ALLEN, Harvey

Anthony Adverse

New York: Farrar and Rinehart, Inc. 1933. Publishers Weekly best-selling novel in the US for 1933 & 1934 ALLEN, Harvey. Anthony Adverse. Decorations by Allan McNab. New York: Farrar and Rinehart, Inc. 1933. First edition, first printing. Octavo (8 1/2 x 6 inches; 216 x 152 mm.). [xii], [1]-1224 pp. Title-page printed in blue & black. Publisher's blue cloth, front cover bordered and titled in gilt, spine lettered in gilt. Original printed dust jacket with $3.00 on front flap, spine slightly darkened, extremities of inside fold neatly strengthened. A good copy. The novel contains three volumes: The Roots of the Tree, The Other Bronze Boy and The Lonely Twin, and each volume contains three "books", making for nine books in total. The story follows the eponymous protagonist, Anthony Adverse, through several adventures around the world. This includes slave trading in Africa, his business dealings as a plantation owner in New Orleans, and his incarceration and eventual death in Mexico. The novel was the Publishers Weekly best-selling novel in the United States for two consecutive years: 1933 and 1934. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05781

Catalogue: Modern Firsts

Keywords: Voyages and Travels

CHAPLIN, Charles

My Auto-Biography

London: The Bodley Head, 1964. Inscribed by Charlie Chaplin to his Friend Sam Joseph CHAPLIN, Charles. My Auto-Biography. London: The Bodley Head, [1964]. First edition. Inscribed in black ink on the front free endpaper "To E. Joseph.-/Your friend/Charles Chaplin/Sept 30th 64". Octavo (8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches; 216 x 140 mm.). [xiv], 545, [1, blank] pp. Publisher's red cloth over boards, front cover and spine lettered in gilt. Original dust jacket, spine very slightly darkened. A fine copy in an almost fine dust jacket. The recipient was actually Sam Joseph the partner of Jack Joseph in the renowned bookshop E. Joseph in the famous book street Charing Cross Road. Sam Joseph (1895-1985) married the actress Binnie Barnes (1903-1998) in 1931. Soon after he left the book business and he and Binnie Barnes moved to Hollywood where she appeared in many movies including The Private Life of Henry VIII, in which she had a leading role as his fifth wife Katherine Howard. Their marriage ended in 1936 and Sam returned to London and went back into the book business with his brother Jack. It was during the years in Hollywood that Sam and Binnie became friends with Chaplin who would occasionally visit the bookshop when he was in London. When My Autobiography was published in September 1964, Chaplin visited the bookshop and gave Sam this inscribed copy. Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE (16 April 1889 - 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, "The Tramp", and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy. In 1919, Chaplin co-founded the distribution company United Artists, which gave him complete control over his films. His first feature-length film was The Kid (1921), followed by A Woman of Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). He initially refused to move to sound films in the 1930s, instead producing City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) without dialogue. He became increasingly political, and his first sound film was The Great Dictator (1940), which satirized Adolf Hitler. The 1940s were a decade marked with controversy for Chaplin, and his popularity declined rapidly. He was accused of communist sympathies, and some members of the press and public found his involvement in a paternity suit, and marriages to much younger women, scandalous. An FBI investigation was opened, and Chaplin was forced to leave the United States and settle in Switzerland. He abandoned the Tramp in his later films, which include Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight (1952), A King in New York (1957), and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, and composed the music for most of his films. He was a perfectionist, and his financial independence enabled him to spend years on the development and production of a picture. His films are characterized by slapstick combined with pathos, typified in the Tramp's struggles against adversity. Many contain social and political themes, as well as autobiographical elements. He received an Honorary Academy Award for "the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century" in 1972, as part of a renewed appreciation for his work. He continues to be held in high regard, with The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator often ranked on lists of the greatest films of all time. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 04906

Catalogue: Modern Firsts

Keywords: Actors Biography Inscribed Copies Theater

DIETZ, Howard

Dancing in the Dark

New York: Quadrangle, 1974. With an Inscribed Photograph of Howard Dietz DIETZ, Howard. Dancing in the Dark. Words by Howard Dietz. New York: Quadrangle, [1974]. With a signed photograph of Howard Dietz inscribed "To Paul R. Palmer. Howard Dietz" pasted to the front free endpaper. First edition. Octavo (9 1/4 x 6 inches; 235 x 152 mm.). [xiv], [1]-370 pp. Illustrated throughout with black & white photogravures. Publisher's blue boards, spine lettered in silver, printed dust jacket. A fine copy. "Dancing in the Dark" is a popular American song, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz, that was introduced by John Barker with Tilly Losch dancing in the 1931 revue The Band Wagon. The song was first recorded by Bing Crosby on August 19, 1931 with Studio Orchestra directed by Victor Young, staying on the pop charts for six weeks, peaking at #3, and helping to make it a lasting standard. Howard Dietz (1896-1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05874

Catalogue: Modern Firsts

Keywords: Music Songs Theater Signed Photograph

RATTIGAN, Terence

Ross a Dramatic Portrait

London: Hamish Hamilton, 1960. Inscribed by Terence Rattigan RATTIGAN, Terence. Ross. A Dramatic Portrait. London: Hamish Hamilton, [1960]. First edition, inscribed by the author "To David Brass/With every good wish,/Terence Rattigan." Small octavo (7 1/4 x 4 13/16 inches; 180 x 123 mm.). [1]-122 pp. Publisher's red paper cloth over boards, spine lettered in silver. Original pictorial dust jacket, spine slightly darkened and with a few short tears at extremities. A near fine copy. The original 1960 production starred Alec Guinness as Lawrence, Harry Andrews as Allenby and Gerald Harper as Dickinson. The play opened on May 12th, 1960 at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London's West End. It was well reviewed, and ran for almost two years (making it Rattigan's second most commercially successful play, after While the Sun Shines). Michael Bryant replaced Guinness as Lawrence late in the show's run. Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan CBE (10 June 1911 - 30 November 1977) was a British dramatist. He was one of England's most popular mid 20th century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background. He wrote The Winslow Boy (1946), The Browning Version (1948), The Deep Blue Sea (1952) and Separate Tables (1954), among many others. A troubled homosexual who saw himself as an outsider, Rattigan mostly wrote plays which centered on issues of sexual frustration, failed relationships, and a world of repression and reticence. Rattigan was fascinated with the life and character of T. E. Lawrence. In 1960 he wrote a play called Ross, based on Lawrence's exploits. Preparations were made to film it, and Dirk Bogarde accepted the role. However, it did not proceed because the Rank Organization withdrew its support, not wishing to offend David Lean and Sam Spiegel, who had started to film Lawrence of Arabia. David Brass is an antiquarian bookseller whose shop E. Joseph in Charing Cross Road, London was frequently visited by Terence Rattigan in the sixties. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 04907

Catalogue: Modern Firsts

Keywords: Inscribed Copies Plays