COWARD, Noël; LAMB, Max

Present Indicative

New York: Doubleday Doran and Company, Inc. 1937. First American Edition of Noël Coward's Autobiography Inscribed by Him on the Front Free Endpaper COWARD, Noël. Present Indicative. New York: Doubleday Doran and Company, Inc. [1937]. First American edition. Octavo (7 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches; 200 x 140 mm.). viii, [1]-371, [1, blank] pp. Illustrated throughout with thirty-one photogravure plates. Publishers blue boards, spine decoratively lettered in gilt. A very good copy in the original printed dust jacket, spine creased and a little worn at extremities. Inscribed on front free endpaper “For Max Lamb with my best wishes Noël Coward” Present Indicative is a 1937 autobiography by Noël Coward. The book was highly acclaimed and became a best seller. It was followed by Future Indefinite. A third volume, Past Conditional, was never completed. "I was photographed naked on a cushion very early in life, an insane, toothless smile slitting my face and pleats of fat overlapping me like an ill-fitting overcoat. Later, at the age of two, I was photographed again. This time in a lace dress, leaning against a garden roller and laughing hysterically. If these photographs can be found they will adorn this book." (part one). Sir Noël Peirce Coward (1899-1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise.

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Book number: 05885

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: LAMB, Max Inscribed Copies Theater

GERSHWIN, George; JABLONSKI, Edward

Gershwin

Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1987. Advance Uncorrected Proof [GERSHWIN, George]. JABLONSKI, Edward. Gershwin. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Comapny, Inc. [1987]. First edition. Advance Uncorrected Proof. Octavo (9 5/8 x 6 5/8 inches; 244 x 168 mm.). [2], [xviii], [1]-419, [1, blank] pp. Publishers pink wrappers, front wrapper and spine lettered in black. A fine copy. Loosely inserted is a typed letter to Lisa Minelli from Harold Kuebler, the senior editor asking her for some quotes. George Gershwin (1898-1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928), the songs "Swanee" (1919) and "Fascinating Rhythm" (1924), the jazz standards "Embraceable You" (1928) and "I Got Rhythm" (1930), and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), which included the hit "Summertime". Edward Jablonski (March 1, 1922 – February 10, 2004) was the author of several biographies on American cultural personalities, such as George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Alan Jay Lerner, and Irving Berlin, as well as books on aviation history. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05862

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: JABLONSKI, Edward Music

HARLOW, Jean; CONWAY, Michael; RICCI, Mark

Films of Jean Harlow, the

New York: The Citadel Press, 1965. “To Paul R. Palmer Cordially Jean Harlow” [HARLOW, Jean]. CONWAY, Michael [&] RICCI, Mark. The Films of Jean Harlow. New York: The Citadel Press, [1965]. First edition. Large quarto (11 x 8 3/8 inches; 280 x 212 mm.). [1]-159, [1, blank] pp. Illustrated throughout in black & white. Publisher’s white cloth over boards, front cover and spine lettered in black. A near fine copy in a very good original pictorial dust jacket. With a fine 10 x 8 inch black & white photograph of the starlet Jean Harlow pasted to the front free endpaper. Inscribed in black ink “To Paul R. Palmer Cordially Jean Harlow”. The inscription is most probably in the hand of Jean Harlow's mother - as was much of her correspondence and autographed photos. Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; 1911-1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the pre-Code era of American cinema. Often nicknamed the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde", Harlow was popular for her "Laughing Vamp" screen persona. Harlow was in the film industry for only nine years, but she became one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars, whose image in the public eye has endured. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Harlow number 22 on its greatest female screen legends of classical Hollywood cinema list. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05841

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: CONWAY, Michael RICCI, Mark Film Signed Photograph

JOHNSON, Samuel

Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets; the

Dublin: Printed for Messrs. Whitestone, Williams, Colles, Wilson-, 1779. First Dublin Edition of Johnson's Lives of the Poets JOHNSON, Samuel. The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets; and a Criticism on Their Works. Dublin: Printed for Messrs. Whitestone, Williams, Colles, Wilson-, 1779, 1781, 1781. First separate edition (preceding the first separate London edition by two years). Three octavo volumes (8 5/8 x 5 1/4 inches; 218 x 133 mm.). [iv], 536; [iv], 496; [iv], 399, 1, blank] pp. Mixed issue of volume 1 with first state "partaking his posterity" (line 3 on page 4) but second state with "Butler" on (headline Q8v). First issue, first state of volumes 2 and 3, without the oval title-page vignettes. Small piece (5/8 x 3/8 inch excised from blank fore-margin of pp. 3/4 in volume 1. Contemporary patterned calf, covers ruled in blind. Rebacked with the original spines laid down. Spines with five raised bands, paneled in gilt, one red and one green morocco label, lettered in gilt. A handsome set, housed in a fleece-lined , brown cloth slipcase. “The second great work with which Johnson’s name is now generally associated is The Lives of the Poets. It was the simplest in style and expression of all his literary labours, the subject appealed to every man of letters in the three kingdoms, and it abounded in anecdote and in criticism” (Courtney & Nichol Smith, p. 129). “Originally entitled Prefaces biographical and critical to the Works of the English Poets, published 1779-81. Johnson was invited in 1777 by a deputation of London booksellers to provide biographical prefaces for an edition of the works of various English poets, from the period of Milton onwards; the selection was made by them, and includes poets of very differing merit. The final total was 52, including 4 minor poets suggested by Johnson himself. When the work was completed the prefaces were issued without the texts as Lives of the Poets” (The Oxford Companion to English Literature). Courtney & Nichol Smith, p. 129. .

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Book number: 05770

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: Eighteenth-Century Literature Irish Literature Poetry

MARCH, Fredric; QUIRK, Lawrence J.

