Dee, Ruby

My One Good Nerve: Rhythms, Rhymes, Reasons

ISBN: 088378114X
Chicago, IL: Third World Press, 1987. First Edition. Hardcover. Inscribed, signed & dated by Ruby Dee. "For Ruby Dee, television has provided some of the most exciting and fulfilling challenges of her career. She and her husband, Ossie Davis, conceived the critically acclaimed PBS series With Ossie & Ruby- co-hosting, performing, and co-producing twenty-six half hour programs out of KERA-TV in Dallas. Her next television role was as Mary Tyrone in the ABC Cable production of Long Day's Journey Into Night (for which she received the 1983 ACE Award for "Best Presentation"). She and Mr. Davis also appeared on PBS in two hour-long segments of A Walk Through the 20th Century with journalist Bill Moyers." (from front flap) A book of poems & memoir anecdotes by Ruby Dee (b. Ruby Ann Wallace, 1922-2014), the award-winning, acclaimed, very prolific African-American film & television actress/ recording artist. With an Introduction by Ossie Davis (b. Raiford Chatman Davis, 1917-2005), the great African-American actor, author & activist who was Dee's husband & creative collaborator. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition, first printing though neither specified at copyright page. At shorter title page, Dee has cursively inscribed, signed & dated in bold hot-pink felt tip ink: "To Ruth Golden/ Healthy, Joyous, Abundant/ Life!/ (signed) ruby Dee(underlined)/ 6/87." The recipient here may be the noted opera vocalist & educator, & the date still-early in the year of publication is proof that this copy is a first edition/printing as noted above. An exuberant, humorous, worldly & wise collectible by the beloved Ruby Dee in its rarest contemporary form, inestimably enriched by her inscription, signature & date. Book in relatively quite very fine condition with only slight wear at edges & corners of front, back covers & spine esp. lower rear cover edge; very slight age-toning to edges of text block. Interior very fine with only slight age-toning to blank paste-downs & endpapers; a hint of age-toning to blank thin margins/edges of page leaves; significant bleeding of inscription/signature/date onto blank verso of leaf (completely not effecting opposite title page, so what of it?); one thin angled crease at lower area of blank penultimate leaf (undoubtedly as issued). Dust jacket (again relatively) near-fine with mild rubbing, mostly faint scratching to front, back covers & spine; light wear & some tiny bumps, creases at/from edges & corners of same & flaps; several tiny chips, closed tears with miniscule loss of paper, surface paper esp. at upper edges & corners; slight age-toning to flaps esp. at blank margins/edges. Very Fine / Near Fine. [Item #9166]

Price: $125.00 save 10% $112.50