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THEATER/THEATRE
A-E F-Me Mi-Z
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]
Early 18th-Century Jonson Collection — At End, a Most
AMBITIOUS Catalogue
(A Jonsonian Trio). Jonson, Ben. [The three celebrated plays of that excellent poet Ben Johnson]. London: Pr. for J. Walthoe, G. Conyers, J. Knapton, et al., 1732. 12mo (16.8 cm, 6.6"). Frontis., 96, 96, 100, 35, [1] pp., without the general title-page.
$800.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Volpone, The Alchemist, and Epicoene: Or, the Silent Woman: Three of Jonson's most popular and enduring comedies, happily followed by “A True and Exact Catalogue of All the Plays and Other Dramatick Pieces, That Were Ever Yet Printed in the English Tongue, in Alphabetical Order.” The plays were also issued separately; and while the title-page giving “The Three Celebrated Plays of That Excellent Poet Ben Jonson,” published by W. Feales, is not present here, the presence of
the Volpone plate (engraved by Jan Van der Gucht) and several pagination errata seem to indicate that this is indeed Feales's omnibus edition.
Provenance: Front pastedown with armorial bookplate (a crowned lion rampant, billetty) labelled “A.C.J.L.”
Binding: Contemporary speckled calf framed and panelled in blind with roll-bordered panel in plain calf, blind-tooled corner fleurons.
ESTC T79993. Binding as above, rebacked some time ago with mottled calf, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label and gilt-ruled raised bands, and gilt floral decorations in compartments; upper corners refurbished, edges and extremities rubbed, hinges (inside) cracked, volume holding. A copy without the general title-page, and with bookplate as above. First and last few leaves (including frontispiece) with offsetting to margins from pastedowns; back free endpaper with a corner torn away; pages age-toned, with some instances of mild foxing.
A nice 18th-century look at Jonson, with the bonus of the contemporary theatrical catalogue. (35449)

A Costume Designer's Interpretation of
Gogol
(A WORKING “DOCUMENT”). Gregory, Anne. [Costume illustration for] The government inspector by Nikolay Gogol. [U.S.]: ca. 1971. (27 cm, 10.65"). 24 col. illus.
$875.00
Click the images for enlargements.
A remarkable album: 24 panels of hand-inked and painted costume designs for a production of Gogol's Government Inspector (a.k.a. The Inspector General, originally Revizor). These delightful designs, slightly reminiscent in style of Jean de Brunhoff's illustrations, convey a great deal of personality; each panel's character is shown in a different pose — including those characters given more than one costume — with a range of expressions portrayed throughout. The images were painted on heavy panels bound together with cloth tape
leporello- or accordion-style, with the entire sequence unfolding as one very long, very impressive strip ABOUT 20 FEET LONG.
Following Anne Gregory's name on the cover here is the designation, “'71,” but its significance has not been established. There was a premiere of Zador's revised operatic version of The Government Inspector at El Camino College in that year, and these do look like they could be operatic costumes; so perhaps the date refers to that production — or, perhaps “Anne Gregory” was to graduate from that institution or another, that year.
As above, cover panels with small smudges, interior panels clean and bright.
A unique and extensive work of art, offering literary, theatrical, and costuming interest in addition to its aesthetic pleasures. (36014)
Entries above are repeated in the
expectable alphabetical
spots below . . .



