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Published by Alfred a Knopf Inc, USA, 1990
ISBN 10: 0394583396ISBN 13: 9780394583396
Seller: SAVERY BOOKS, Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Book First Edition
Hard Boards. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good PLUS. First Edition. HARDBACK IN JACKET 1990. 354 pages with index. 24x17.5cm. A LITTLE FOXING. Clean & tight. No inscriptions. Flat pages. Dispatched ROYAL MAIL FIRST CLASS with TRACKING next working day or sooner securely boxed in cardboard. ref RTSNZ .The Life and Times of Porgy and Bess: The Story of an American Classic by Hollis Alpert.
Published by Chappell / Elm Tree Books, London, 1978
ISBN 10: 0903443317ISBN 13: 9780903443319
Seller: Godley Books, Hyde, United Kingdom
Book First Edition
Soft Cover. Condition: Very Good (+). First Edition. Very neat bookplate of previous owner inside front cover. No marks or inscriptions. Very tiny creases to upper front and lower rear corners of covers. A lovely clean very tight copy with unmarked slightly sunned boards and no bumping to corners. This superb book starts with a brief history of the production of the musical Porgy and Bess, written by George and Ira Gershwin and by DuBose Heyward. It gives the Cast and Credits of the 1935 production at the Alvin Theatre, New York, details of the revival in 1953, the Cast and Credits of the 1959 Samuel Goldwyn motion picture directed by Otto Preminger starring Disney Poitier and of the 1976 production at the Uris Theatre, New York. With a wealth of black & white photographs and film posters plus the music and lyrics of every one of the songs. 128pp. We do not use stock photos, the picture displayed is of the actual book for sale. Every one of our books is in stock in the UK ready for immediate delivery. Size: 11.75 x 8.75 inches.
Published by Heinemann, Melbourne, Toronto, London, 1957
Seller: McGonigles', Cerne Abbas, United Kingdom
Book First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. 1st Edition. Red cloth hard cover with only very minor wear to spine ends, and silver titles on spine. Unclipped dust jacket, price 13s 6d net, has worn edges with multiple small chips and a few larger tears, only fair condition. Inside front cover is a discrete 1957 inscription, and 178 clean pages. This 1st edition published in 1957 is in very good condition with only fair dust jacket.
Published by Heinemann, London &etc/ 1957. First edition., 1957
Seller: Much Ado Books, Alfriston, SUSSE, United Kingdom
First Edition
Hardback. Very Good, without dust jacket.
Publication Date: 1957
Seller: Addyman Books, Hay-on-Wye, United Kingdom
First Edition
First edition UK. Heinemann, London. 1957. Red cloth, silver type to spine. No DW. Pale ring stains and some soiling to cloth of upper board; spine ends sl. rubbed.
Published by Gershwin Publishing Corporation, New York, 1935
Seller: About Books, Henderson, NV, U.S.A.
First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good EX-LIBRARY. No jacket. New York: Gershwin Publishing Corporation, 1935. Uncommon in a hardcover binding. Very Good EX-LIBRARY. Professionally rebound in sturdy blue cloth, lettered in white on the spine. 9" wide by 11.75" tall. A solid working copy, especially desirable for those who prefer a hardcover binding. This is a large, heavy book that will be sent by MEDIA MAIL. Priority and International shipment are also available, but ONLY by special arrangement, and at significantly greater cost. Moderate finger soil on the endpapers and edges of the text block. Pencil notes on a few early pages only. Otherwise pages are clean and unmarked. WITHDRAWN stamp on the rear endpaper. NO pocket. Frontispiece photos of George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, and Du Bose Heyward. First Edition? No date of publication is indicated. The title page reads, in part: "Porgy and Bess. Vocal Score $12.00. Gershwin Publishing Corporation, Sole Selling Agent, Chappell & Co., Inc., 609 Fifth Avenue, New York 17, N.Y." . 1st ed? (No additional printings listed). Oversize Hardcover. Very Good EX-LIBRARY/No jacket. 559pp. 1st ed? (No additional printings listed).
