RARE Autograph and Book Auction October 17th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/17/2024
George Gershwin & 3 Others Signed Ltd 1st Ed. of "Porgy and Bess"
A signed limited first edition of "Porgy and Bess" by George Gershwin and others. "Porgy and Bess: An Opera in Three Acts", New York: Random House, 1935. By George Gershwin, Libretto by DuBose Heyward, Lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, and Production by Reuben Mamoulian. A limited first edition, No. 15 of 250, printed in October 1935. Quarto, [12] 559pp. Signed on the limited edition page at the back: "George Gershwin", "Dubrose Heyward", "Ira Gershwin", and "Reuben Mamoulian". The frontispiece and title page illustrations were created by George Biddle. Full red, blind stamped morocco binding. Gilt top page edges. Enclosed in gray linen open-end slipcase. The volume has some wear and rubbing to the covers. A few front pages have come loose from the binding one page with Title Porgy and Bess has right edge fold and end tears, please check photos. Staining to the slipcase. Boldly signed by all. Overall very fine.
George Gershwin (1898-1937) was a New York-born composer best known for great musicals and shows such as "Rhapsody in Blue", "Funny Face", and "An American in Paris". His most ambitious composition was the folk opera, "Porgy and Bess" (1935), which was adapted from Heyward's "Porgy". The libretto tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black street beggar living in the slums of Charleston. It deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin' Life, her drug dealer. The opera was warmly received by audiences upon its release in 1935 and brought some of the best-known songs of all time to the world's ears, including "Summertime", "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "A Woman is a Sometime Thing".
Gershwin Signed 1st Limited Edition Porgy & Bess (George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, Ira Gershwin” and “Rouben Mamoulian.)
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