Millay, Edna St. Vincent

The King's Henchman

New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1927. First Edition. Hardcover. Signed by Edna St. Vincent Millay. A play in three acts by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950), the canonical American poet, quintessential Greenwich Village Bohemian & LGBT icon. The text here became the libretto for an opera by the venerable composer & critic Deems Taylor (1885-1966), which was presented at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to popular acclaim, but apparently never revived. Hardcover in boards with cloth spine & corners, first edition, fourth printing as indicated by "E-B" on copyright page. With frontispiece woodcut illustration by the noted artist Harry Cimino (1898-1969). We have seen references to a limited, numbered & signed edition of this work; although this is an early printing of the regular trade edition, Millay has hand-written her signature on a special leaf of handmade paper attached opposite front paste-down & preceding blank front endpaper, above reproduction of a photograph of millay affixed to the leaf. Also, we found & have retained an interesting piece of ephemera loosely placed between pages 52-53: An appx. contemporary newspaper clipping with two of Millay's beloved little sonnets, including "In Little Things": "There's happiness in little things,/ There's joy in passing pleasure./ But friendships are, from year to/ year,/ The best of all life's treasure." Without dust jacket, scarcely available in good or better condition. A uniquely rare & desirable copy of a well-known production by this most venerated, time-tested & significant American literary figure. In relatively fine condition with mild rubbing, fading & occasional spotting to front, back covers & spine; slight wear & rubbing to edges & corners of same; moderate browning & scratching to paper title affixed to spine with only very slight effect on letters; moderate rubbing & browning to edges of text block (side edge of same untrimmed as issued). Interior fine with moderate browning to paste-downs, endpapers (incl. signature-photo leaf); previous owner's undated but obviously contemporary signature, location & quotation on front blank endpaper; light browning mostly to blank margins of page leaves; moderate-to-significant residual browning in areas of pgs. 52-53 where ephemera resides (not effecting legibility of any text). Ephemera significantly browned & fragile on newspaper stock; otherwise very fine. Fine. [Item #4549]

Price: $100.00