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Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Albee, Edward
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Atheneum, 1962. First edition of Albee's classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by the author on the title page, "Edward Albee 2010." Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. An exceptional example. Edward Albee’s "masterpiece his account of a couple’s long-night’s journey into dawn is also-deeply and truly-a love story" (New York Times). Albee described his first three-act play as the depiction of the desire to "try to claw our way into compassion" (Hart 9). The Village Voice calls Albee's play "[a]n irreplaceable experiencea crucial event in the birth of contemporary American theater!" Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? went on to win the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. Basis for the 1966 film adaptation directed by Mike Nichols that starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Synopsis
“Twelve times a week,” answered Uta Hagen, when asked how often she’d like to play Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Like her, audiences and critics alike could not get enough of Edward Albee’s masterful play. A dark comedy, it portrays husband and wife George and Martha in a searing night of dangerous fun and games. By the evening’s end, a stunning, almost unbearable revelation provides a climax that has shocked audiences for years. With the play’s razor-sharp dialogue and the stripping away of social pretense, Newsweek rightly foresaw Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as “a brilliantly original work of art—an excoriating theatrical experience, surging with shocks of recognition and dramatic fire [that] will be igniting Broadway for some time to come.”
Reviews
On Apr 28 2014, a reader said:
A young and handsome new-hire college professor Nick, and his mousey wife Honey, are invited to the home of the dull head of the history dept. George, after hours, post campus event (unbeknownst to George) by George's sexy 40 something wife, Martha. Believing the visit will enhance young Nick's career, (Martha is the daughter of the college's president) they accept the invitation, unaware they are in for a disturbing night of non stop drinking, leading to shocking behavior by their hosts, and themselves. Stunning ending! A classic play, made into a movie in the 1960's, starring famous real life husband and wife Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, a young George Segal and Sandy Dennis. I found reading the play much more disturbing than the movie, which tends to be softened a bit by lovely Liz. I have not yet seen the actual play performed-but I must, someday!
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Details
- Bookseller
- Raptis Rare Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 126769
- Title
- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- Author
- Albee, Edward
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Atheneum
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1962
- Keywords
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? First Edition, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Signed First Edition
Terms of Sale
Raptis Rare Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed.
About the Seller
Raptis Rare Books
Biblio member since 2012
Palm Beach, Florida
About Raptis Rare Books
Founded by Matthew and Adrienne Raptis, Raptis Rare Books is an antiquarian book firm that specializes in literature, children's books, economics, photo books, signed and inscribed books, and landmark books in all fields. Our business model is simple: we strive to handle books that are in exceptional condition and to provide exceptional customer service.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Shelfwear
- