903 Ergebnisse
Best.-Nr. 219368Tianjin.: 毓順成 芳記. Yushuncheng fangji. Early 20th Century. Four handbills showing popular images two 13.2 x 18.4 are images of characters from Peking Opera and two 12.2 x 16.5cm depict themes important in Chinese society at the time. Text in traditional Chinese characters. Light even browning tiny closed tears at margin of one sheet repaired with washi. Very good. Chinese opera characters in the style of traditional woodblock prints were popular in the late Qing dynasty and early Republican period. Handbills of characters from Beijing opera were sold as collectible items that also helped to familiarise people with the characters of different operas; their costumes make up weapons and names. In this case there are two characters from the opera 白水灘 on one handbill and three characters from the opera 落馬湖 on the other. Images with social themes also made popular handbills especially in places such as Tianjin where the influence of foreigners was pronounced. In 福壽財源 we see an immortal carrying a peach of longevity surrounded by images of fertility - a young woman and boys carry fruit and flowers as well as other items symbolic of wealth - a coin a vase gold ingots and so on probably issued for New Year. The final handbill of the four 娶大媳婦 tells the tale of a girl of eighteen married to a boy of seven. The Chinese custom of marrying a young boy to an older girl adopted into the family is thus open for discussion - everyone in the image clearly has a different opinion of the situation; from the young husband the older farmer in the background and the two men in long scholars robes to the modern young man in a western suit with leather shoes as well as the girl herself. The practice of adopting a girl to bring up as a future wife for a male child was made illegal in 1949. The text mentions some of the ways in which the girl would be expected to help in her adoptive family's home. . 毓順成 芳記. [Yushuncheng fangji] hardcover
1817Best.-Nr. AQ35026London: s.n. 1817. Single leaf broadside. Browning and staining to edges with very small loss to lower right corner small hole and tear to title slightly obscuring final letters. A scarce playbill recording an early effort by London's Lyceum Theatre renamed The English Opera House in the summer of 1817 to present an illumination of the 'audience part of the theatre' during a performance of 'Free and Easy' a comic opera. Although the use of gaslight in street-lamps had first been demonstrated a decade prior in 1807 the goal to introduce gaslighting to the commercial stage took years to evolve into the competitive landscape of 1817 where three of London's premier West End venues the Theatre Royal Covent Garden Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the Lyceum Theatre entered into a rapid race to produce the first fully-gaslit public performances in a West End venue. The Royalty an East End theatre later renamed The East London Theatre had previously installed gas piping and lighting fixtures across both the auditorium and the stage in 1816 demonstrating the viability of such a project. The English Opera House led by director Samuel Arnold proudly boasted on August 6 1817 that 'Gas Lighting will this evening be introduced over the whole stage' seemingly claiming themselves the winners of the century's most contested technical theatre contest. Despite this the lack of an illuminated auditorium meant that the theatre's audience remained in candlelight until a month later when the venue opened fully illuminated for the first time. The Theatre Royal Drury Lane despite only revealing its gaslit stage on the 6th September 1817 was able to argue that due to their introduction of gaslighting into the auditorium several weeks prior they were in fact the first of the three theatres to achieve the much vied- for feat. On the same night The Theatre Royal Covent Garden also offered a demonstration of gaslight on their stage finally concluding the rivalry and introducing a vital element of technical staging into London's leading venues for the remainder of the century. Rare; COPAC records no copies in the UK OCLC adds a single copy overseas Yale. . Dimensions 170 x 340 mm. [s.n.] unknown