Published by William Heinemann Ltd., London, 1957
Seller: McGonigles', Cerne Abbas, United Kingdom
Book First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Red cloth hard cover with silver titles on spine, and no significant cover wear. Unclipped dust jacket is in protective sleeve, price 13s 6d net, and has worn edges with several edge tears, but remains good to very good condition. Clean interior with 178 pages and no inscriptions. Published in 1957 this 1st UK edition with scarce dust jacket is in very good to fine condition.
Published by Zürich: Hug und Söhne AG; 1953, 1953
Seller: °ART...on paper - 20th Century Art Books, Lugano, Switzerland
Association Member: ILAB
Book First Edition
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Grand 8° - 15pp - b/w photographic reproductions. Theatre programme of the 1953 production of George Gershwin 'Porgy and Bess' opera by Robert Breen, staged in Zurich. Cover features reproduction of the opera's 1953 advertisement by Heinrich Steiner. Contains brief synopsis of the opera (music by G. Gershwin, text by D. B. Heyward and I. Gershwin) and photographs of the staged production. Detailed information on the production itself. First edition. Very good condition.
Published by Random House, New York, 1956
Book First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Random House. New York. 1956. 182 pages. First edition, first printing stated. Book is tight and clean. Binding and hinges are strong and sound. Pages lay tight. Slate blue topstain. Vintage name/address with 2-number zip code neatly written on FFEP. Minor wear to silver box on front panel. Original DJ with $3.00 price intact on flap. Minor rubbing at crown and heel. Slight rubbing with minor soiling. A tight and clean copy with flaws noted. VG+/VG.
[African American Literature] Heyward, Du Bose. "Porgy." New York: George H. Doran Company, 1925. First hardcover edition, second printing. Hardcover in original orange cloth binding, but no dust jacket. 196 pages, 5.5" x 7.5." Contains black-and-white illustrations by Theodore Nadejen. Novel tells the story of Porgy, a disabled beggar who lives in the black tenements of Charleston, South Carolina in the 1920s. At various points throughout the novel, characters speak in Gullah, a creole language developed among enslaved African Americans. This book served as the basis for George Gershwin's critically acclaimed opera, Porgy and Bess. Previous owner's name blacked out on front endpaper. Very good condition.
Published by Merle Armtage., NP, 1938
First Edition
Softcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. First Edition; First Printing. Souvenir program for the first revival of George Gershwin's operatic masterpiece staged in Los Angeles and San Francisco in 1938 in the pattern of director Rouben Mamoulian original production. Very good+ in yellow oversize printed wrappers. (9" X 12") (22pp. ) (Couple short edge tears and traces of mild shelf-soiling. ) Features several photographs of the principal artists involved as well Gershwin and others. Surprisingly uncommon. ; 9" X 12"; 22 pages.
Published by Gershwin Publishing Corporation, 1935
Seller: Reilly Books, Richmond, VA, U.S.A.
Book First Edition
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. The Theatre Guild presents Porgy and Bess. Music by George Gershwin, Libretto by Du Bose Heyward, Lyrics by Du Bose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, Settings by Sergei Soudeikine, Orchestra Conductor Alexander Smallens, Production Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. [Piano-vocal score]. Small folio. Original publisher's stiff printed grey wrappers with black cloth spine. 4ff. (photographic portrait; r. title, v. woodcut illustration of donkey pulling a man in a cart; r. Index of Scenes, v. Cast of Characters, Index of Songs; r. Story of Porgy and Bess, v. dedication), 559 (music), [i] (blank) pp. First Edition, second issue with the index of songs and without the capitalization of "Negro," in the fourth line of the story. Light soiling to covers, moderate bump/creasing to lower right rear corner. Considerably better condition than most examples of this surprisingly scarce publication.
Published by New York: Gershwin Publishing Corporation, [1935]. First edition, second issue. Fuld p.539. *, 1935
Seller: Travis & Emery Music Bookshop ABA, London, United Kingdom
Sheet Music First Edition
4to (30 x 22cm). 559 pages. Grey wrappers, slightly worn, with black cloth backstrip, frayed at head and foot. 5cm triangular tear to corner of frontis, not affecting portrait. Fourth line of Story does not include capitalization of "Negro". Has index of songs. (N.B. Fuld p.539 says the first edition was deposited with the Library of Congress in September 1935, so it predates the "Limited first edition" which says on page 561 "printed in October 1935").
