The Dance through the Ages

New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1967. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Very good/good. 304 pages. Illustrations (a few in color). Selected Reading Guide. A Cultural Chronology. Index. DJ has some wear, soiling, edge tears and chips. Bookplate of previous owner faces the half-title page. From an obituary of the author available on-line: Walter Sorell, an erudite and prolific writer about dance and esthetics was 91.Mr. Sorell, who was the New York dance critic for The Providence Journal from 1950 to 1966 and a contributor to publications like Dance News, Dance Magazine, Dance Observer and Ballet Today, was concerned with history and philosophy as well as dance. The author of more than 25 books in English and German, he sought to unite the arts in a cultural synthesis. He also translated several important novels from the German, including Hermann Hesse's ''Steppenwolf'' and Erich Maria Remarque's ''Arch of Triumph.''Mr. Sorell's own books ranged from ''The Dance Through the Ages'' and ''Dance in Its Time'' to ''The Story of the Human Hand,'' a study of the ways in which hands can reveal character.Mr. Sorell admired the passion of the Romantic era and the fervor of early modern dance but was suspicious of some of the anarchic choreographic experiments of the 1960's. Over the years, he taught theater and dance history at such institutions as Columbia University, Barnard College, the New School for Social Research, Hunter College, Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin. Mr. Sorell's many awards include an honorary doctorate from Valparaiso University in Indiana and the Dance Magazine Award of Distinction. He received the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art in 1991 and the Silver Medal of Honor of the City of Vienna in 1994.