Best.-Nr. 2224712 March 1912 31 December 1912 and the other two without year; all on letterheads of 55 York Terrace Regent's Park N.W. Total of 7pp 12mo. All in good condition lightly aged and worn. Each folded once. All signed 'Percy Anderson'. ONE: 12 March 1912. Begins: 'Your properties are quite splendid.' He thanks Clarkson and his assistant for the trouble they have taken 'over the “M”'. Ends: 'I thought everything as good as it cd be – I refer to yr work of course'. TWO: 31 December 1912. He thanks him for his 'delightful' card and for 'yr. good wishes & for the tickets you so kindly send me for The Miracle. It was most thoughtful of you.' He ends in the hope that 1913 will be a crowning success you for sic & that you will have a very happy time'. THREE: 19 January no year. He is seeing 'Mr. Simmons' at 11 am the following day and will 'look in' on Clarkson afterwards. He thanks him 'for all the good work' on 'The Country Girl' adding: 'I want you to put all yr “guts” please into the “Ulysses” wigs'. FOUR: 10 September no year. 'It is too kind of you to send me those lovely figs. There's nothing I like better & I am most grateful.' FOUR: 31 December 1912. The recipient William Clarkson was the owner of Clarkson's Wigs Wellington Street London. James Morton in his 'Gangland Soho' 2012 alleges that Clarkson who has a blue plaque to his name at 41-43 Wardour Street was not only a repeated insurance fraudster but a notorious homosexual blackmailer after whom the public lavatory in Dansey Place was named 'Clarkson's Cottage'. RE Anderson & G & S: "The artist and costume designer Percy Anderson 1851-1928 was based in London where he exhibited watercolours at the New Water Colour Society in 1886. He designed costumes for the original productions of the last four Gilbert and Sullivan operas at the Savoy Theatre - The Yeomen of the Guard 1888 The Gondoliers 1889 Utopia Limited 1893 and The Grand Duke 1896 and for several D’Oyly Carte revivals including that for Utopia Limited considered by Rupert D’Oyly Carte in 1926 and but never realised. Given Gilbert’s exacting attitude to his productions it is an accolade to Anderson that he worked with Gilbert on so many including Gilbert and Edward German’s Fallen Fairies 1909 when Gilbert said Anderson: ‘surpassed himself’". 12 March 1912, 31 December [1912], and the other two without year; all on letterheads of 55 York Terrace, Regent's Park, N.W. unknown
1939Best.-Nr. 63657London: Royal Opera House 1939. Folio. 8 pp. Large pictorial stiff card wrappers with tassels at spine. In custom made half red morocco solander box with leather title label and felt corner-pieces. Front and rear cover designs by Rex Whistler. Printed programme. Spotting to covers. Internally fresh. A performance by the Vic-Wells Ballet under the direction of Ninette de Valois and The London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Constant Lambert and Sir Thomas Beecham. Scarce. Very good example. . Near Fine. Wraps. 1939. Royal Opera House 1939 paperback
1791Best.-Nr. 3005370Paris: l'Auteur 1791. Some small tears and damage. A very good copy. Octavo; original condition stitched in plain blue-grey wrappers. First edition of one of the most popular operas of the Revolution depicting the down-trodden villagers of the Moon after the arrival of the glamorous aviator Nicodème bringing news of events in France via Montgolfier balloon. Although this was an era of tremendous advances in stagecraft as the theatres of Paris and London vied with each other for the most stupendous effects Beffroy's lunar setting and the use of space travel by hot-air balloon was highly unusual. Beffroy de Reigny 1757-1811 was a successful journalist and dramatist usually writing under the nom-de-plume of "Cousin Jacques." His most important works were written in the period immediately following the French Revolution and he was fond of using lunar society to satirise the French as can be seen in his burlesque journal Les Lunes and its successor the Courrier des planètes. This is one of several Paris editions of the same year another appeared in Avignon and a "third" edition of 1797 is also recorded the last with subtle but pessimistic changes to the text. As the title confirms the opera was first performed in November 1790 running for over four hundred performances. . l'Auteur unknown
1934Best.-Nr. DEMO016439INew York: Random House 1934. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good/good. Octavo 57pp. black cloth; dj chipped archivally repaired chips; inked name of Nancy Doss on front pastedown some toning to endpapers from dust jacket. Wilson A21a. Full-page inscription by Gertrude Stein to O. J. Kedlec a collector from Forest Park Illinois. Stein's inscription repeats the title of this work and she wrote it from Bilignin par Belley Ain France." Random House hardcover
