ANTHONY BROWNE'S KING KONG. [ Illus by Anthony Browne.**]

UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st illustrated edn.FINE/NFINE.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated, colour pictorial artwork by Anthony Browne,illustrated dw/dj,with white lettering to front and spine; with negligible shelf- wear or creasing to edges and corners - no major nicks or tears present.One small closed tear at foot of spine and a small pierced indent to rear spine's gutter's edge/crease and light curling to top+bottom edges of dw/dj.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, publisher's original plain dark blue cloth boards with bright,crisp, blocked silver gilt letters to spine and immaculate plain khaki flecked endpapers.UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn,11-92pp [paginated] includes full-colour part page illustration with text and full page illustrations - all by Anthony Browne; plus [unpaginated] vignette colour illustrated half-title,similar illustrated title page,and an epigram (from 'Beauty and the Beast').
See also my book ID rja775018 for the UK,p/back 1st edn novelisation. Anthony Browne has always acknowledged the classic cult movie 'King Kong' to be one of the most potent influences on his work; this greatest of all 'gorilla' stories is surely the book above all he was destined to illustrate. King Kong is a giant gorilla,a huge and terrifying survivor from another age on an island trapped in a time warp.But this awesome creature is no match for the cunning of an ambitious promoter,who sees Kong as a mega showstopper,and sets out to trap him.The pursuit and capture provide endless thrills,but when Kong is finally put on show to the public in New York the heart-stopping moments begin, leading to perhaps one of the most famous of all climaxes as King Kong defies the world from the top of the Empire State Building. This book is a major attraction,a 'first' in every sense as King Kong has never before appeared as a full-colour book.There will not be a dry eye in the house when the last page is turned. Anthony Browne is now rightly regarded as one of the world's leading picture book creators.His books include 'Piggybook', 'Changes', 'The Big Baby',and three books about the enormously popular chimp Willy. He has won awards in many countries,including the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Kurt Maschler Award for his now classic book 'Gorilla', and the Kate Greenaway Medal a second time for 'Zoo'. In 1993 a major exhibition of his work was mounted in Mexico. 'King Kong',which has occupied him for two years,is his most ambitious project to date (then 1994.). Posthumously,Edgar Wallace's most famous work was one he wouldn't get to see.Out of several scripts he penned for the RKO studio,Merian C. Cooper's "gorilla picture" had the most lasting influence,becoming the classic 1933 'King Kong'. Wallace was assigned work on the RKO "gorilla picture" (King Kong,1933) for producer Merian C. Cooper.By late January, however,he was beginning to suffer sudden,severe headaches and was diagnosed with diabetes. His condition deteriorated within days,Edgar had slipped into a coma and died of the condition,combined with double pneumonia,on 10 February 1932 in Beverly Hills.
Wallace wrote the initial 110-page draft for 'King Kong' over a period of five weeks,from late December 1931 to January 1932. The movie was initially to be called 'The Beast',and this was the name of Wallace's treatment. In December,1932,his story and screenplay for King Kong were "novelized" or transcribed by Delos W. Lovelace,a journalist and author himself who knew Cooper from when they worked on the same newspaper,and appeared in book form under the title 'King Kong'. Lovelace based the transcription largely on the Ruth Rose and James A. Creelman screenplay. This "novelization" of King Kong,attributed to Wallace,Cooper and Lovelace,was originally published by Grosset and Dunlap (US), 1932.In 1976,Grosset and Dunlap republished the novel in both paperback and hardcover editions.The Delos Lovelace transcription remains the official book-length treatment of the story. Please contact seller @ rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,because of the lighter weight and the value of this item for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE.
** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.