Aeschylus from the Royal Printer
Aeschylus. [title in Greek, transliterated as] Aischylou Prometheus desmotes, Hepta epi Thebais, Persai, Agamemnon, [Choephoroi], Eumenides, Hiketides. Parisiis: Ex officina Adriani Turnebi Typographi Regii, 1552. 8vo (17 cm, 6.75"). [8], 211, [1] pp.
$1250.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First Turnèbe edition of Aeschylus' complete works, here with a dedication by the French humanist himself and a two-page “Bios Aischylou tou poietou,” following the first Aldine edition of 1518. Adrien Turnèbe (1512–65) was chair of Greek at the College Royal in France and succeeded Robert Estienne as Royal Printer for Greek (although his appointment was contested by Charles Estienne). Here, according to Dibdin, he “very materially” corrected the Aldine text, and added a table of various readings.
The text is printed in mostly single columns using the “Cicero” Greek font of Garamond's grecs du roi, with foliated headpieces and decorative initials at the start of each section and Turnèbe's basilisk device on the title-page; this offering is the variant with A3 and A4 signed. Following the editio princeps, “Agamemnon” and “Choephori” are conflated.Provenance: From the library of American collector Albert A. Howard, small booklabel (“AHA”) at rear of both book and housing.
Adams A263; Mortimer, French 16th-Century Books, 3; Brunet, I, 77; Schreiber, Catalogue 37, no. 2; Dibdin, Greek and Latin Classics, p. 237; Hoffmann, Bibliographisches Lexicon der gesammten Literatur der Griechen, I, p. 32; Gruys Early Printed Editions (1518-1664) of Aeschylus, no. II-3 (p. 31-46). On Turnèbe, see: Renouard, Imprimeurs parisiens. 19th-century speckled calf, board edges with gilt zigzag rolls, all edges speckled red; recently rebacked, top edge darkened, boards worn with loss of most gilt, new endpapers with some discoloration and one pencilled phrase. Housed in a navy blue cloth clamshell case with two gilt red leather spine labels. Title-page and first few leaves affected by two unsuccessful leaf repairs leading to chipping, glue action, and a few tears; remainder of text with several pagination errors, a handful of spots, one edge tear from paper manufacture, and one waterstained bottom corner. Ownership label as above, a few leaves with light marks in pencil, one underline in ink. (38365)

Wayward Wives & Shysters in Disguise
Specifically CALIFORNIAN Comedy
Baer, Warren. The duke of Sacramento. San Francisco: The Grabhorn Press, 1934. 8vo. [12], 77, [1] pp.; illus.
$60.00
Click the images for enlargements.
One of the earliest comedies produced in San Francisco, CA: “Reprinted from the rare edition of 1856, to which is added a sketch of the Early San Francisco Stage by Jane Bissell Grabhorn, and Illustrations by Arvilla Parker.” This is the first volume of the third series of “Rare Americana” from Grabhorn Press; 550 copies were printed.
Publisher's quarter cream textured cloth with light blue fleur-de-lis printed paper sides, spine with printed paper label; lacking the blue dust-wrapper, small spot of staining at head of spine, otherwise a very nice example. (28209)
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Barrow, William. An essay on education; in which are particularly considered the merits and the defects of the discipline and instruction in our academies ... the second edition, corrected and enlarged. London: Pr. for F. & C. Rivington by Bye & Law, 1804. 12mo (17.2 cm, 6.75"). 2 vols. I: xxiv, 342, [2 (1 adv.)]
pp. II: iv, 412 pp.
$500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Barrow, later Archdeacon of Nottingham, originally composed this essay while at Queen’s College, Oxford; it was enlarged for its first publication in 1802 and then again for this second edition. Questions of corporal punishment, religious instruction, early education, the desirability of teaching the classics, and the merits of public schools as opposed to domestic education are addressed; the two new chapters added to this edition consider
dramatic performances in schools (ill-advised and likely to lead to undesirable results, according to the author) and the state of English universities.
NSTC B758. Contemporary half calf with marbled paper–covered sides, spines with later gilt-stamped leather labels; spines slightly darkened, corners and spine extremities rubbed. Pencilled bracketing and marks of emphasis; some light to moderate foxing. (20026)