1844Best.-Nr. 8333London. David Bogue. 1844. Lavishly bound in sumptuous tri-gilt ruled full crimson calfskin. Gilt tooled fleurette motifs to corners of front and rear covers. Elaborate gilt ruled spine compartments with intensely ornate gilt tooled fleural vignettes. Gilt tooled raised bands. Decorative gilt tooled and titled morocco label. Elaborate and ornate paneled turn-ins. Marbled endsheets. a.e.g. 4to. 7.25" x 10.75". The First Edition. Illustrated with ten full page illuminated steel plate engravings and further throughout by various wood engravings en texte. Elaborate multi-chromatic decorative borders to each page. A Fabulous production detailing the mid-Victorian Opera and Ballet featuring plate engravings of notable singers dancers and productions. With its high gloss engravings whimsical en texte woodcuts and highly stylized colour page borders this volume represents one of the finest examples of Victorian book design. Niles and Leslie V1-225; Moroda-1272. Some darkening and/or mild scuffing to covers. Hinges present previous repairs but are tight and firm. Corners gently bumped. Head and tail pieces lightly chipped. A very Good copy of this breathtaking work. David Bogue. hardcover
1939Best.-Nr. 2091202133104999Takarazuka Girls Opera Company 1939. Soft Cover. Fine. Volume: 1 Takarazuka Girls Opera Company paperback
2011Best.-Nr. 2081502111901247Chinese Encyclopedia Publishing House 2011. Soft Cover. Fine. Number of books: 2 hardcovers Chinese Encyclopedia Publishing House paperback
1972Best.-Nr. AG-10057The Red Lantern Script红ç¯è®° Hong Deng Ji Beijing: Published by People's Publishing House printed by Beijing Xinhua Printing Factory distributed by Xinhua Bookstore Beijing Distributing Agency February 1972 FIRST EDITION 8vo. The May 1970 Script Revised Collectively by the China Peking Opera Troupe. iv374 pp. colophon consists of scripts stage photos selected theme score stage action instructions and designs beginning with quotations from Chairman Mao on the second and third pages printed pictorial stiff cover wrappers fine condition. 京剧《红ç¯è®°ã€‹å‰§æœ¬ 北京：人民出版社出版，中国京剧团集体制作，基于1970年五月演出本，1970年12月第一版，书的å‰ä¸¤é¡µæœ‰æ¯›ä¸»å¸è¯å½•ï¼Œå…±374页主体内容。精装，å“相éžå¸¸å¥½ã€‚ People’s Publishing House hardcover
1818Best.-Nr. D7301Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel 1818. Hardcover. Very Good. Oblong folio 330 x 240mm. 184 pages. Complete vocal score. Notated music. Added engraved title page: Il dissoluto punito; osia Il Don Giovanni. Dramma giocoso in due Atti posto in Musica da Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Ridotto per il Pianoforte da A.E. Müller with vignette of Don Giovanni scene by Fr. Bolt after Kininger Pr. 4 Rthlr. Italian-German text. Richly bound in crushed green morocco handsomely gilt with device of lyre and central lozenge on front and rear covers spine done in the same and lettered in gilt Don Juan Mozart speckled edges; toned and only lightly foxed few pages margins lightly torn or with paper repairs not frequent good with all with engraved music otherwise. 1818 Leipzig printing for the vocal score of Mozarts famous opera Don Giovanni. Italian librettos were translated into German owing to the growing popularity of opera in Germany during the last decade of the 18th century; contemporary to Mozarts death in 1791. Mozart immediately accepted at least the title under which on of his works would become known in the German-speaking countries: writing home on 3 October 1790 he reported on Tuesday the theatrical company of the elector of Mainz are performing my Don Juan. German communities variously received Mozarts operas; the battle between the aristocratic and bourgeois audiences raged to and fro. When Don Juan played for the first time in the Frankfurt theater it was deemed suitable for the general public but not for its educated section. Yet the critics could all concede of Mozarts popularity and that the subject matter turned the heads of the public. This fine well-preserved dual text is an early and complete keyboard transcription of the opera. It gives Lorenzo da Ponte's original Italian with the German translation by Schröder underneath. Excellent piece of music history and staple of the standard operatic repertoire. Breitkopf & Härtel hardcover
