John Gielgud's Hamlet: A Record of Performance by GILDER, Rosamund - 1937

New York: Oxford University Press, 1937. Hardcover. Notes on Costume, Scenery and Stage Business by John Gielgud. 8vo. Black cloth with gilt spine lettering, pictorial price-clipped dust jacket. 234pp. Frontispiece, illustrations, pictorial endpapers. Near fine/good only. Jacket quite rubbed and age toned and edgeworn, with numerous small chips along edges and large chips at top and at center of spine. Despite rough jacket, a superbly tight and nice first edition of this chronicle of the famed production -- with choice autograph addition: Tipped to the front flyleaf is an orange decorative-edged 4¼" X 2 3/4" bookplate signed boldly by Gielgud in black fineline. In addition, the inner flyleaf bears a large, bold inked gift inscription from noted television character actor Robert Casper (b. 1924): "Joe Hunley: / Happy Birthday / and / Best Wishes / Bob." (Joseph Hunley,1922-2016, was an actor and USO performer who directed plays for Chicago's famed Goodman Theatre.) Distinguished British stage and screen actor Gielgud (1904-2000) won several Tony Awards and an Academy Award (for "Arthur," 1982). He is generally considered the greatest Hamlet of his generation, and this specific London production which he directed and in which he starred one of the most memorable interpretations of 20th century. A lovely and unusual copy of this uncommon title.