-page typed letter, dated 1989, sent and signed by Katharine Hepburn to Clive Hirschhorn, inviting him to her New York apartment " and bring the book when you come " Impeccable provenance. Custom slipcase.
ANYTHING GOES. A Musical Comedy. [First Published Libretto + 1935 U. K. Theater Program)
Porter, Cole (Music & Lyrics) P. G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton (Book) Porter, Cole (Music & Lyrics) P. G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton (Book). ANYTHING GOES. London: Samuel French, 1936. First U. K. Edition (there was no published trade edition). 67pp. In publisher's original perfect-bound cream-colored wraps as issued. 9.75" by 7.5." Wrappers somewhat finger-soiled with "revised price 3/-" sticker on upper cover. Rare; WorldCat locates only seven institutional copies. [WITH:] Original opening run program from London's Palace Theatre dated 30th September,1935. This program is also exceedingly uncommon. ANYTHING GOES is one of the most endearing and enduring musical comedies of the 1930s; many of Cole Porter's songs from this play have become standards. The play itself continues to be performed worldwide with the major songs "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and "You're The Top" retaining their charm and popularity ninety years later. Adapted into the 1936 film starring Ethel Merman, Bing Crosby, and Donald O'Connor. Recently re-made in 2021 with Sutton Foster in the lead. An important addition to any collection of American Musical Theater.
BATTLE OF BRITAIN: A DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS MEDAL, DATED 1940 (In Original Case)
Royal Mint (London) Royal Mint. 1940 DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, Original Case. Rare and highly desirable British Distinguished Flying Cross ("D.F.C."), issued in 1940 and very likely awarded to a pilot or airman who had participated in the decisive Battle of Britain. The cross bears two spread feathered wings, with a roundel at center above laurel leaf wreaths. At the center of the roundel is the RAF monogram surmounted by the Imperial Crown. On the reverse, the cross has an encircled royal cypher above the year "1918", and at bottom the year the award was made, "1940", has also been engraved. A laurel-decorated mounting bar holds the 1 1/4" wide violet and white diagonally-striped ribbon. This example is regrettably unattributed, which is often the case, but its exceptional rarity is universally acknowledged. Overall there were 20,000 awards of the D.F.C. during World War Two, but the vast majority of these were issued in 1944-45 for the bomber campaign against Germany. The D.F.C. for 1940 is very rare and seldom seen either as a single medal or in a group. In all, perhaps only 500 of these medals were awarded in 1940, and most were in recognition for gallantry exhibited during the Battle of Britain. Provenance: The War Museum (Exhibited aboard the U. S. S. Intrepid 1995-2007). Bonhams New York (Unsold, June 5th 2014), Alexander Auctions (Sold March 18th, 2016)
GREASE (First Edition plus Original Broadway Theater Playbill)
Jacobs, Jim & Warren Casey (Music, Lyrics, Book) Jacobs, Jim & Warren Casey (Music, Lyrics, Book). GREASE. NY: Winter House, (1972). First Edition. Near Fine copy in priced ($4.95) Very Good original dust jacket (tiny closed tear at top of rear panel has been reinforced on the inside of the DJ with a small piece of tape). Comes with its original Eden theater opening run playbill. A very scarce book from a small publisher with, most likely, a very small print run. Basis for the 1978 film of the same name starring John Travolta, a cultural phenomenon which has only grown more popular over the years.
THE YOUNG PITCHER (Two Different Reprints)
Grey, Zane Grey, Zane. THE YOUNG PITCHER. NY: Grosset & Dunlap, (1911 but later). Reprinted from the 1911 First Edition. Two copies of this title in different colored bindings. Both books are Near Fine, one is missing the ffep. Both dust jackets show some wear and tear, one has a little tape reinforcement. Still, this is a popular title and these are early reprints with some eye appeal. THE YOUNG PITCHER is the story of Ken Ward, a freshman at an Arizona college, and his adventures on and off the baseball field. Zane Grey played for several semi-pro baseball teams in his youth and his baseball tales are among his most popular stories.
THE YOUNG LION HUNTER (Zane Grey’s Personal Copy, with his Ownership Stamp)
Grey, Zane Grey, Zane. THE YOUNG LION HUNTER. NY: Grosset & Dunlap, (1911 but later). Reprinted from the 1911 First Edition. ZANE GREY'S PERSONAL COPY WITH HIS OWNERSHIP STAMP on the front free end-paper. A Near Fine copy in a nice bright original DJ which has a thin chip at the bottom of the front panel but otherwise is only lightly used. THE YOUNG LION HUNTER is classic Zane Grey, set in the Grand Canyon, where the story follows a posse of cowboys who are tracking some very clever mountain lions. This book, although a reprint, nevertheless once sat on Zane's own bookshelf, the ideal provenance.
