I have been in the rare and antiquarian book business for over forty years; my family has been in the rare books business since 1876. Rare books are in my blood.
New Moon, The
New York: Harms Inc., 1928. Item #05833
A Landmark American Operetta
Inscribed by Sigmund Romberg at the Time of Publication
[ROMBERG, Sigmund]. The New Moon. A Musical Romance. Produced by Laurence Schwab and Frank Mandel. Music by Sigmund Romberg. Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. New York: Harms Inc., 1928.
First edition. Large quarto (12 x 9 inches; 305 x 229 mm.). [iv], [1]–277, [1, blank] pp. Frontispiece portrait of Sigmund Romberg.
Publisher’s original brown morocco, front cover and spine lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. Spine very slightly faded, otherwise an unusually handsome and well-preserved copy.
Inscribed by Sigmund Romberg on the front blank: “To Gus / with kindest regards / from Romberg / New York Dec 24/28.”
A superb association copy of one of the defining American operettas of the late 1920s, warmly inscribed by the composer in the year of publication.
Premiering in 1928, The New Moon proved to be among Romberg’s greatest theatrical triumphs, blending the lush romanticism of Viennese operetta with the evolving idiom of the American musical stage. Set against the backdrop of revolution and exile in eighteenth-century New Orleans, the work introduced such enduring standards as “Lover, Come Back to Me” and “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise,” songs that would long outlive the original production and become fixtures of the American popular songbook.
Sigmund Romberg (1887–1951), the Hungarian-born composer who became one of Broadway’s dominant musical voices between the wars, played a central role in shaping the American operetta tradition. Following early collaborations with the Shubert brothers and contributions to revues for Al Jolson, Romberg achieved major success with a sequence of lavish romantic productions including Maytime (1917), Blossom Time (1921), The Student Prince (1924), The Desert Song (1926), and The New Moon (1928). His music combined European lyricism with American theatrical pacing and orchestration, helping to bridge the transition between classical operetta and the modern Broadway musical.
Inscribed copies of Romberg’s major works are uncommon, particularly in such attractive condition and in the deluxe morocco binding issued for presentation or subscription purposes. A striking artifact from the golden age of Broadway operetta.
Price: $400.00