1947Best.-Nr. 209021947. Anderson Marian group of eight items dating from 1946 to 1959 documents the concert career and international recognition of Marian Anderson a central figure in twentieth century African American music and a pivotal presence in the desegregation of American performance spaces. By the mid twentieth century Anderson's career intersected with both domestic civil rights developments and U.S. cultural diplomacy abroad following earlier milestones including her 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert and her 1955 debut at the Metropolitan Opera. The materials trace her concert programming repertoire and public reception including performances featuring European composers such as Franz Schubert alongside African American spirituals as well as her role in international cultural exchange. Photographs document formal recognitions including a ceremony in Tokyo where Princess Takamatsu of the Japanese Red Cross awarded Anderson a medal of merit following her performances benefiting Japanese orphans and a 1958 presentation at the American National Theatre and Academy marking her participation in presidential cultural initiatives. Anderson Marian. Archive of concert programs and press photographs. Various locations: University of Minnesota and S. Hurok management 1946 to 1959. Eight items total comprising four concert programs and four black and white silver gelatin press photographs. Programs range from approximately 5 x 8 inches to 9 x 12 inches and include: a University Artists Course program for the 1946 to 1947 season at the University of Minnesota featuring Anderson's recital with repertoire including Schubert and spirituals; multiple S. Hurok managed programs presenting Anderson as a leading concert artist with biographical essays photographs and repertory notes; and a 1955 program continuing similar documentation of her touring career. Photographs measure approximately 8 x 10 inches with three retaining original press captions on verso or margins including images of Anderson receiving honors in Japan posing with a sculpted bust by Napoleon Veloso Abueva and accepting the Gimbel National Award in 1959. These materials situate Anderson within mid twentieth century performance networks that linked concert stages international diplomacy and public recognition of African American achievement. The programs document how her repertoire bridged European classical traditions and African American musical forms while the press photographs emphasize her role as a cultural ambassador during the Cold War period when artists were enlisted in international outreach initiatives. Honors such as the Japanese Red Cross recognition and the Gimbel National Award underscore the transnational and humanitarian dimensions of her career while the sustained documentation of her concerts reflects her continued prominence in American cultural life following breakthroughs in segregated institutions. Minor edge wear to programs and light creasing to one photograph; materials remain clean and well preserved. Overall very good condition. unknown
1938Best.-Nr. 209421938. Anderson Marian archive of six concert programs dating from 1938 to 1953 documents the touring career of Marian Anderson during a period when her performances intersected with national debates over race access to public space and cultural representation. By the early 1940s Anderson had achieved international recognition following appearances at the White House and before British royalty as well as her widely attended 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial where she performed before an audience of 75000 after being barred from Constitution Hall. The programs trace her sustained concert activity across North America including major tours and individual performances in Canada and the United States and document the presentation of her repertoire which combined European art song traditions with African American spirituals. Anderson Marian. Archive of six concert programs. Various venues including University Artists tour circuits and concert halls in Toronto Brooklyn and Denver 1938 to 1953. Six programs in staple bound wrappers ranging from approximately 5 x 8 inches to 9 x 12 inches. Includes a program from her 1941 to 1942 coast to coast tour with extended biographical content and photographic illustrations depicting Anderson in performance receiving honors and in personal settings with family and manager Sol Hurok. A later illustrated program from the 1951 to 1952 tour presents similar material reflecting her continued prominence. Additional smaller programs document specific engagements at Eaton Auditorium in Toronto 1946 Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences 1950 and Denver Auditorium 1953. These programs provide a record of Anderson's sustained public presence during a period when African American performers navigated segregated