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.
George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, The
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1960. Item #06672
A Superb Association Copy Across Two Generations of Great Songwriters
Inscribed by Ira Gershwin to Leslie Bricusse
A First Day Cover Signed by Ira and with a Clipped Signature of George
And an Original Sketch by Ira
[GERSHWIN, George & Ira]. The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book. Foreword by Ira Gershwin. Illustrated by Milton Glaser. Arrangements by Dr. Albert Sirmay. New York: Simon and Schuster, [1960].
First edition, first printing. Folio (12 x 9 inches; 305 x 229 mm.). xiv, 178 pp. Illustrated throughout with bold color designs by Milton Glaser.
Spiral bound, quarter orange cloth over black cloth boards, front cover decoratively stamped and lettered in blind, spine lettered in black. Spine slightly faded, otherwise near fine. Housed in the original, slightly worn, color pictorial slipcase.
A superb inscribed copy from the library of Leslie Bricusse, enriched with a George Gershwin First Day Cover envelope signed and with a sketch by Ira.
On the verso of the front free endpaper is mounted a First Day Cover (February 28, 1973) honoring George Gershwin, signed in black ink by Ira Gershwin, together with a carefully pasted clipped signature of George Gershwin, uniting the brothers once again in a single presentation.
On the color title-page, Ira Gershwin has inscribed:
“For Leslie Bricusse / with admiration / and all best — From [sketch] Ira Gershwin / Beverly Hills, Nov. 4, ’68”
The sketch depicts a small, stylized, bowing figure - rendered in quick, fluid lines - leaning forward in a gesture of theatrical deference. Rather than a portrait, it is best understood as one of Ira Gershwin’s characteristic spontaneous doodles: whimsical, understated, and gently performative. The figure reads almost as a self-effacing stage bow - an elegant visual flourish that mirrors the tone of the inscription itself. Such drawings, when present, add a distinct personal dimension to Gershwin inscriptions and are highly prized.
This copy embodies a rare and meaningful intersection of three major figures in twentieth-century musical theater:
George Gershwin - whose music defined an era; Ira Gershwin - custodian of that legacy and voice of its refinement
and Leslie Bricusse - heir to that tradition, bridging Broadway and the modern musical.
The layered inscriptions, correspondence, and added materials create a dialogue across decades - transforming the volume from a musical anthology into a living document of artistic lineage.
A deeply evocative association copy - uniting autograph material, presentation inscription, and original artwork—linking the Gershwins directly to one of their most important successors.
A copy that transcends its bibliographical importance to become a piece of musical and cultural history.
Price: $5,000.00