DRESSED TO KILL (Original Heavily Annotated Screenplay for the 1946 Universal Studios SHERLOCK HOLMES film adaptation based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal In Bohemia” and “The Adventure of the Dancing Men.”)
Doyle, A. Conan (Leonard Lee, screenwriter). Doyle, A. Conan. DRESSED TO KILL [here bearing the initial, later discarded, title "Prelude To Murder"]. Los Angeles: Universal Studios, 1946. Complete 78pp brad-bound shooting script consisting of a mix of original ribbon-copy typescript and studio-mimeographed white pages, dated January 16th, 1946 with production number 7337 stamped on the cover. This remarkable writer's draft contains extensive author-revised annotations, emendations, revisions and additions throughout. This is accomplished via a cut-and-paste, the insertion of additional leaves, and new dialog and description scrawled on the versos, an exceptional artifact which boldly captures the revision process of this last entry in the Sherlock Holmes' Universal Studios film series. The front cover has been neatly reinforced with tape and bears the original penciled filing notation indicating that this particular script is the copy from which the final draft was produced. The title, DRESSED TO KILL, refers to the film's wily femme fatale Hilda Courtney (played by Patricia Morison), an homage to Irene Adler from "A Scandal In Bohemia" complete with a familiar misdirection trick which Hilda uses to fool Watson into revealing a hidden location. The plot is an amalgam of several Holmes stories but also draws from other plots in the Universal Sherlock film canon: a convicted thief in Dartmoor Prison hides stolen Bank of England printing plates inside three music boxes -- leading to the murder or attempted murder of their owners, using the central device of a secret code which, of course, only Holmes can brilliantly break. Starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in their final film together.
THE YOUNG LION HUNTER
Grey, Zane Grey, Zane. THE YOUNG LION HUNTER. NY: Harper & Brothers, 1911. First Edition. A Very Good copy, tight and firm, with some light soil, a spot of discoloration at the spine tip, a faint penciled number 6 on the spine, previous owner's signature on front free endpaper. A nice copy retaining eye appeal and sporting no major faults.
THE WOMAN IN GREEN (Original Heavily Annotated Screenplay for the 1944 Universal Studios SHERLOCK HOLMES film adaptation)
Doyle, A. Conan (Bertram Millhausr, screenwriter). Doyle, A(rthur) Conan. (Bertram Millhauser, Screenwriter). THE WOMAN IN GREEN (here bearing the initial (later discarded) working title "Invitation To Death." Los Angeles: Universal Studios, 1944). Original studio Writer's First Draft screenplay, undated, the complete 103pp brad-bound working script bearing Universal Studios Production Number 7290 and sporting penciled cover annotations. A remarkable original ribbon copy typescript accomplished on ordinary yellow typing paper with an extraordinary 44pp of annotations, emendations, revisions, and marginal production suggestions. This appears to be Executive Producer Howard Benedict's copy with his name penciled on the cover page; Benedict had been the producer for RKO's Saint and Falcon series during the 1930s and served, with a brief hiatus, as Executive Producer of the Universal Sherlock Holmes series from the very first installment to the last. Our belief is that these notations are most likely in Benedict's hand as we have several other Sherlock scripts with Millhauser's hand-corrections to compare. In Very Good condition. THE WOMAN IN GREEN was the 9th installment in the Universal Sherlock Holmes series starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. It was among the most grim and gruesome of the series; the exact original first draft by Millhauser was flatly turned down by the Breen Office with a heated objection to the plot device of Moriarty murdering little girls (later changed to young woman). The title role of THE WOMAN IN GREEN went to Hillary Brooke as the seductive yet twisted temptress. The plot featured paranoid hypnoses and Ripper-like victims with missing fingers, making this the most distinctively true to the horror-genre Sherlock Holmes Universal film. UNIQUE.
