F.W. Murnau

Paris: Editions Le Terrain Vague, 1964. Original wraps. Very Good +. A major Association copy: INSCRIBED BY LOTTE EISNER TO KARL FREUND, THE LEGENDARY CINEMATOGRAPHER OF BOTH "METROPOLIS" (1927) AND "DRACULA" (1931). IN ADDITION TO PHOTOGRAPHING THESE 2 HIGH SPOTS OF EARLY CINEMA, FREUND ALSO DIRECTED "THE MUMMY" (1932) AND "MAD LOVE" (1935, STARRING PETER LORRE). THERE'S ALSO A NICE PROVENANCE TO THIS COPY, HAVING BELONGED TO PEPI AND HERBERT LUFT, BOTH CONCENTRATION CAMP SURVIVORS, AND HERBERT AN IMPORTANT FILM PRODUCER AND JOURNALIST, AND ULTIMATELY EXECUTIVE (VICE-PRESIDENT AND TREASURER OF GETTY PICTURES). A very solid copy to boot of the 1964 true 1st edition of Eisner's seminal biography of F.W. Murnau, a towering figure in German Expressionist cinema, best known for directing the films "Nosferatu", "Faust" and "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans". (Only 42 when he died [1888-1931], Murnau still left an indelible mark on early film-making, which included the final 5 years of his life in Hollywood). This copy is a clean, well-preserved example of a fragile book. Bright and VG+ in its wonderful pictorial wrappers, with light creasing along the spine and the panel edges. A touch of very light wear at the spine ends and a very mild lean (cocking) to the binding. Pepi and Herbert Luft's ownership stamp appears at the foot of about 9 or 10 pages as well. Octavo, a generous sample of crisp black-and-white photos thruout. Text in French, with additional contributions by Robert Plumpe and Robert Herlth.