Published by New York: Gershwin Publishing Corporation, [1935]. First edition, second issue. Fuld p.539. *, 1935
Seller: Travis & Emery Music Bookshop ABA, London, United Kingdom
Sheet Music First Edition
4to (30 x 22cm). 559 pages. Grey wrappers, black cloth backstrip, covers scuffed with a few stains. Frontis. Fourth line of Story does not include capitalization of "Negro". Has index of songs. (N.B. Fuld p.539 says the first edition was deposited with the Library of Congress in September 1935, so it predates the "Limited first edition" which says on page 561 "printed in October 1935").
Published by Heinemann, London, 1957
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
First Edition
Softcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Uncorrected proof of the first English edition. Modest staining to the bottom page edges and one small tear, thus very good in a good, oversize proof dustwrapper (that differs slightly from the finished jacket) with chipping at the crown.
Published by NY: RANDOM HOUSE. 1959, 1959
First Edition Signed
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. First Edition. First edition. SIGNED by producer Samuel Goldwyn on front end-paper below a medley of photo images from his honored films. Close to fine in thin, full-color, laminated boards , without dust jacket as originally issued. (A few mild hints of shelf-wear to edges of covers. ) An uncommon signature among the short list of upper echelon Hollywood producers.
Published by Random House, New York, 1935
Seller: ERIC CHAIM KLINE, BOOKSELLER (ABAA ILAB), Santa Monica, CA, U.S.A.
First Edition Signed
Hardcover. Condition: Very good condition. Limited First Edition. 7/250 Signed by George and Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and Rouben Mamoulian on colophon at rear. Folio. (12) 559 (1)pp. Original full red morocco with blind-stamped publisher's device on cover and blind-stamped lettering on spine; raised bands. Housed in original raffia-covered slipcase. Top edges gilt. Silk straw weave endpapers. Color frontispiece and color-illustrated title page by George Biddle, and publisher's device. The opera, an adaptation of Heyward's 1925 novel Porgy, opened on September 30, 1935, at Boston's Colonial Theatre. A daring artistic choice at the time, featuring a cast of classically trained African-American singers, it did not recoup its investment. Today it is viewed as Gershwin's masterpiece and an important work in the development of American musical theatre. The premiere was preceded by an adaptation of Heyward's novel by the play "Porgy" by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward, opening in 1927. Not until 1976, in a Houston Grand Opera revival production, did the opera gain acclaim and popularity. Now it is one of the best known and most frequently performed modern operas. In 1959 it was adapted as a musical film, directed by Otto Preminger. Slipcase with some light wear to raffia fiber and corners. Binding with very light wear at corners and spine, here lightly darkened. Missing leather labels on cover and spine.
Published by Random House, New York, 1935
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
First Edition Signed
Deluxe limited edition of Porgy and Bess, number 55 of only 250 copies signed by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian.ÂFolio, original full red morocco, raised bands, top edge gilt, illustrated. In very good condition with light rubbing and wear. Gershwin read Porgy in 1926 and proposed that he should collaborate with Heyward on Porgy and Bess. In 1934, Gershwin and Heyward began work on the project by visiting the author's native Charleston. Gershwin explained why he called Porgy and Bess a folk opera in a 1935 New York Times article: "Porgy and Bess is a folk tale. Its people naturally would sing folk music. When I first began work in the music I decided against the use of original folk material because I wanted the music to be all of one piece. Therefore I wrote my own spirituals and folksongs. But they are still folk music â " and therefore, being in operatic form, Porgy and Bess becomes a folk opera." Today, Porgy and Bess is widely considered to be Gershwinâ s masterpiece. This deluxe edition of the piano-vocal score (according to Fuld, no orchestral score has ever been published) was published in 1935, the year of Porgy and Bess premiere, almost simultaneously with the first edition, and is boldly signed on the limitation page (at the rear) by George and Ira Gershwin and the other principal creators of Porgy and Bess: librettist DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian (Fuld, 539).
