Building a Character

New York: Theatre Arts Books: Robert M. MacGregor, 1949. First Edition, First Printing.

Stanislavski's important sequel to "An Actor Prepares," covering the physical aspects of acting, such as movement, voice, tempo, and rhythm. It's written in the form of a diary by an acting student, with frequent appearances by the teacher and director Tortsov, obviously a stand-in for Stanislavski himself.

This volume, published by Theatre Arts Books in New York, is the first edition in English; a U.K. edition appeared a year later. The Russian edition was issued in 1948. Translated with a Foreword by Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood, who collaborated closely with Stanislavski. There's also an entertaining Introduction by actor and director Jonathan Logan, who visited Stanislavski in Moscow in 1931.

This is an essential reference on Stanislavski's system of acting, which is in wide use today.

PHYSICAL DETAILS: Octavo (8 1/2 inches / 22 cm), xx, 292 pages.

CONDITION: Some fraying to the boards, with a bump in the lower right corner of the front board. A bit of soiling to the top edge and toning to the end papers. Otherwise Very Good. The dust jacket has a few closed tears and shows some sunning to the spine and top of the front panel. First-edition copies in the dust jacket are uncommon to the market. SCARCE in dust jacket.