Deluxe Signed Limited Edition PUBLISHER'S COPY: Life of a Science Fiction Pioneer
(Bradbury, Ray). Weist, Jerry.
BRADBURY: An illustrated life. A journey to far metaphor. Hampton Falls, NH: Donald M. Grant, 2004. Folio (29.2 cm, 11.5"). [36], xxvi, 195, [1] pp.; illus.
$1150.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First, limited edition thus of a visual record of the great Ray Bradbury's career in comics, movies, television, theatre, and literature. This profusely illustrated limited edition includes
32 pages of material not present in the trade edition (incorporated here after the William Morrow title-page dated 2002, marked first edition): the volume opens with the previously unpublished “The Ghosts of Forever: A Film Fantasy,” illustrated by Joseph A. Mugnaini, and “Switch on the Night,” a reproduction of portions of Bradbury's original manuscript bearing his own illustrations. The foreword is by Donn Albright, and the introduction by Bradbury.
Binding: Crimson “snakeskin” leatherette, front cover and spine with decorative gilt-stamped title and creature vignette, housed in matching clamshell case with front cover and spine similarly gilt-stamped.A total of 26 lettered copies were issued in the binding described above. In addition to being
signed by Bradbury and Weist on the title-page, the present example is an
out-of-series copy marked (in red ink, on the title-page) as the publisher's copy.
Binding as above. A beautiful and unique copy of a striking tribute. (33416)

Mr. Brecht, Bring Down This “Fourth Wall”
Brecht, Bertolt. The threepenny opera. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1982. Folio (28.4 cm, 11.2"). 155, [3] pp.; illus.
$125.00
Click the images for enlargements.
This edition of Bertolt Brecht's script for one of the 20th century's most innovative and political musicals is limited to 2,000 copies, of which this is no. 1496. The translation is that of Desmond Vesey, with lyrics rendered in English by Eric Bentley, who also wrote the introduction. The
12 full-page illustrations are reproductions of Jack Levine's etchings of scenes from G.W. Pabst's 1931 film version of The Threepenny Opera, and one three-color lithograph
pulled by Emiliano Sorini specially for this edition. Howard I. Gralla designed the book choosing a 12-point Walbaum font with two points leading-space between the lines.
The colophon is signed by both the designer and the illustrator. This offering includes the monthly newsletter.
Binding: Full black linen, stamped in gold on the front cover from a design by Levine. The slipcase is covered with black paper and bears a gilt title on the spine.
Binding, slipcase, and illustrations all properly evoke the grittiness of the London underworld.
Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by the Limited Editions Club, 529. Bound as above, in publisher's slipcase; black paper peeling slightly at upper spine edge. A fine copy in a near-fine slipcase. (30475)
For more LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB books, click here.

Political / Jurisprudential / Theatrical SATIRE
[Broome, Ralph]. Letters from Simpkin the second to his dear brother in Wales, containing an humble description of the trial of William Hastings, Esq. with Simon's answer. Dublin:P. Byrne & J. Moore, 1788. 8vo (18.5 cm, 7.25"). 46 pp. (lacking half-title).
$325.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First Irish printing, from the same year as the English first: Broome, adopting the persona of a Welsh country bumpkin, mocks Sheridan and other members of Parliament for their proceedings during the trial of William Hastings.
ESTC N2497. Recent marbled-paper wrappers, front wrapper with paper title label. Lacking half-title. Title-page with lower corner neatly off, otherwise in excellent, clean condition. (3247)
For WALES / WELSH, click here.
Chalmers, George. An apology for the believers in the Shakspeare-papers, which were exhibited in Norfolk-Street. London: Thomas Egerton, 1797. 8vo (21.2 cm, 8.4"). iv, 628 pp.; 1 plt.
$600.00
Click the interior image for an enlargement.
First edition of this response to Malone’s Inquiry into the Authenticity of Certain Miscellaneous Papers, an analysis of William Henry Ireland’s now-infamous Shakespearean forgeries. Chalmers, though reluctantly conceding the inauthenticity of the documents, here explains in detail why so many were taken in by the scam — providing much material of interest for both Shakespeare scholars and historians of literary frauds. The volume is illustrated with a facsimile of five Shakespeare signatures, engraved by I. Girtin.
ESTC T138271; Lowndes, II, 404; Allibone, 2036. Recent quarter morocco over marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped title and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments. Title-page and a few others stamped by a now-defunct institution; pages slightly age-toned, one with pencilled underlining/emphasis. (14476)
Chalmers, George. A supplemental apology for the believers in the Shakspeare-papers: Being a reply to Mr. Malone’s answer, which was early announced, but never published. London: Thomas Egerton, 1799. 8vo (21.2 cm, 8.4"). vii, 654, [2] pp.
$400.00
Click the interior image for an enlargement.
First edition of another entry in the debate over William Henry Ireland’s now-infamous Shakespearean forgeries: Chalmers’s final response to the numerous items published during the controversy, in which he reminds readers that he is in agreement regarding the inauthenticity of Ireland’s documents, but disagreement with the scholarship (and pugnacity) of Malone and others.
ESTCT61515; Allibone, 2036; Lowndes, II, 404. Recent quarter morocco over marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped title and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments. Title-page and a few others stamped by a now-defunct institution; pages age-toned. (14475)
For BIBLIO-FRAUD &
FALSE IMPRINTS, click here.

