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The Beggar's Opera
by John Gay
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Slip case VG
- Seller
-
Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Argonaut Books, Larchmont, New York, 1961. Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Special Edition. Although John Gay's Beggar's opera is approaching 300 years old, it is still a cherished part of the English theater world. This copy of The Beggar's Opera is a faithful reproduction of the 1729 Edition ( the opera was written in 1728) which includes the words and music of all the airs, as well as the score for the overture. With commentaries by Louis Kronenberger and Max Goberman on the literary and musical background and with the original words of all the airs that John Gay adapted for this work. The Beggar's opera is the only example of the once thriving satirical ballad opera that exists today. This opera was written by Johann Christop Pepusch and first performed in the Lincoln's Field Theater in London in 1728. Book is very good+ with a repaired spine that separatd from the text block. Priced ( Ten Dollars) publishers slipcase is in very good and very sturdy condition. This is a special collectible in this condition.
Synopsis
‘Whore and rogue they call husband and wife: All professions be-rogue one another' The tale of Peachum, thief-taker and informer, conspiring to send the dashing and promiscuous highwayman Macheath to the gallows, became the theatrical sensation of the eighteenth century. In The Beggar’s Opera , John Gay turned conventions of Italian opera riotously upside-down, instead using traditional popular ballads and street tunes, while also indulging in political satire at the expense of the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. Gay’s highly original depiction of the thieves, informers, prostitutes and highwaymen thronging the slums and prisons of the corrupt London underworld proved brilliantly successful in exposing the dark side of a corrupt and jaded society. Bryan Loughrey and T. O. Treadwell’s introduction examines the eighteenth-century background of musical theatre and opera, the changing cityscape of London and the corruption of the legal system. This edition also includes a note on the music in The Beggar’s Opera and suggestions for further reading.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Oshtemo Book Sellers
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 7339
- Title
- The Beggar's Opera
- Author
- John Gay
- Format/Binding
- Quarter bound in brown leather over fine patterned covered boards
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Slip case VG
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Thus
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Argonaut Books
- Place of Publication
- Larchmont, New York
- Date Published
- 1961
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- First Thus first printing
- Size
- 4to
Terms of Sale
Oshtemo Book Sellers
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Oshtemo Book Sellers
Biblio member since 2017
Kalamazoo, Michigan
About Oshtemo Book Sellers
Rare finds with an emphasis on fiction, art, and signed first-editions. Oshtemo Book Sellers has an eye for quality and quirk.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Good+
- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Text Block
- Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
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