venues and expanding national audiences contributing to shifts in cultural access and representation. The inclusion of biographical narratives photographic imagery and repertory selections illustrates how her career was framed for concert audiences and how her public identity was constructed through touring circuits. Her performances in major cities across North America demonstrate the geographic reach of her influence and the institutional contexts in which her work was received offering material for the study of music history race and performance culture in the mid twentieth century. Minor edge wear with some foxing to several programs and manuscript notation to the Eaton Auditorium program; overall clean and stable. Overall very good condition. unknown
1919Best.-Nr. 432211919. First Edition. GILBERT AND SULLIVAN D'OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY. Poster ""Gilbert and Sullivan's ""The Yeoman of the Guard"" by Dudley Hardy"". WITH: Billboard ""Opera Company's 1919/1920 Season by Dudley Hardy and John Hassall"". London: David Allen & Sons 1919. Single sheet measuring 20 by 30 inches; nine unassembled dovetailing sheets measuring 7-1/2 by 10 feet assembled. $900.Original poster depicting the headsman with axe from Gilbert and Sullivan's ÒThe Yeoman of the GuardÓ accompanied by a large billboard in parts announcing the seasonÕs productions with three poster designs: ÒThe YeomanÓ ÒThe GondoliersÓ and ÒThe Mikado.ÓThe poster advertises Gilbert and Sullivan's ""Yeoman of the Guard"" widely recognized as Sullivan's most accomplished musical score. A classic Savoy Opera the piece isÑrather unusuallyÑset during the 16th century at the Tower of London bringing in quasi-Shakespearean dialogue and a darker atmosphere. The accompanying billboardÑmeasuring over 70 square feetÑpromotes the 1919 season's productions including ""Yeoman"" the musical theater favorite ""The Mikado"" and Gilbert and Sullivan's last major success ""The Gondoliers."" Hardy and Hassall were among the premier graphic artists of their time having built reputations both as book illustrators and specialists in poster design. Hardy was influenced by French chalk drawings and poster art while Hassall attributes his style to Japanese prints. ""Yeoman"" poster fine. Chipping and creasing to separate panels of original billboard. A wonderful pair. unknown
1697Best.-Nr. 23479Oxford: Etheatro Sheldoniano 1697. leather_bound. Contemporary cambridge style binding in full brown calf. Very good. Folio6 A4-Ppp4 Qqq-Pppp Qqqq2-Zzzz2 Aaaaa-Mmmmm. The first English edition of the Greek text edited by Richard West & Robert Welsted. Engraved portrait of Pindar by M. Burghers facing the title page. DIBDIN II 289. "a beautiful and celebrated edition. on the whole we must allow that the editors of this magnificent work have taken infinite pains to bring together every thing which could illustrate and improve the reading of the poet". The editors compared the Mss held by the Bodleian with that of the Biblioteca Palatina. Engraved portrait of Pindar and large title page vignette by M. Burghers. Pindar c. 522 – c. 443 BC was an Ancient Greek lyric poet of the classical period from Thebes and the first Greek poet to reflect on the nature of poetry and on the poet's role. Errata. BRUNET IV p.659. Armorial bookplate. Raised bands spines richly gilt small front cover nick scrape lower front cover corner binding tight with leaves at end of text of Pindari Opera Omnia leaves Oooo-Mmmm toned. Etheatro Sheldoniano unknown
1923Best.-Nr. 370639New York 1923. Mounted photograph of the Opera House. Calligraphic presentation leaf extracts from programs inlaid in large folio leaves 120 2 index ff. 1 vols. Folio. Full deep red morocco gilt spine with five raised bands boards with triple fillet borders navy blue doublures silk flyleaves t.e.g. Faintest traces of rubbing. Fine. Mounted photograph of the Opera House. Calligraphic presentation leaf extracts from programs inlaid in large folio leaves 120 2 index ff. 1 vols. Folio. Elaborate and attractive album of extracts from the printed programs of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York a record of opera productions from 1915 to 1922 listing the principal performances and also retaining the lists of box holders which functions as a who's-who of New York society. There are several newspaper clippings including an account of the farewell performance of Mrs. Geraldine Farrar in Tosca. Presented to Henry Fletcher by his wife Ethel née Thompson on the tenth anniversary of their wedding. Henry Fletcher 1877-1953 of Greenwich Connecticut was a member of the Grolier Club until his death and a major benefactor of the Yale libraries. unknown
