An Historical Account of the Providence Stage; Being a Paper Read Before the Rhode Island Historical Society, October 25, 1860. (With Additions.)
Providence: George H. Whitney, 1868. First edition. 8vo, original green cloth, gilt lettering, 297 pages. Cloth a little worn, with a small split near the foot of the front joint; hinges just a little loosed from the inserted material, but overall a very good copy. Item #19454
A unique augmented copy of this detailed local theatre history, with the pencil ownership signature of Samuel W. Brown—presumably Providence worthy Samuel Welch Brown (1824-1907)—and the semi-legible pencil signature of perhaps his son Arthur Brown; this copy includes a CDV portrait mounted to the verso of the front blank and annotated in the margin in pencil as Charles Blake; also with a folded printed column (similar to a galley proof) mounted to the rear endpaper and headed “Charles Blake,” with the pencil annotation at the head, “Written in imitation of the obituary notices by E. H. Hazard in the Journal by Mr. Blake himself,” as well as two tipped-in playbills—one a large approx. 17 x 6.25 inch playbill advertising a performance of Howard and the Foxes (among other attractions) at Cleveland Hall and with an imprint for Greene, Granite Building; and smaller 6.75 x 4.75 inch handbill advertising the “the Young and Beautiful American Actress!,” Alice Placid Mann appearing in 1862 at the Providence Theatre on Pine at Dorrance. Also includes a marginal pencil note to one page alluding to the performance style of one actor, a mounted clipping from 1880 relating to the Dorrance Street Theatre, and some promiscuous inserted 20th century newpspaer clippings. Sabin 5764.
Price: $350.00