Pygmalion and Candida

Avon, CT: The Limited Editions Club, 1974. Hardcover. Introduction by Alan Strachan. Illustrations by Clarke Hutton. 4to. Quarter linen with gilt-lettered calf spine label and pictorial paper over boards. ix, 169pp. Line drawings, full-page color plates. Near fine. Lacks slipcase. Handsome copy of these back-to-back plays first published in 1912 and 1897 -- first title in the LEC's 42nd series. Rear colophon notes limitation of 2,000 copies (this copy unnumbered) signed by illustrator Hutton. This sharp copy bears three choice autograph additions face to face on inner flyleaves: On left flyleaf, from the 1964 musical adaptation film "My Fair Lady," on two fine matching heavy stock 5" X 3" cards, are signatures of THEODORE BIKEL (1924-2015; portrays Zoltan Karpathy), who signs hugely in black fineline and dates it 13 October 1969 at upper right; and below him MONA WASHBOURNE (1903-88; portrays Professor Higgins' housekeeper Mrs. Pearce), who signs in blue ballpoint and dates it 28 November 1970 at upper right. On right flyleaf (half-title page) is a fine Typed Letter Signed from KATHARINE CORNELL (1893-1974), who created Shaw's ideal lead character Candida Morell and portrayed her in a 1924 production and four more productions through 1946. 1p (lettersheet), 5¼" X 6¼", Cincinnati, OH, 27 February 1941. Addressed to noted Lincoln/Civil War scholar Arnold F. Gates (1914-93). Fine. On "Netherland Plaza" hotel stationery, Cornell thanks this admirer for 48th birthday greetings "and your good wishes for the success of the play. It is very flattering to know that you await the performance in Cleveland with such interest...." Boldly signed. (The play in question was "The Doctor's Dilemma," but after Pearl Harbor on December 7th Cornell revived "Candida" to raise funds for the Navy Relief Society and Army Emergency Fund, persuading co-stars Raymond Massey, Burgess Meredith, Mildred Natwick and Dudley Digges and even the theatre where it showed to donate almost all proceeds to these organizations. Laid in are the ideal bookmarks: Bikel and Washbourne's original transmittal envelopes. Quite an unusual copy! NEWMAN 478.