1924Best.-Nr. 51696New York NY; Hollywood CA; Taos NM: Underwood & Underwood Anderson Lumiere Guard Vitaphone Studios Metropolitan Music Bureau 1924-1927. Twenty seven items. With 24 photographs 3 sized 3.5 x 5.5 in.; 6 sized 5 x 7.75 in.; 1 w/ colour-tinted blue sized 7.25 x 9.5 in.; 16 sized 8 x 10 in.; many w/ annotations dating the photos in pencil some of the press photos and studio photos stamped on versos with attached newsreel information blurbs many w/ text in negative at lower corner of image; 1 very large colour lithograph poster printed on linen showing the young opera star seated and colours of pink gold and black sized 40 x 80 in. w/ wood bars at upper & lower for hanging some minor creasing from rolling but in Fine condition; and TLS from Lawrence H. Smith at Underwood & Underwood Inc. News Picture Division to Miss Marion Talley. These photographs and giant lobby poster provide splendid artifacts for the lavish attention paid to a young star at the beginning of her career during the Jazz Age. The very large poster is a beautiful example of colour lithography showing her demurely seated against a pink lozenge background with advertisements at the foot of the poster for Steinway Piano and Victor Records. Marion Talley 1906-1983 was the daughter of a telegraph operator for the Missouri Pacific Railroad and by 15 she was appearing in the Kansas City Grand Opera Company of Mignon by Abroise Thomas and quickly became a local celebrity often performing benefit concerts. She studied with music teacher Frank LaForge famed soprano composer who maintained a close relationship with the Metropolitan Opera and was placed under contract in 1925 by Giulio Gatti-Casazza at age 19 becoming the youngest principal female performer in the Met’s history to that point. Her debut performance was Feb. 17 1926 as Gilda the daughter of the title character in Verdi’s Rigoletto. The press photos show her surrounded by the many flowers she received in the 18 encores her performance on stage meeting the opera diva Ernestine Schumann-Heinck d. 1936 as well as her appearance on radio with Marguerite D’Alvarez and Giovanni Martinelli singing Home! Sweet Home!. In addition she also starred in the first Vitaphone short sound films released in 1926 with Don Juan starring John Barrymore and another Vitaphone short performing “Bella figlia dell’amore” from Rigoletto but the critics were savage criticizing her performances and her lack of appeal on camera. During this period she traveled extensively to Europe and through the southwest as evidenced by the series of photos showing her in Taos with the burros young Native American children and adults in regalia as well as her automobile. The photo of the young star by Samuel Lumiere 1878-1971 is a very nice example of his portrait work during the height of the 1920s when he was under contract to shoot celebrities for the Chicago Tribune. See: Barrios A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film pp. 20-29; Vitaphone Marks 80th Anniversary Vitaphone News The Vitaphone Project Vol. 8 No. 1 2006; Crafton The Talkies: American Cinema’s Transition to Sound 1926-1931 1999. Underwood & Underwood, Anderson, Lumiere, Guard, Vitaphone Studios, Metropolitan Music Bureau, unknown
1837Best.-Nr. List3613Philadelphia: Firth Meignen & Co. Publishers & Importers of Music and Musical Instruments No. 41 Chestnut Street 1837. Seven pages complete including dance figures. Folio sheet music. Very good with scattered foxing and light edge wear. A rare early American operatic dance arrangement by Francis Johnson 1792-1844 widely regarded as the first published Black composer in the United States. Issued circa 1837 this work adapts themes from Vincenzo Bellini's opera La Sonnambula 1831 into a set of quadrilles with concluding waltz arranged for piano forte and structured for social dancing. The internal headings "Pantalon" "Ladies Chain" etc. retain the formal quadrille sequence reflecting the popularity of European ballroom forms in Philadelphia during the period. Johnson a Philadelphia bandleader composer and virtuoso keyed bugle player published approximately seventy compositions over nearly three decades. Active in Philadelphia from at least the 1810s he became one of the city's most sought-after musicians leading ensembles for cotillions public balls military functions and civic celebrations. In 1818 became