Films of Fredric March, the

New York: The Citadel Press, 1971. Signed on the front free endpaper “Frederic March - 1971” MARCH, Fredric. QUIRK, Lawrence J. The Films of Fredric March. New York: The Citadel Press, [1971]. First edition. Large quarto (11 x 9 1/2 inches; 280 x 240 mm.). [1]-255,[1, blank] pp. Illustrated throughout in black & white. Publisher's black cloth over boards, spine lettered in green. A fine copy in a near fine pictorial dust jacket. Signed on the front free endpaper “Frederic March - 1971”. Fredric March, born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel (1897-1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars of the 1930s and 1940s. As a performer he was known for his versatility. He received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Tony Awards as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and three Emmy Awards. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05840

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: QUIRK, Lawrence J. Signed Copies

MINELLI, Liza; SPADA, James

Judy and Liza

Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1983. With a Signed Photograph of Liza Minnelli MINELLI, Liza. Judy and Liza by James Spader. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1983. First edition. Large quarto (11 x8 1/4 inches; 280 x 235 mm.). [iv], [1]-216 pp. Illustrated throughout with black & white photographs. Publisher's pictorial stiff wrappers. Near fine. With a signed photograph of Liza Minnelli affixed to inside front cover. Loosely inserted is an invitation from Liza Minelli to attend her party to celebrate Michael Feinstein's opening of the New Cafe Mondrian and four guest passes. Liza May Minnelli (1946-) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is one of the very few performers awarded a non-competitive Emmy, Grammy (Grammy Legend Award), Oscar, and Tony. Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05836

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: SPADA, James Film Signed Photograph

MONROE, Marilyn; MAILER, Norman; SCHILLER, Lawrence

Marilyn

New York: Grosset & Dunlap, Inc. 1973. Marilyn - A Biography by Norman Mailer Signed Limited Edition MONROE, Marilyn. Marilyn a Biography by Norman Mailer. Pictures by the world's foremost photographers. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1973]. First Edition, First Printing Stated. Quarto (10 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches; 267 x 235 mm.). [2, signed leaf, verso blank], [1]-270, [1], [1, blank], pp. Photographic illustrations throughout, many in full color. Publisher's padded silk, front cover with title in blind, spine lettered in blank, marbled endpapers. A fine copy. Housed in the publisher's black cloth clamshell case, inset photograph on front panel, marbled paper lining, near fine. A wonderful photo-biography of the late Marilyn Monroe issued more than a decade following her suicide. Among "the world's foremost photographers" represented here: Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, and Eve Arnold. Marilyn Monroe; born Norma Jeane Mortenson (1926-1962) was an American actress, model and singer. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2024) by the time of her death in 1962. Long after her death, Monroe remains a pop culture icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her as the sixth-greatest female screen legend from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Nachem Malech Mailer (1923-2007) known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, playwright, and filmmaker. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer had eleven best-selling books, at least one in each of the seven decades after World War II. Mailer's 1973 biography of Monroe (usually designated Marilyn: A Biography) was not approached as a traditional biography. Mailer read the available biographies, watched Monroe's films, and looked at photographs of Monroe; for the rest of it, Mailer stated, "I speculated. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05834

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: MAILER, Norman SCHILLER, Lawrence Signed Limited Edition Women Film

POTTER, Beatrix; LINDER, Leslie

History of the Writings of Beatrix Potter Including Unpublished Work, A.

London: Warne & Co Ltd. 1971. Inscribed by Leslie Linder to Collector/Dealer, Doris Frohnsdorff [POTTER, Beatrix]. LINDER, Leslie. A History of the Writings of Beatrix Potter Including Unpublished Work. London: Warne & Co Ltd, [Second edition 1971]. Presentation copy “For Doris Frohnsdorff/with best wishes/from Leslie Linder/December 9th 1972” Second edition. Octavo (9 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches: 235 x 165 mm.). xxvi, [1-3], 4-446 pp. With over seventy illustrations in color and over fifty black & white illustrations. Publisher's red rexine over boards, front cover with gilt "lion", spine lettered in gilt. A near fine copy. Loosely inserted are six black & white photographs of three illustrated Beatrix Potter autograph letters dated Jan 13th 99; January 26th 1900; April 24th 1900. With black and white photograph of Beatrix Potter. Leslie Linder (1904-1973), scholar and collector. He studied and collected Beatrix Potter's work at a time when little was known of the artist. His ground-breaking books on Potter's art and writings are still in use today and remain a tribute to his scholarship. Later, he used his large collection to promote the artist's work in the UK and abroad, revealing to the world Potter's multi-faceted talent beyond her storybooks. Perhaps Linder's most significant achievement was to decipher Potter's journal, which she had written in code. When it was finally published in 1966, The Journal of Beatrix Potter was a revelation, uncovering a young woman's reflections on life and her dry sense of humour. A History of the Writings of Beatrix Potter (1971) has remained the standard work since it's publication. On his death in 1973, he left the V&A his unrivalled personal collection of about 2,400 Beatrix Potter drawings, manuscripts and books (many of which were first editions owned by Beatrix or her family), as well as photographs by her father Rupert and a few personal effects. Doris Helen Frohnsdorff (1933-2022), was an active member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) during the 1970s and '80s, issuing catalogues regularly and participating in book fairs throughout North America and the United Kingdom. Her unparalleled collection of Beatrix Potter first editions, artwork, letters, and other rare material drew international interest when it was sold at Christie's East in New York in 1997. .

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Book number: 06132

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: LINDER, Leslie Inscribed Copies Photography

ULLMANN, Liv

Changing

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977. 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). .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05870

Catalogue: Biography

Keywords: Signed Limited Edition Film