Harold Arlen. Happy with the Blues - Rare Book Insider
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Harold Arlen. Happy with the Blues

'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.' With a Signed Photograph of the Composer Harold Arlen [ARLEN, Harold]. JABLONSKI, Edward. Harold Arlen. Happy with the Blues. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1961. With a signed photograph of Harold Arlen dated "aug. - 14 - 72" pasted to the half-title. First edition. Octavo (9 1/8 x 6 inches; 232 x 152 mm.). [1-11], 12-286 pp. Illustrated with black & white photographs. Publishers black cloth over boards, front cover and spine lettered in gilt and blue, pictorial endpapers, pictorial dust jacket. A near fine copy in a price-clipped printed dust jacket with a couple of neat tape repairs on lower edge. Affixed to the half-title is a black & white photograph signed "Harold Arlen - Aug - 14-72" Harold Arlen, born Hyman Arluck; (1905-1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over five hundred songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz (lyrics by Yip Harburg), including "Over the Rainbow", which won him the Oscar for Best Original Song, he was nominated as composer for eight other Oscar awards. Arlen was a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook. "Over the Rainbow" was voted the 20th century's Number 1 song by the RIAA and the NEA.
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Oklahoma!

First Edition, Warmly Inscribed by Rouben Mamoulian The Director of the Pulitzer Prize Winning Musical - Oklahoma [MAMOULIAN, Rouben, director]. ROGERS, Richard. HAMMERSTEIN, Oscar 2nd. Oklahoma! A Musical Play by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, 2nd. Based on Lynn Riggs' Green Grow the Lilacs. Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, 2nd. New York: Random House, [1943]. Inscribed on the front free endpaper "For Ken - With thanks for the warm enthusiasm with which he appreciates the right and the beautiful wherever he finds it. Rouben [Mamoulian]". First edition. Small octavo (8 x 5 3/8 inches; 203 x 137 mm.). [x], [1]-146 pp. Photogravure frontispiece and four photogravure plates. The last few leaves slightly creased at lower corner. Publisher's light gray cloth, front cover with a pair of cowboy boots in blue and brown, spine blocked in brown and blue and lettered in white. A near fine copy in the original pictorial dust jacket, slightly worn at extremities. Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry. A secondary romance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. It was a box office hit and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances, later enjoying award-winning revivals, national tours, foreign productions and an Oscar-winning 1955 film adaptation. It has long been a popular choice for school and community productions. Rodgers and Hammerstein won a special Pulitzer Prize for Oklahoma! in 1944. Between the world wars, roles in musicals were usually filled by actors who could sing, but Rodgers and Hammerstein chose, conversely, to cast singers who could act. Though Theresa Helburn, codirector of the Theatre Guild, suggested Shirley Temple as Laurey and Groucho Marx as Ali Hakim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, with director Rouben Mamoulian's support, insisted that performers more dramatically appropriate for the roles be cast. As a result, there were no stars in the production, another unusual step.[8] The production was choreographed by Agnes de Mille (her first time choreographing a musical on Broadway), who provided one of the show's most notable and enduring features: a 15-minute first-act ballet finale (often referred to as the dream ballet) depicting Laurey's struggle to evaluate her suitors, Jud and Curly.[11] Rouben Zachary Mamoulian (1897-1987) was an American film and theater director. Mamoulian was also the first to stage such notable Broadway works as Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), and Lost in the Stars (1949).
  • $2,500
  • $2,500
Passport to Paris

Passport to Paris

"April in Paris" DUKE, Vernon. Passport to Paris. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, [1955]. First edition. Octavo (8 3/8 x 5 5/8 inches; 213 x 143 mm.). [x], [1]-502 pp. Eight pages of photographs between pp. 146 & 147. Publisher's green cloth over boards, front cover with publisher's blind stamp, spine ruled and lettered in silver. A very good copy in the original price-clipped pictorial dust jacket, small crease on front panel, small closed tear on rear panel repaired with tape. "Vernon Duke calls himself a musical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and here are his memoirs. Passport to Paris is the story of a symphonic- vs. -stagestruck composer - born Vladimir Dukelsky in a small railroad station in Russia - who wrote a Diaghilev ballet, symphonic music praised by the critics, as well as numerous Broadway hits, including the score to Cabin in the Sky, and the ever-popular tune "April in Paris." Paris is the pivot on which these confessions turn - the full-blown Paris of Christian Bérard and Jean Cocteau and "Les Six," of the Ballet Russe under its incomparable impresario, Diaghilev. Vladimir Dukelsky fell in love with Paris. He writes vividly and longingly of his life there - of his plush and penniless days; his friendships and quarrels with Prokofiev, the Sitwells, Serge and Natalya Koussevitsky and a host of other luminaries.(jacket, front flap). Vernon Duke (1903-1969) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can't Get Started," with lyrics by Ira Gershwin (1936), "April in Paris," with lyrics by E. Y. ("Yip") Harburg (1932), and "What Is There To Say," for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934, also with Harburg. He wrote the words and music for "Autumn in New York" (1934) for the revue Thumbs Up! In his book, American Popular Song, The Great Innovators 1900-1950, composer Alec Wilder praises this song, writing, "The verse may be the most ambitious I've ever seen." Duke also collaborated with lyricists Johnny Mercer, Ogden Nash, and Sammy Cahn.
Changing