“In Xanadu Did Kulba Khan” & Two Coleridge Heroines — First & Second Editions
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. Christabel, &c. London: Pr. for John Murray by William Bulmer & Co., 1816. 8vo (21.5 cm, 8.4"). [2], [v]–vii, [1], 64 pp. (2 prelim. ff. lacking). [with] Zapolya: A Christmas tale, in two parts. London: Pr. for Rest Fenner by S. Curtis, 1817. 8vo. [6], 128 pp.
$3500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
This is the second edition of “Christabel,” Coleridge's unfinished fantasy about innocent Christabel and her encounter with the ominously mysterious Geraldine, and the
first edition of Zapolya, Coleridge's last dramatic endeavor, which was originally intended for production at Covent Garden. Also present here, following the title piece, are “Kubla Khan” and “The Pains of Sleep.”
NCBEL, III, 217 & 218; NSTC 2C30234 & 2C30269. 19th-century calf framed in single gilt fillet, rebacked with darkening to cover edges especially along spine; new spine with gilt-stamped leather title and author labels and gilt-stamped compartment decorations. Both works lacking half-titles (only). Pages slightly age-toned with occasional instances of faint spotting, otherwise quite clean.
An unusual DOUBLE highlight of Coleridgiana. (33141)

“Un Hombre Como Yo de Tal Nobleza . . . ”
Concha, Josef [José]. Monologo unipersonal titulado: Don Anton el Holgazan. [Madrid]: El Puesto de Josef Sanchez, [ca. 1799-1803]. 4to (21.2 cm, 8.4"). 8 pp.
$150.00
Click the images for enlargements.
This comedia suelta is a monologue in verse, from a once-popular, now rather obscure comic dramatist of the late 18th century. The estimated date of publication comes from WorldCat, which finds
no U.S. institutional holdings of this uncommon piece.
Removed from a nonce volume, upper edges untrimmed; waterstaining to lower inner portion throughout, and light foxing.
A scarce find. (36584)

Illustrations
& Design by
T.M.
Cleland
Congreve, William. The way of the world. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1959. Small folio. [1 (blank)] p., [1 (blank)] f., [1], illus. double-spread title-page, [1], vii-xxiii, [1], 108, [2 (1 blank)] pp., [1 (blank)] f., [1 (blank)] p.; illus.
$60.00

"To most people, "Restoration Comedy" calls to mind what is raciest in English literature, and what may indeed be rankest," writes Louis Kronenberger in his introduction to this edition (limited to 1500 copies) of William Congreve's The Way of the World. He continues, "But it is not only that the plays abound in obscenity and sexual license, that there hovers over them a sense of the dissolute; it is that their plots pivot on trickery and wiles, that there overhangs them a sense of deceit." This worldliness is certainly present in Congreve's play, the pinnacle of Restoration comedy, first produced in 1700.
T.M. Cleland illustrated the book with 16 hand-colored drawings of actors in period costume performing scenes from the play; he also designed it, choosing a monotype Janson font and a full maroon linen binding elaborately and charmingly blind-embossed on both covers. A contrastingly simple black leather spine label is stamped in gold with author and title.
This offering includes the monthly newsletter and mailing notice. T.M. Cleland signs the colophon.
Limited Editions Club, Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by The Limited Editions Club, 1929-1985, 301. A fine copy with the slipcase.

