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Gershwin Years, The
New York: Doubleday & Company, 1973. Item #06668
“From Ira of The Gershwin Years” — Inscribed to "Leslie of The Bricusse Years"
[GERSHWIN, George & Ira]. The Gershwin Years. By Edward Jablonski and Lawrence D. Stewart. Introduction by Carl Van Vechten. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1973.
First edition. Quarto (10 1/4 x 7 1/8 inches; 260 x 181 mm.). [1–10], 11–416 pp. Publisher’s maroon cloth, spine lettered in gilt, blue endpapers. In the original pictorial dust jacket (light rubbing at extremities). A near fine copy.
Inscribed on the half-title in a bold, expansive hand:
“To Leslie / of The Bricusse Years - / From Ira / of The Gershwin Years - / With admiration / Ira Gershwin / Beverly Hills / Sept. 26, 1973.”
A superb, witty, and highly personal inscription from Ira Gershwin to Leslie Bricusse, playfully aligning Bricusse’s career with that of the Gershwin brothers.
A particularly choice composer-to-composer association copy, uniting:
The Gershwin legacy - arguably the defining partnership of American popular song, with Leslie Bricusse, among the most successful lyricists of the postwar era (Willy Wonka, Doctor Dolittle, Goldfinger).
The inscription is not merely cordial but cleverly self-referential, transforming the book’s title into a compliment -“The Bricusse Years” - a subtle passing of the torch from one great lyricist to another.
Given Bricusse’s close ties to major figures of the American musical theater tradition, copies with this level of personal engagement are distinctly uncommon and carry strong cross-collecting appeal (music, film, Broadway, and Hollywood).
The Gershwin Years remains one of the most substantial early biographies of the Gershwin brothers, richly illustrated and drawing on extensive documentation, including material relating to Porgy and Bess.
Price: $1,650.00