One-Way Ticket by Hughes, Langston - 1949

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1949. First Edition. Jacob Lawrence. BOLDLY INSCRIBED by Langston Hughes on the front end paper: "With all my / regard to / Eusebia -- / Sincerely, / Langston / New York, / March 31, / 1949." A collection of poems, with six striking illustrations by Jacob Lawrence. The recipient, Eusebia Adriana Cosme (1911 [?] -1976), was a Cuban-born actress and interpreter of Afro-Antillean poetry and literature. She gave recitals in which she also designed the scenery and costumes. Her concerts featured primarily the works of Hispanic poets, although she also performed the works of Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar. After leaving Cuba in the late 1930s, she settled in New York, where she had her own Spanish-language radio program on CBS doing poetry recitals and dramatic readings. In the 1960s, she appeared in films; she had a role in Sidney Lumet's 1964 film, "The Pawnbroker." Then, in 1966, she appeared in a Mexican film, "El Derecho de Nacer," (The Right to Be Born), winning an Onix award for Best Actress, the Mexican version of the Oscar. 8vo, xvii, 136 pages. A Fine copy in a very bright, Near Fine unclipped dust jacket that's a bit soiled on the rear panel. Small closed tear at the top of the front panel and a small chip where the flap meets the top of the rear panel. Overall, a beautiful copy with a nice association.