The Married Man (Signed and inscribed to Theodore Bikel)

Robert Nathan

Verlag: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1962

Beschreibung

Stated First Edition. There are signed inscriptions and then there are signed inscriptions. This is the latter. This book came from the library of the renowned actor Theodore Bikel. I've provided a close-up photograph of the inscribed page. You may be able to better decipher a few of the foreign words. Anyway here's my stab at it: 'For Sir B'Han Bollek Bikel, from his grateful colleague at Kenya U.--Nat-obelgerst-Levy (N'athan).' And then there's more at the bottom of the page: "Kiki kiyir, kiki kiyu, kiki kiyu, kiki kiyir, man, man, man, man--Hullabaloo! Kenya!" (Or some approximation of these words). To the right of that little ditty is a little drawing (the multi-talented Robert Nathan also did the drawings, illustrations, within the book). Across the way on the front inside cover is Theodore Bikel's bookplate. If you're not familiar with Mr. Bikel's remarkable life and career, take a look at his long Wikipedia profile. And take a look at the photos that I provided. The green covers of the book itself are quite clean. The gilt lettering on the spine is very bright. The edges and corners look very good. So do the spine ends. The top page edge is orange. The middle page edge is deckled or rough-cut. They did a very good job. The book is square and very solidly bound with nicely tight pages throughout. The covers are also nicely tight. There is a little bit of staining or foxing restricted to the area just off the outer edge of the front inside cover. And there's a tiny bit of it just off the outer edge of the rear inside cover. The end papers are free of any foxing and are very clean and in very good shape. And that is also an accurate description of the text pages, they are exceptionally clean and free of wear. I scrolled through several times without finding any instances of soiling. There is no foxing. I'm not seeing any conspicuous creasing. There are no markings. No attachments (other than Mr Bikel's bookplate). And with the exception of the signed inscription, no one has written their name or anything else anywhere in the book. I've had the dust jacket in a fitted protective cover for as long as I've owned the book which goes back a number of years. The dust jacket is in quite decent shape, though showing its age. It has toning off the margins of the front and rear, a little foxing as well. The spine is tanned. There are two tiny edge tears. There is a tiny corner loss at the juncture between the front cover and front flap just off the top edge. The flaps are in nice condition. They have a thin strip of toning off their top and bottom edges. There are no tears. They are clean. The jacket is NOT price-clipped, not clipped at all. '9/62' is printed in red at the bottom of the front flap. Also on the front flap is a description of the book: 'A volume of light verse, small, sweet-and-sour.' Googling, found this, Robert Nathan's 'The Weans': 'The inscription on the north wall of the temple at Pound-Laundry on the east coast of the Great West Continent has finally been deciphered by the team led by Sf. B'Han Bollek. This work brings us certain assurance of the theory expressed by Bes Nef, Hanh Shui, and Nat Obelgerst-Levy that a people of considerable numbers and power formerly inhabited this salt and desolate land. It is a triumph for those archaeologists who have been working ever since the fortunate discovery of an ivory cross and string of beads at the northeast, or "Bosstin" tumulus, along with a rusted iron wheel which seems to have been designed to run along some kind of track or trolley. These artifacts, as everyone knows, are now in the museum at Kenya. What we have been unable to discover, is the fate of these ancient people. That they perished in some sort of upheaval many thousands of years ago is clear from the inscription itself, which Sr. B'Han Bollek translates as follows: "nor rain nor hail nor snow" there are some hieroglyphics missing, and the inscription ends with the phrase "their appointed rounds.". Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 003240

Bibliografische Details

Titel: The Married Man (Signed and inscribed to ...

Verlag: Alfred A. Knopf, New York

Erscheinungsdatum: 1962

Einband: Hardcover

Zustand: Near Fine

Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Very Good Minus

Signiert: Inscribed by Author(s)

Auflage: 1st Edition