John Gielgud ~ NOTES FROM THE GODS ~ Brand New 1st Ed. HC/DJ ~ SIGNED BY AUTHOR

Description: John Gielgud, edited by Richard Mangan. NOTES FROM THE GODS: PLAYGOING IN THE TWENTIES. London: Nick Hern Books, 1994. Splendidly illustrated with photographs. 8¾″ x 5¾″, 121-page hardcover in brand new, unread condition, in brand new unclipped dj, conserved in a clear, acid-free protective cover. Autographed and dated in 1995 with “Best wishes” by John Gielgud on a signature card affixed to the front free endpage. Sir Arthur John Gielgud (1904-2000) was an English actor/director/producer. He was known for the wide range of his acting ability and for his warm and expressive voice, which colleague Alec Guinness likened to “a silver trumpet muffled in silk.” Gielgud was one of the few actors to win an Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award, as well as a Golden Globe and two British Academy Film Awards. Published in celebration of Sir John Gielgud's 90th birthday, this fascinating memoir offers nostalgic glimpses into the vanished world of the theatrical 1920s -- newly overlaid with Gielgud's latter-day comments on his younger experience. As a drama student and a tyro actor in his twenties, Gielgud was a passionate playgoer. He attended premier productions of G.B. Shaw, Somerset Maugham, J.M. Barrie, Noel Coward, and saw the leading players of his day: Tallulah Bankhead, Sybil Thorndike, Elsa Lanchester, John Barrymore and their like. Moreover, he kept every single program, carefully annotating each one with characteristic frankness. Fortunately he did not hold back with any of his comments, regardless of who the actor or dramatist was. In 1920 Barrie's Mary Rose was “Wonderful! Wept buckets,” while of Shaw's Heartbreak House in 1921 he commented, “I was never so bored at a theatre....The play is dull and ill-constructed....” This volume offers a juicy selection of such youthful critiques -- illustrated by page after page of stunning photographs from the actual productions that Gielgud saw. Furthermore, in the course of the book's preparation Sir John added his own comments on the opinions of his younger self. Thus, he has transformed what was already a charming piece of theatrical autobiography into a meeting ground for two versions of himself, the student and the master, the youth and the sage.

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Location: Baltimore, Maryland

End Time: 2025-01-30T20:03:13.000Z

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