Published by Random House, New York, 1935
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
First Edition Signed
Limited First Edition. Limited edition. Copy 56 of only 250 signed by composer George Gershwin, lyricist Ira Gershwin, author of the original novel and the play itself Dubose Heyward, and director Rouben Mamoulian. [xii], 559, [3] pp. Publisher's full red morocco, titles blindstamped on spine, top edge gilt, housed in the elusive raffia-covered slipcase. Spine label mostly gone, else Near Fine with front label fully intact, leather a little soiled. Internally pristine. Slipcase shows a few repairs,worn but in better shape than generally found. A deluxe signed edition of the classic music of the popular English-language opera with all African American characters, featuring oft-covered songs like "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," and "I Loves You, Porgy." It was based on Heyward's novel-turned-play Porgy, which he wrote with his wife Dorothy. The story is set in the Cabbage Row area of Charleston, South Carolina in the 1920s.
Published by Random House, New York, 1935
Seller: Argosy Book Store, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.
First Edition Signed
hardcover. Condition: near fine. Limited. Libretto by Dubose Heyward; Lyrics by Dubose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. Frontispiece and title page decoration by George Biddle. Small folio, full red leather. New York: Random House, 1935. Limited First Edition. The black leather labels are missing, as is often the case, otherwise near fine in a good slipcase. One of 250 copies, autographed by both Gershwins, Heyward, and Rouben Mamoulian, the director. A near fine copy in the original raffia slipcase, which is roughed up on the spine.
Published by Random House, New York, 1935
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
First Edition Signed
Deluxe limited edition of Porgy and Bess, number 162 of only 250 copies signed by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian.ÂFolio, original full red morocco, raised bands, top edge gilt, illustrated. In near fine in the rare original slipcase. Gershwin read Porgy in 1926 and proposed that he should collaborate with Heyward on Porgy and Bess. In 1934, Gershwin and Heyward began work on the project by visiting the author's native Charleston. Gershwin explained why he called Porgy and Bess a folk opera in a 1935 New York Times article: "Porgy and Bess is a folk tale. Its people naturally would sing folk music. When I first began work in the music I decided against the use of original folk material because I wanted the music to be all of one piece. Therefore I wrote my own spirituals and folksongs. But they are still folk music â " and therefore, being in operatic form, Porgy and Bess becomes a folk opera." Today, Porgy and Bess is widely considered to be Gershwinâ s masterpiece. This deluxe edition of the piano-vocal score (according to Fuld, no orchestral score has ever been published) was published in 1935, the year of Porgy and Bess premiere, almost simultaneously with the first edition, and is boldly signed on the limitation page (at the rear) by George and Ira Gershwin and the other principal creators of Porgy and Bess: librettist DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian (Fuld, 539).
Published by New York: Random House, 1935, 1935
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
First Edition Signed
First edition, signed limited issue, number 229 of 250 copies bound in publisher's full red morocco and signed by George and Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, and Rouben Mamoulian, this copy in exceptional condition, the vulnerable spine labels present in entirely unrestored condition. In summer 1926, and in one sitting, George Gershwin read DuBose Heyward's 1925 novel Porgy, about the Gullah community in South Carolina. "The potential of this book to become the basis of a powerful opera - his opera - jumped out at him. In the morning, he wrote to Heyward saying they ought to get together to discuss the idea" (Rimler, p, 21). The immediate plan to adapt it into an opera was curtailed by Heyward's wife first adapting the novel as a stage play, Porgy and Bess, which opened in 1927. It was not until 1933 that Heyward and Gershwin settled on doing the adaptation, with the agreement on 3 November 1933 that "Gershwin would write the score, Heyward the libretto, and that Heyward and Ira would collaborate on the lyrics" (ibid.). On its opening night, 30 September 1935, Boston's Colonial Theatre gave the performance "a fifteen-minute standing ovation", and the work is now considered Gershwin's masterpiece. "Combining the dramatic structure of opera and the musical style of jazz and Tin Pan Alley, the work was especially important in the development of American musical theater. Although it did not recoup its investment, Porgy and Bess was an outstanding achievement that brought black singers to the Broadway stage in significant roles" (American National Biography). Walter Rimler, George Gershwin: An Intimate Portrait, 2009. Quarto (311 x 230 mm). Original red morocco, spine lettered in blind with raised bands, black morocco label to front board lettered in gilt, with publisher's device in blind, top edge gilt, silken straw weave endpapers. Housed in the original raffia-covered slipcase. Colour frontispiece and pictorial title page by George Biddle. Bookseller's ticket to rear pastedown of Frank Rosengren, San Antonio, Texas. Spine toned, small chip to second spine label, slight contact discolouration to front and rear blanks from endpapers, light wear to fragile raffia slipcase. A superior copy.