Changing

One of Three Hundred Copies Signed by Liv Ullmann ULLMANN, Liv. Changing. New York: Afred A. Knopf, 1977. First Signed Limited Edition. Octavo (8 1/4 x 5 5/8 inches; 210 x 143 mm.). [x], [1]-241, [5] pp. Publishers silver boards, front cover decorated in white, spine lettered in white, decorative endpapers, top edge stained gray. A fine copy in the original printed dust jacket and slipcase. "Of the first edition of Changing three hundred copies have been printed on special paper and specially bound. Each copy is signed and numbered. [signed] "Liv Ullmann" No. "87". "Not precisely autobiographical, these are Liv Ullmann's pensive, discerning recollections - with flashbacks and closeups - of the conflicts and joys of motherhood, the odd perquisites of a demanding profession, her early marriage and the liaison with director Ingmar Bergman. Whether musing on Henry Kissinger or catching Hugh Hefner snoozing through his own porn movie, she writes openly, gracefully, often with that dreamy, respectful little girl or rebellious teen-ager hovering nearby. Aware of the child in herself, she delights in daughter Linn and their time together, yet knows that the telephone - or an airplane flight - will ultimately intrude. Ullmann maintains an honest perspective, even remembering the most trying situations, and chiefly regrets time spent seeking love and approbation. An exceptionally poised view of vulnerability and resilience." Liv Johanne Ullmann (1938-) is a Norwegian actress. Recognized as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in many of his films, including Persona (1966), Cries and Whispers (1972), Scenes from a Marriage (1973), The Passion of Anna (1969), and Autumn Sonata (1978).
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South Pacific. A Musical Play

With an Inscribed Photograph of Mary Martin as Nellie Forbush [MARTIN, Mary]. RODGERS, Richard. HAMMERSTEIN, Oscar. South Pacific. A Musical Play. Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, 2nd, and Joshua Logan. Adapted from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-Winning Tales of the South Pacific. New York: Random House, [1949]. First edition, first printing, second state (without Logan credit on copyright page). With an Inscribed Photograph of Mary Martin as Nellie Forbush pasted to front free endpaper. Small octavo (8 x 5 3/8 inches; 203 x 137 mm.). [xii], [1]-170 pp. Photogravure frontispiece and two photogravure plates. Publisher's light gray cloth, front cover with palm tree in green and brown, spine blocked in brown and green and lettered in white. A fine copy in the original pictorial dust jacket, spine slightly faded. With a fine 7 x 5 1/8 inch black and white photograph pasted to the front free endpaper inscribed "To Paul / With best / wishes / Mary Martin. South Pacific is a musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The work premiered in 1949 on Broadway and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot is based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific and combines elements of several of those stories. Rodgers and Hammerstein believed they could write a musical based on Michener's work that would be financially successful and, at the same time, send a strong progressive message on racism. The original Broadway production enjoyed immense critical and box-office success, became the second-longest running Broadway musical to that point (behind Rodgers and Hammerstein's earlier Oklahoma! (1943)), and has remained popular ever since. After they signed Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin as the leads, Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote several of the songs with the particular talents of their stars in mind. The piece won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. Especially in the Southern U.S., its racial theme provoked controversy, for which its authors were unapologetic. Several of its songs, including "Bali Ha'i", "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair", "Some Enchanted Evening", "There Is Nothing Like a Dame", "Happy Talk", "Younger Than Springtime", and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy", have become popular standards. Mary Virginia Martin (1913 -1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (1949), the title character in Peter Pan (1954), and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1959). She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989. She was the mother of actor Larry Hagman.
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Portnoy’s Complaint