Bridgewater Library Set
Corneille, Pierre. Le theatre de P. Corneille. Paris: Gandouin, 1738. 8vo. 5 vols. in 6.
$425.00
Bearing an enormous armorial bookplate. A late edition.
Contemporary calf. Gilt spines, rebacked and original spines reapplied. Spines very dry, chipped with some loss and lacking title labels, but with new volume labels. (2927)
For BOOKS IN FRENCH, click here.

“Then On to Meet Gaspar Maillol”
Craig, Edward Gordon. Gordon Craig's Paris diary, 1932–1933. North Hills, PA: Bird & Bull Press, 1982. Small 4to (22 cm; 8.625"). 154 pp., [1 (colophon)] f., col. facsims.
$125.00
Click the images for enlargements.
As the on-line Britannica succinctly summarizes him, Craig (1872–1966) was an “actor, theatre director–designer, producer, and theorist who influenced the development of the theatre in the 20th century.” He was also the son of actress Ellen Terry.
First printing. The diary has been reduced in length by about one-third for publication and edited by Colin Franklin. It covers a low point in Craig's life, but is detailed and tells of his friends Beerbohm, Isadora Duncan, Lovat Fraser, and others; the more offensive anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi comments were omitted.
“Three hundred fifty copies of tYay!his book have been printed at the Bird & Bull Press in March 1982. The text is composed in Baskerville types by Mackenzie-Harris Corp., printed on mouldmade Bugrabutten paper and bound by Gray Parrot. This is copy No. 149.”
FYI: Original publication price was $160.
And it's still a lovely book.
Heaney, Thirty years of Bird & Bull, A34. Publisher's quarter tan goat with tan and white paper sides. Clean and fresh. (36133)

Bite-Sized
Theatrical Morsels
in
Fancy
Dress — Signed
Bindings
Cruz, Ramón de la. Sainetes de D. Ramón de la Cruz. Barcelona: Biblioteca “Arte y Letras” E. Domenech y Ca., 1882. 8vo (20.5 cm, 8"). 2 vols. I: [4], xliii, [1], 338, [2] pp.; 16 plts. (some incl. in pagination). II: [4], 343, [5] pp.; 5 plts.
$275.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Resplendent
collection of
clever, satiric 18th-century theatrical vignettes, originally intended to be
performed as intermedios during longer plays. The pieces, which include
“La Comedia de Maravillas,” “El Café de Máscaras,”
“La Duda Satisfecha,” “Manolo,” and many others, appear
here illustrated with
21
plates and numerous in-text engravings by José Llovera
and A. Lizcano, most depicting lively social scenes, musicians, dancers, and
flirtatious maidens. Although the second volume contains fewer plates than the
first, it makes up for the difference with extra in-text images.
Signed Binding: Publisher's teal pebbled cloth, front covers with striking chariot and armorial scene in light blue, tan, and gilt. The “Cibeles” statue found in Madrid's Cibeles Plaza and the coat of arms (and gilt monogram) of the city of Madrid appear with de la Cruz's name stamped in gilt below; spines offer gilt-stamped title and black-stamped griffin decoration. Cover of vol. II is signed “J. Orba.” All page edges are stamped in a Greek key pattern in blue and gilt.
Provenance:
Half-titles each with old-fashioned rubber-stamp of José Carmona y
Ramos.
Palau 65340. Bindings as above, edges and extremities
showing minor shelfwear, back cover of vol. I with small spots of faint discoloration,
front joint of vol. II rubbed. Collector's stamp as above, each front pastedown
with small paper label bearing hand-inked numeral. Pages age-toned; edges
slightly embrittled, occasionally with small chips or short tears. Scattered
light smudges in vol. I; vol. II with mild to moderate foxing.
A
peacocky set. (29262)
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more books in handsome PUBLISHER'S CLOTH, click
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An 1892 YALE Dissertation
Davidson, Charles. Studies in the English mystery plays. A thesis presented to the Philosophical Faculty of Yale University. New Haven: Yale University, 1892. 8vo. 174 pp.
$30.00
Doctoral thesis analyzing religious drama.
Fair in printed paper wrappers, front cover torn nearly in half. (438)

