Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller

Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller
Item #45375 If I Were King. A Romantic Drama in Five Acts. Justin Huntly McCarthy.
If I Were King. A Romantic Drama in Five Acts.
If I Were King. A Romantic Drama in Five Acts.
If I Were King. A Romantic Drama in Five Acts.
If I Were King. A Romantic Drama in Five Acts.
If I Were King. A Romantic Drama in Five Acts.

If I Were King. A Romantic Drama in Five Acts.

New York: R.H. Russell, 1901. First edition. Softcover. Small oblong quarto. 9x12". Unpaginated [16 pages]. Sewn binding, tan wrappers with red, black and gilt lettering and motif on the covers. Photo-illustrated title page. This is a scarce souvenir brochure documenting the original 1901 theatrical production of "If I Were King", Justin Huntly McCarthy's stage adaptation of his own novel of the same name (published the same year). This four act drama, which premiered in New York in October of that year, and ran for 56 performances, starred acclaimed stage actor E.H. Sothern (1859-1933) in the leading role as François Villon, the acclaimed French scoundrel-poet of the late middle-ages. The publication is illustrated throughout with sepia-toned photographic reproductions showing Sothern in costume in posed studio shots, as well as interesting photo-collages displaying staged scenes from the play, which seem to visually meant to evoke Pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows. The images are accompanied by text passages from the play. The interior front and rear covers display publisher's advertisements for the novel, which was also originally published by R.H. Russell. The successful book, and in turn the stage production, has been adapted numerous times since, including an operetta ("The Vagabond King", 1925), two musical film adaptations ("The Vagabond King", 1930 and 1956) and a nonmusical film 1938 ("If I Were King").

Wrappers with light rubbing, bumping and/or creasing to extremities. Title pages with a few faint minor water stains. A few other pages throughout with minor sporadic smudges. Images throughout unaffected. Wrappers in very good-, interior in very good condition overall. Quite scarce. Wrappers protected by modern mylar. vg- to vg. Item #45375

Price: $175.00

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