Portnoy's Complaint - Signed Limited Edition ROTH, Philip. Portnoy's Complaint. New York: Random House, [1969]. Signed Limited Edition. Octavo (8 1/8 x 5 5/8 inches; 207 x 143 mm.). [x], [1]-275, [2] pp. "Six hundred copies have been specially printed and bound. Each copy is signed by the author and numbered "32" [signed] "Philip Roth". Publisher's cream buckram, front cover and spine lettered in gilt, red endpapers, top edge stained red. A fine copy in the original red cardboard slipcase with matching limitation number on spine. Portnoy,s Complaint. "A disorder in which strongly-felt ethical and altruistic impulses are perpetually warring with extreme sexual longings, often of a perverse nature." Philip Milton Roth (1933-2018) was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction - often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey - is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity. He first gained attention with the 1959 short story collection Goodbye, Columbus, which won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. Ten years later, he published the bestseller Portnoy's Complaint. Nathan Zuckerman, Roth's literary alter ego, narrates several of his books. A fictionalized Philip Roth narrates some of his others, such as the alternate history The Plot Against America.
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Fellini’s Films

With a Fine Black & White Inscribed Photograph of Federico Fellini FELLINI, Federico. Fellini's Films. The four hundred most memorable stills from Federico Fellini's fifteen and a half films. Edited by Christian Strich. With a Foreword by Georges Simenon. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, [1977]. First edition. Large quarto (13 x 10 5/8 inches; 330 x 270 mm.). [1-344] pp. Illustrated throughout in color and black & white. Publishers red cloth over boards, front cover and spine lettered in black, black endpapers. Pictorial dust jacket. Jacket with three inch tape repair to front panel, crease to rear panel, light chipping to extremities. A fine copy in a very good dust jacket. Affixed to the front free endpaper is a 9 14/ x 7 1/8 inch black & white photograph of Fellini inscribed "To Paul R. Palmer. Good luck! Federico Fellini June 73". Federico Fellini (1920-1993) was an Italian filmmaker. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. His films have ranked highly in critical polls such as that of Cahiers du Cinéma and Sight & Sound, which lists his 1963 film 8 1 2 as the 10th-greatest film. Fellini's best-known films include I vitelloni (1953), La Strada (1954), Nights of Cabiria (1957), La Dolce Vita (1960), 8½ (1963), Juliet of the Spirits (1965), Fellini Satyricon (1969), Roma (1972), Amarcord (1973), and Fellini's Casanova (1976).
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New Moon, The

Inscribed by Sigmund Romberg [ROMBERG, Sigmund]. The New Moon A Musical Romance. Produced by Laurence Schwab and Frank Mandel. Music by Sigmund Romberg. Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein 2nd, Frank Mandel and Laurence Schwab. New York: Harms Inc., 1928. Inscribed on front blank "To Gus with kindest regards from Romberg New York Dec 24/28" First edition. Large quarto (12 x 9 inches; 305 x 229 mm.). [iv], [1]-277, [1, blank] pp. Publishers brown morocco, front cover and spine lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. Spine very slightly faded. A very good copy inscribed by Sigmund Romberg. Sigmund Romberg (1887-1951) was a prominent Hungarian-American composer celebrated for his contributions to musical theater and operetta. Among his most renowned works are "The Student Prince" (1924), "The Desert Song" (1926), and "The New Moon" (1928). During the early stages of his career, Romberg collaborated with the Shubert brothers, composing music for their musicals and revues. Notably, he crafted several pieces for the famed entertainer Al Jolson. Additionally, Romberg adapted numerous European operettas for American audiences while working with the Shuberts. Two noteworthy successes from this period include "Maytime" (1917) and "Blossom Time" (1921). Romberg's three major operettas from the mid-1920s, mentioned previously, adhere to the traditional style of Viennese operetta. However, his other compositions from this era often incorporate elements of American musical theater styles. Beyond the stage, Romberg also lent his musical talents to film scores, showcasing his versatility and lasting impact on the entertainment industry.
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South Pacific. A Musical Play

With a Signed Photograph of Mary Martin [MARTIN, Mary]. RODGERS, Richard. HAMMERSTEIN, Oscar. South Pacific. A Musical Play. Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, 2nd, and Joshua Logan. Adapted from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-Winning Tales of the South Pacific. New York: Random House, [1949]. First edition, first printing, second state (without Logan credit on copyright page). With a Signed Photograph of Mary Martin pasted to front paste-down. Small octavo (8 x 5 3/8 inches; 203 x 137 mm.). [xii], [1]-170 pp. Photogravure frontispiece and two photogravure plates. Publisher's light gray cloth, front cover with palm tree in green and brown, spine blocked in brown and green and lettered in white. A near fine copy. With a fine 8 x 5 inch black and white photograph pasted to the front paste-down, signed by Mary Martin. South Pacific is a musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The work premiered in 1949 on Broadway and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot is based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific and combines elements of several of those stories. Rodgers and Hammerstein believed they could write a musical based on Michener's work that would be financially successful and, at the same time, send a strong progressive message on racism. The original Broadway production enjoyed immense critical and box-office success, became the second-longest running Broadway musical to that point (behind Rodgers and Hammerstein's earlier Oklahoma! (1943)), and has remained popular ever since. After they signed Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin as the leads, Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote several of the songs with the particular talents of their stars in mind. The piece won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. Especially in the Southern U.S., its racial theme provoked controversy, for which its authors were unapologetic. Several of its songs, including "Bali Ha'i", "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair", "Some Enchanted Evening", "There Is Nothing Like a Dame", "Happy Talk", "Younger Than Springtime", and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy", have become popular standards. Mary Virginia Martin (1913 -1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (1949), the title character in Peter Pan (1954), and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1959). She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989. She was the mother of actor Larry Hagman.
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Songs by George Harrison