the first African-American composer known to have sheet music published in the United States. His band performed for elite social events and public commemorations including celebrations for the Marquis de Lafayette's visit to Philadelphia. In 1838 he toured Europe with his ensemble performing in England and reportedly receiving a silver trumpet from Queen Victoria. This piece was composed a year earlier per the Johnson page at Musicalgeography.com six years after Bellini's work. Operatic paraphrases and dance adaptations of fashionable European works were central to Johnson's output. Overall a quite scarce early title from an important composer. We find two copies in OCLC 692295106 at AAS and the William Clements Library. See "Francis Johnson's Compositions - With Sheet Music" https://musicalgeography.org/francis-johnsons-compositions/. Firth, Meignen & Co., Publishers & Importers of Music and Musical Instruments, No. 41 Chestnut Street
1960Best.-Nr. 88091CULTURAL REVOLUTION MODEL OPERA Manuscript Ledger Master Inventory: General Record of Stage Props for a traveling Chinese theatrical repertory company introducing Revolutionary Opera into its program including costs for creating silk stage props sets costumes and scenery with various paper slip receipts some loose dated from 1963 to 1969. Oblong album measuring 7-3/4 x 10-5/8 inches contents with 20 numbered leaves of double-sided ruled ledger; bound in brown cloth-backed plain light blue paper board with lettered pink paper label decorative pattern endpapers originally with ribbon-tied spine now lost contents loose. Includes entries for the revolutionary opera Taking Tiger Mountain 1968 with one entry bearing signature of Wang Xiu Wen dated 12 September 1967. Includes a pink silk armband laid into the album inscribed "Mei Ying Shan" which could be translated as Huaying Mountain. https://www.youtube.com/watchv=cjE0LDNycE8 There is also reference to a 1961 novel which the Bejing Film Studio made into a movie called Lie Huo Zhong Yong Sheng Living Forever in Burning Flame its IMDB title translated as Red Crag based partly on fact by Chinese authors Luo Guangbin and Yang Yiyan former inmates in a Kuomintang prison in Sichuan. It was set in Chongqing during the Chinese Civil War 1949 and featured underground communist agents under the command of Zhou Enlai fighting an espionage battle against the Kuomintang. The story takes place in Huaying Mountain. hardcover
1999Best.-Nr. 14955JAbsecon: MagicImage 1999. First Edition First Printing. Laid in is an Autograph Letter Signed by Mary Philbin co-star with Lon Chaney Sr. in the classic film written to the book’s author Philip J. Riley. Dated September 11 1989 Philbin writes: “Dear Mr Riley: I am sorry about the delay in returning the book and papers. I would appreciate eleven complimentary copies of The Phantom of the Opera book or if you cannot then as many as possible. Thank you Mary Philbin”. Accompanied by the original hand-addressed envelope from Philbin’s home in Los Angeles. Philbin died before the book was published so this is as close as one can come to a signed copy. Large 317 page paperbound book. Profusely illustrated. Near fine copy enclosed in a handsome morocco leather and cloth clamshell box. MagicImage hardcover
1939Best.-Nr. ABE-1538494660313Royal Opera House Covent Garden 1939 EXTREMELY RARE! REX WHISTLER designed this glorious programme for the State Performance in Honour of The President of the French Republic and Madame Lebrun at the Royal Opera House March 22 1939. WHISTLER's cover design is an elaborate affair; the embossed card covers are ingeniously cut away in curves. It is fabulously decorated by Rex Whistler on the front and back. A gold cord with tassels forms the binding round the twelve folded pages. Dancers included Margot Fonteyn Robert Helpmann William Chappell Frank Staff and Frederick Ashton. Sir Thomas Beecham conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This is a great collectable example of ephemera in its own right but it is of especial value for admirers of Rex Whistler. Soft cover. Fine. Royal Opera House Covent Garden paperback