THE YOUNG PITCHER (Zane Grey’s Personal Copy, with his Ownership Stamp)
Grey, Zane Grey, Zane. THE YOUNG PITCHER. NY: Grosset & Dunlap, (1939). Reprinted from the 1911 First Edition. ZANE GREY'S PERSONAL COPY WITH HIS OWNERSHIP STAMP on the front free end-paper. A Near Fine copy in a Near Fine p/c original dust jacket. THE YOUNG PITCHER is the story of Ken Ward, a freshman at an Arizona college, and his adventures on and off the baseball field. Zane Grey played for several semi-pro baseball teams in his youth and his baseball tales are among his most popular titles. This one, although a reprint, nevertheless once sat on his bookshelf, the ideal provenance.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Original Candid 1959 Double Weight Photograph of Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock)
Alfred Hitchcock (director) Ernest Lehman (screenwriter) Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint (actors) Hitchcock, Alfred (director) Ernest Lehman (writer). NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Hollywood, CA: MGM Studios, [1959]. Original vintage MGM candid publicity photo featuring ALFRED HITCHCOCK and CARY GRANT preparing to shoot a scene in front of New York's Plaza Hotel. Used to promote Alfred Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST. 8.25" by 10" - glossy, double weight, Very Good to Fine. Reverse with collector's sticker and studio-stamping.
LADY IN THE DARK (Inscribed by the play’s star Gertrude Lawrence)
Hart, Moss (Book) Kurt Weill (Music) Ira Gershwin (Lyrics) Hart, Moss (Book) Kurt Weill (Music) Ira Gershwin (Lyrics). LADY IN THE DARK. New York: Random House, 1941. First Printing (so stated). A Near Fine copy (spine slightly sunned) in a Near Fine, priced dust jacket. This copy is from the library of theater producer Hugh "Binkie" Beaumont (bookplate) and is inscribed by Gertrude Lawrence, the play's star: "To my own, beloved Maud. Read it and I swear you will have to come over and see it. Always my devotion, Gee. 1941." (Lawrence always signed her name as "Gee".) The recipient was a close friend Maud Gilroy, who ran the night club Crockfords, also a friend of Binkie Beaumont. Lady in the Dark was an innovative musical about psychoanalysis built around the character of its protagonist, Liza Elliott, an unhappy female editor of a fashion magazine. The musical opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in January 1941 and it closed in May 1942 after 467 performances. The original cast included Gertrude Lawrence, Danny Kaye, Bert Lytell, and Victor Mature. Its subject matter was said to be based on Moss Hart's own experiences with psychoanalyst Gregory Zilboorg. Except for the final song, all the music in the play was heard in three extended dream sequences: the Glamour Dream, the Wedding Dream, and the Circus Dream, which, to some extent, became three small operettas integrated into a straight play. The final song, "My Ship," functioned as a leitmotif for Liza's insecurity. As each dream commences, a snippet of the tune is heard, a haunting melody which Liza recognizes but cannot name, or sing with words, until her anxiety is resolved. Danny Kaye's performance as fashion photographer Russell Paxton, especially his consistently show-stopping patter song "Tchaikovsky (and Other Russians)" in which he dashed through the names of 50 Russian composers in 39 seconds, made him a star. The 1944 Technicolor film version starred Ginger Rogers in Gertrude Lawrence role, eliminated most of Weill's songs, and was not a success. An ideal association copy. [CH] NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Original Vintage 1959 Photograph of Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in the Alfred Hitchcock Film classic)
Hitchcock, Alfred (director) Ernest Lehman (writer). NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Hollywood, CA: MGM Studios, [1959]. Original 1959 MGM publicity photo of CARY GRANT and EVA MARIE SAINT on the face of Mount Rushmore, one of the most memorable sequences in film history. 8" by 10.25" - glossy. single weight. Very Good to Fine condition, minor handling wear only. Reverse studio-stamped.
DREAM GIRL (Paramount Studios File Copy)
Rice, Elmer Rice, Elmer. DREAM GIRL. New York: Coward, McCann, (1946). First Edition. A Near Fine copy in a Near Fine, priced ($2.50) dust jacket. This copy bears the Paramount Pictures Story Department stamp in purple ink on the front free endpaper; presumably this is the copy used by the studio in the production of the 1948 Paramount film adaptation, a somewhat forgotten but entirely hilarious 1948 comic fantasy by director Mitchell Leisen. DREAM GIRL is the tale of a charming young woman whose efforts at running a bookstore are undermined by her drifting off into the most extravagant Walter Mitty-like comic daydreams. She is also in love with her childhood sweetheart, who happens to be married to her pregnant sister. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Elmer Rice flexes his comic muscles with this work, in which our heroine can?t control her musing on what other paths she might have taken in her life. When we published Lakin & Marley's Catalog Seven in 1997, we offered 135 different first edition plays, Dream Girl was one of the few titles we weren't able to find. Until now. And this one is both a beauty and has a direct connection to the film adaptation. Sold with an original first run 1946 Broadway playbill.