Signed by George Harrison HARRISON, George. [WEST, Keith, illustrator]. Songs by George Harrison. Guildford, Surrey: Genesis Publications Limited, 1987. First edition, first printing, #1,946 of 2,500 copies signed in gold ink by the former Beatle on the limitation leaf. Small quarto (9 11/16 x 6 7/8 inches; 250 x 175 mm.). [1-12], 13-175, [5] pp. With numerous color plates and watercolor illustrations by artist Keith West. With a foreword by Jeff Lynne (ELO, Travelling Wilburys), a middleword by Elton John, and a backword by George Harrison. The lyrics are illustrated in color (including two folding and four 'mounted and tipped-in') by the New Zealand botanical artist Keith West, who impressed Harrison with his wealth of fantastical imagery. Publishers half black morocco over black cloth. Front cover with blind-stamped guitar, rear cover with blind-stamped keyboard. Spine with two raised bands decoratively lettered in gilt, black endpapers with small Keith West bookplate, all edges gilt. Housed in the original black cloth over board clamshell case lettered in gilt on front panel and spine, complete with CD in tray. as issued. Fine. "This edition is limited to two thousand five hundred signed copies of which this is copy number '1946' [signed] 'George Harrison'" (limitation leaf). The CD includes the following tracks: Sat Singing (Recorded March 1980); Lay His Head (Recorded April 1980); For You Blue (Recorded live in Washington DC, December 1974) and Flying Hour (Recorded March 1978). George Harrison MBE (1943-2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian culture and helped broaden the scope of popular music through his incorporation of Indian instrumentation and Hindu-aligned spirituality in the Beatles' work. Although the majority of the band's songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions. His songs for the group include "Taxman", "Within You Without You", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something". Harrison's earliest musical influences included George Formby and Django Reinhardt; subsequent influences were Carl Perkins, Chet Atkins and Chuck Berry.
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  • $2,850
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Sunday in the Park with George

One of Two Hundred and Fifty Copies Signed by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine Together with Typed Letter Signed and a Signed Photograph SONDHEIM, Stephen. LAPINE, James. Sunday in the Park with George. A Musical. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Lapine. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, [1966]. First edition limited to 250 numbered copies signed by Sondheim and Lapine. Small octavo (8 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches; 210 x 140 mm.). [1]-203, [1, blank] pp. Photogravure portrait of Georges Seurat on p. 14. "Of the first edition of Sunday in the Park with George two hundred and fifty copies have been specially bound, numbered, and signed by the authors. This is copy no. "87" [signed] Stephen" Sondheim [&] "James Lapine" (limitation leaf). Publisher's green cloth over boards, spine lettered in gilt. A fine copy in the original green cloth slipcase , front panel with printed paper label. Loosely inserted is a TLS to a Mr. Palmer regarding his request for a signed photograph and also the signed 5 1/4 x 6 1/8 inch black & white photograph signed by Stephen Sondheim. Sunday in the Park with George is a 1983 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (painted, 1884-1886). The plot revolves around George, a fictionalized version of Seurat, who immerses himself deeply in painting his masterpiece, and his great-grandson (also named George), a conflicted and cynical contemporary artist. The Broadway production opened in 1984. The musical won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Tony Awards for design (and a nomination for Best Musical), numerous Drama Desk Awards, the 1991 Olivier Award for Best Musical, and the 2007 Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production. It has enjoyed several major revivals, including the 2005-06 UK production first presented at the Menier Chocolate Factory, its subsequent 2008 Broadway transfer, and a 2017 Broadway revival. Stephen Joshua Sondheim (1930-2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. With his frequent collaborations with Harold Prince and James Lapine, Sondheim's Broadway musicals tackled unexpected themes that ranged beyond the genre's traditional subjects, while addressing darker elements of the human experience. His music and lyrics were tinged with complexity, sophistication, and ambivalence about various aspects of life. James Elliot Lapine (1949-) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.