Publication Date: 1935
Seller: Bauman Rare Books, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
First Edition Signed
First Edition. "GERSHWIN, George. Porgy and Bess. An Opera in Three Acts. By George Gershwin. Libretto by DuBose Heyward. Lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. Production Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. New York: Random House, 1935. Folio, original full red morocco, raised bands, black leather label on front cover, top edge gilt. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $48,500.Deluxe limited edition of the piano-vocal score of Porgy and Bess, number 103 of only 250 copies signed by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, and director Rouben Mamoulian, additionally inscribed by Gershwin to his lover Kay Swift, who was intimately involved in the composition of the piece: "For Kay / Best / George / Nov. 1 1935." According to Ohl, "best," their code word for "love," allowed them to be discreet.This deluxe edition of the piano-vocal score (according to Fuld, no orchestral score has ever been published) was published in 1935, the year of Porgy and Bess premiere, almost simultaneously with the first edition, and is boldly signed on the limitation page (at the rear) by George and Ira Gershwin and the other principal creators of Porgy and Bess: librettist DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian. Fuld, 539. The recipient, Kay Swift, met Gershwin in 1925. A highly educated beauty of prominent social position, she was not yet known as a songwriter (her first big hit would be in 1929, with "Can't We Be Friends"). "If one measures by the dedication of his Song-Book to her, his generous gifts of paintings, manuscripts, and other keepsakes that betokened affection, plus the many hours he spent with her, Gershwin obviously had a special place in his heart for Kay Swift With Kay, Gershwin probably came as close to settling down with one woman as he ever did" (Schwarz, 190). Swift was extensively involved with the composition of Porgy and Bess, almost from the beginning: Swift was Gershwin's guest at the premiere of the play version (by Heyward's wife). When composing the opera much of which occurred at a cottage on Swift's country estate Swift was often (in her words) Gershwin's "soundboard" for new ideas. "'He'd call me and tell me to rush over to play the orchestra part of a song. He couldn't sing. Neither could Ira. But we'd all sing Ira's or DuBose Heyward's lyrics, sounding like a chorus of crows Each day, as the work grew, a few of us Bill Daly, his close friend and favorite conductor, and myself, Ira, of course, and DuBose Heyward, who wrote the libretto as well as some of the lyrics, were probably present much of the time. It was thrilling to hear the themes develop, the recitatives build into such an inevitable part of the score that they flowed as naturally as spoken words would. The whole sparkled with a fantastic quality of imagination She also had an even more direct part in the opera's development. In addition to listening, singing, and playing the work in progress, Swift sometimes notated portions of pieces for Gershwin, evidently to expedite his later work on the compositions. He believed she wrote faster and more neatly than she could." Extensive portions of the original manuscript (now in the Gershwin collection at the Library of Congress) are in Swift's hand, demonstrating "her role as an assistant to the composer and signify the trust he must have placed in her and her notational and musical abilities" (Ohl, 95-96). During actual production, Swift attended most rehearsals and was present at many of the casting decisions. After the preview run in Boston, it was clear that the four-hour opera was too long, so "Gershwin, Mamoulian, composer Alexander Steinert, and Kay Swift walked the Boston Common in the early hours of the morning deciding which portions to cut"; one month later, at the premiere in New York, "Swift was seated between George and Ira". Later Swift would deliver lectures throughout the country as part of the promotion of Porgy and Bess. "Ira recalled that she had memorized the entire 559-page score and would be illustrating songs from it at the piano" (Ohl, 97-98). "After her yeoman's effort during Porgy and Bess, he presented her with a leather-bound autographed score [the present copy] that reads simply, 'To[sic] Kay. Best. George.' 'Best,' their code word for 'love,' allowed them to be discreet" (Ohl, 115). Interior fine, spine somewhat toned, light rubbing to spine ends. A near-fine copy with an extraordinary association.". Signed.