1949Best.-Nr. 293881949. Good overall. An impressive collection of post W.W.II German opera stars dancers & directors and the stunning sets from the Hamburg Opera Ensemble. The 1st page is a dedication of farewell to Edward Groth US Consul General dated 24th May 1949. Groth had a long career in the Foreign Service including Consul in Afghanistan and India. Photographs of vocalists dancers directors - many signed - include: Günther Rennert staging director Arthur Grüber Günter Hertel Martina Wulf Theo Herrmann Ilse Koegel Helene Werth Lore Hoffman Hedy Gura Sigmund Roth Peter Markworth Hermann Mendt Nikola Eva Poser Rudolf Zerber Adolph Meyer-Bremen Johannes Drath Elfriede Wasserthal Richard Holm Irma Handler Cornelia Händel Elisabeth de Freitas and Danelies Rothenberger Otti Tenzel Bico von Larsky and several others signed and unsigned but unidentified. = signed. There are 20 programs for operas performed between April 1946 Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail to April 1949 Raskolnikoff. Opera programs include: Tosca La Traviata Peter Grimes Othello Carmen Barber of Seville La Boheme Rigoletto and many others. Many of the performers were known through Europe. The portfolio starts with photo portraits which someone has annotated with sticky notes then includes many 1 sheet programs laid down and superb photographs of elegant sets for the varying operas. Fabric covered card covers cream cloth no title 38pp stiff card each page with 1 2 3 or 4 b&w photos later pages with programs from various operas dating 1946-1949. 38 portraits many silvertone 53 set photographs 20 programs for a total of 111 pieces. Photos varying in size 24 4 1/2 x 3.1/2" 42 6 329387/8 x 4 ¼" 20 5 ½ x 3 3/8" 4 9 3/8 x 7 1/8" and 20 programs all laid down on heavy card stock. Covers marked and dusty internally clean. Considering the Opera House was almost completely destroyed during the war this is a remarkable record of the Hamburg Opera and their artists. unknown
1955Best.-Nr. ABE-1607221994675Stockholm 1955 1955 First edition. Octavo 24.617.1cm 20pp. Illustrated. Text in the DANISH language. SIGNED by ALL the directors leading performers players and staff members of the company including Chu-Tu-nan Ma Shao-po Jen Hung Yun Yen-ming Chang Yu-shan Chiang Hsin-yung Hsu Yu-chuan Chang Chien-ming Wu Chin Wang Ching-chieh Hsia Hu-chen Shen Chin-chi Jen Tzu-heng Wang Chuan-kuei Mei Pao-yue Yeh Sheng-chang etc. Also included a signed letter from Wang Hsi the Secretary to Carl Werner Skogholm dated Nov. 20 1955. Signed by Authors. 1st Edition. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket. Stockholm, 1955 paperback
Best.-Nr. 9791280717443Maria Callas 100 Vissi d'Amore The art of Maria Callas the soprano that changed the history of the Opera before and after. The main protagonists and historians from the Opera sphere narrate Callas's vocal abilities and her performing charisma none other than the 'Divina'. With her repertoire and her heroines she was able to create a definitive myth of a unique way of interpreting the roles. Exclusive images published for the first time from the Ragni-Cuoco collection and from the personal Archives of the Authors that narrate the most significant moments regarding the career of the Artist and the Woman herself. Limited edition hand numbered 777 exemplars SCRIPTA MANEANT hardcover
Best.-Nr. 30832Executed in ink pencil gouache and silver paint on wove paper. Unsigned but with monogrammatic handstamp to lower left corner. With annotations in ink in Russian relative to various parts of the costume. 13.125" x 8.75" 332 x 222 mm. Slightly worn and soiled; some edge tears and repairs; upper right corner with erasure resulting in minor paper loss. Korovine designed costumes for productions of Russian operas including Borodin's Prince Igor Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina and Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko and Le Coq d'Or. "Konstantine Korovine is one of the most famous of Russia's twentieth-century stage designers . He made his debut as a theatrical painter in 1885 when he executed the sets and costumes for the production of Snegurochka at Savva Mamontov's Private Opera after Vasnetsov's designs and thereafter he emerged rapidly as an independent stage designer - decorating according to one souce 80 operas 37 ballets and 17 dramas during his lifetime. Korovine brought to the Russian stage a vibrancy and richness that was lacking in the traditional Imperial theaters . He felt more at ease when called upon to design operas and ballets treating of Russian history and legend such as Prince Igor Sadko and The Golden Cockerel and he designed sets and costumes for such spectacles at home and abroad." Bowlt: Russian Stage Design Scenic Innovation 1900-1930 from the Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Nikita D. Lobanov-Rostovsky pp. 175-176. Provenance: MacDougall Arts Ltd. London auction June 9 2011 lot 413 catalogue p. 17. unknown
