Poetry and Plays and Music Scores

Period of Adjustment – Tennessee Williams – First UK Edition 1960.

A first UK edition published by Secker and Warburg, London in 1960.

Subtitled … High Point over a Cavern. Described as a “Serious Comedy” … and it is … there is a strong message and quite a few laughs.

Octavo, 95 pages all in super condition.

Set on Christmas Eve it’s a tale about two couples who have been married a few years and are facing the tensions that can arise …

Made into a Hollywood Movie in 1962 for which star Jane Fonda was nominated for a Golden Globe.

A good Christmas Eve read … it will not be on the telly … it’s not reality

$35.00

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Garden District – Two Plays .. Something Unspoken and Suddenly Last Summer – Tennessee Williams – First Edition 1959

A first UK edition published by Secker and Warburg, London in 1959.

Octavo, 72 pages, very good condition.

Two plays … a short one Something Unspoken a type often referred to as a curtain-raiser; and the longer Suddenly Last Summer.

Both had just been performed in England at the London Arts Theatre to much acclaim

Entertaining and still challenging from T.W. …

$30.00

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Sweet Bird of Youth – Tennessee Williams – First UK Edition 1959

A first UK edition published by Secker and Warburg, London in 1959.

Octavo, 93 pages, very good condition bar dust jacket complete but some foxing.

Described by Hart Crane as a “Relentless caper for all those who step the legend of their youth into the noon” … and so we should … and maybe the evening.

The finely crafted dialogue and still with a power to shock as expected from T.W.

A special work by the post war master …

$30.00

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The Collected Poems of Sidney Keyes – With Unpublished typescript Poem “Ode to Hitler”

Published posthumously by Routledge, London a fourth impression, 1951. Small octavo, xxiv, 123 pages, original binding, very good condition. The typescript poem “Ode to Hitler’ is dated June 1941 (whilst he was till at Oxford – see below). There is a manuscript note on the endpapers “including unpublished poem”; also a note from Anthony Smith, Headmaster of Dartford Grammar School, which Keyes attended “Dear Professor Porter, I am returning three items we borrowed from you …”. This is October, 1987 and there had been a special Keyes Conference held at the school that year … it is possible that the unique poem was one of the borrowed items, and that this book was Porter’s Professor Porter is likely the Theologian who was at Oriel college, Oxford for 13 years from 1949.

The typescript poem contains an overtyped correction “Lonely” in the third last line – shown in the image. The manuscript date “June 1941” is surely in Sidney Keyes’ hand, by comparison with the facsimile of a hand written poem included in “Collected Poems”

This is a special story. Sidney Keyes (1922-1943) was raised by his maternal grandparent, his mother died shortly after his birth. He began writing poetry at a very young age, influenced by Wordsworth, Rilke and Jung. He won a scholarship to Queen’s College, Oxford. At University he wrote two books “The Cruel Solstice” and “The Iron Laurel” for which he was later awarded the Hawthornden Prize. He was very active at Oxford editing the Cherwell Magazine and forming a dramatic society. Leaving Oxford in 1942 he joined the army and sadly died in active service in Tunisia in April 1943.

All up there are 110 poems of which half relate to the War. All of his poems written during active service were lost.

“Ode to Hitler” is a seven verse poem the first six comprising seven lines, the last six. It is a serious matter, whilst being clear in meaning. We do not want to publish all here … but here are the final lines.

“You tapeworm of the mind, you will forgive
My wanderings, stung by a sudden fury;
Not even speaking for my country, only
A mouthing sharp-tongued poet for the lonely
And awkward speaking. But you will never thrive
While we, the sour and cunning, stay alive.”

A special writer and poet who gave his life too young and, a potentially important unpublished work.

ENQUIRIES WELCOME

$0.00

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The Third Man (Graham Greene – Anton Karas) – The Harry Lime Theme

Sheet Music published by Chappell & Co, London in 1950 (Catalogue number 39386). Published co-incidental with the BBC adaptation.

A classic with special appeal for a particular generation. The theme for the film noir The Third Man … written by Graham Greene directed by Carol Reed. Here adopted by the BBC for their rendition of the classic post war drama.

Four pages of music score, in 79 bars .. with the beautiful slower section and crescendo.

Whilst filming on location in Vienna, Carol, Orson Welles etc were out on the town and in a wine cellar heard Anton Karas play his zither. Reed was captivated and contracted Karas to play the soundtrack. This act of genius helped to assuage what is widely regarded as the longest speechless ending in film history … check it out, again.

Dan da dan .. dan da dan de dan ..

Get out the schnapps and tune up the zither

$25.00

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One Arm and Other Stories (A Collection of Eleven Short Stories) – Tennessee Williams – First of Type New Directions – 1959

A first trade edition published by special publisher New Directions of New York in 1959.

Octavo, 211 pages comprising eleven short stories. Dust jacket by the super designer Alvin Lustig although not one he had put a lot of thought into!. One page had thinned through to a hole … looks like a printing flaw. Otherwise a very good copy of a scarce work.

By this time Williams was already a successful dramatist but his short stories had only ever been published in a limited private form.

The stories are – One Arm; The Malediction; The Poet; Chronicle of a Demise; Desire and the Black Masseur; Portrait of a Girl in Glass; The Important Thing; The Angel in the Alcove; The Field of Blue Children; The Night of the Iguana and The Yellow Bird. As you can see some of these short stories are inspiration for his later plays, some are about characters in them and some are completely independent works.

A broad short read introduction to Tennessee Williams. .

$40.00

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Period of Adjustment – Tennessee Williams – First UK Edition 1960.

Garden District – Two Plays .. Something Unspoken and Suddenly Last Summer – Tennessee Williams – First Edition 1959

Sweet Bird of Youth – Tennessee Williams – First UK Edition 1959

The Collected Poems of Sidney Keyes – With Unpublished typescript Poem “Ode to Hitler”

The Third Man (Graham Greene – Anton Karas) – The Harry Lime Theme

One Arm and Other Stories (A Collection of Eleven Short Stories) – Tennessee Williams – First of Type New Directions – 1959

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