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 York Times Gershwin Years in Song, The
New York: Quadrangle / The New York Times Book Co., 1973. Item #06671
The Gershwin–Bricusse Archive Deepens: With George Gershwin’s Signature
Ira Gershwin Presentation Copy, 1974 - With Signed 1935 Check by George Gershwin
GERSHWIN, George Gershwin & Ira. The New York Times Gershwin Years in Song. Introduction by Edward Jablonski and Lawrence D. Stewart. New York: The New York Times Company / Quadrangle, 1973.
First edition. Folio (12 x 9 inches; 305 x 229 mm.). [v], 323 pp. Profusely illustrated. Publisher’s light blue cloth, spiral-bound as issued, in the original color pictorial dust jacket (price-clipped). A near fine copy.
Inscribed by Ira Gershwin to Leslie Bricusse on the front free endpaper:
“All best to Leslie Bricusse, / From / Ira Gershwin, Autographer. / Beverly Hills, Jan. 10, 1974.”
Beneath the inscription is pasted an original bank check signed by George Gershwin, dated October 7, 1935, drawn on the National City Bank of New York. The page is additionally signed by Leslie Bricusse at lower right.
This is the most powerful item in the Gershwin–Bricusse group, uniting in a single volume:
George Gershwin’s autograph (1935) — a rare and highly desirable survival
Ira Gershwin’s presentation inscription (1974)
Leslie Bricusse’s ownership signature
The result is a three-way association artifact, physically embodying: The original Gershwin partnership (George & Ira) and their transmission to a later master lyricist (Bricusse).
Ira’s playful self-description as “Autographer” adds a characteristic touch of wit, while the deliberate inclusion of George’s signed check transforms the book into something far beyond a presentation copy - it becomes a curated relic of the Gershwin legacy.
The New York Times Gershwin Years in Song is a comprehensive anthology of the Gershwins’ output, richly illustrated and intended as both a documentary and performative resource. In this instance, however, it serves as a presentation vehicle for a far more significant association object.
Price: $3,500.00