Her ABCs with
Wit & Glamor!
Dietrich, Marlene. Marlene Dietrich’s ABC. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., (1984). 8vo (21.6 cm, 8.5"). vii, 183 pp.; illus.
$400.00
Click the images for enlargements.
One of 250 copies and signed by Marlene Dietrich: The famous German actress, singer and humanitarian
presents the alphabet in her own unique and witty way. Each letter gets its own following list of her favorite words, names, and things beginning with it, with her own definition/impression of each one; at times her observations cover several pages, other times her aphorisms are a single line. For “glamour,” she writes, “The which I would like to know the meaning of”; for “camera”: “A friend of mine. We understood each other.” This is the revised edition, with additions to the text and photographs.
Dietrich (1901–92) was an active performer for much of the 20th century; she reinvented her image many times — going from film actor to humanitarian during World War II to cabaret artist — and maintained her popularity and glamorous image throughout the years. In 1947, she received the Medal of Freedom for her work supporting Allied troops.
The volume includes a section of black-and-white photographs of Dietrich in various roles and with co-stars and friends.
Signed by Dietrich on the front free endpaper, where the book is also numbered (94).
Publisher's white cloth with gilt lettering to spine; original pink pictorial dust jacket present with faded spine, light wear to corners, minor creasing and rubbing to front panel with short tears to upper edge, and small piercing at front joint.
Volume under jacket, pristine. (37966)

“WOMEN'S THEATER” — San Francisco 1923
Dramatic-Musical Society of San Francisco. [drop-title] The Dramatic-Musical Society of San Francisco. Seventh performance of the 19221923 season. Friday, April 20, 1923 at 2:30 o'clock. San Francisco: Dramatic Musical Society, 1923. 8vo. [1] f. (verso blank).
$75.00
Program and cast of characters for “The Knave of Hearts” by Louise Saunders and “The Unseen” by Alice Gerstenberg, two plays by women dramatists with all-female casts.
Fine. (19234)
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An Artist's View of the
Early Development of American Art
Dunlap, William. History of the rise and progress of the arts of design in the United States. New York: George P. Scott & Co., 1834. 8vo (24.6 cm, 9.7"). 2 vols. I: 435, [1] pp.; 1 facs. II: viii, 480 pp.
$450.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition. Dunlap (1766–1839) was “one of the first
outstanding figures of the American stage” according to the Oxford
Companion to the Theatre; sent to London to study painting with Benjamin
West, he found the lure of the theatre more compelling and eventually became
a playwright, manager of New York’s
Park Theatre, and vice president of the National Academy
of Design. Here reverting to his first “life,” he provides interesting
biographical accounts, full of anecdotes and personal observations, of numerous
prominent American artists and their works. Vol. I features a facsimile of an
autograph bill of sale, for portraits, by John Singleton Copley.
On Dunlap, see: Oxford Companion to the Theatre, 211.
American Imprints 24237; BAL 5026; Howes D571; Sabin 21303.
Publisher's quarter green diced cloth and tan paper–covered sides,
spines with gilt-stamped title; edges and extremities rubbed, corners bumped,
spines sunned, sides with spots of staining and discoloration. Front hinges
(inside) tender. Ex–social club library: spines with paper shelving
labels, front pastedowns with 19th-century bookplates and inked shelving numbers,
title-pages and one other in each volume rubber-stamped, no other markings.
Some outer corners of vol. II lightly waterstained; a very few instances of
small spots of staining. (27558)
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ART REFERENCE, click here.
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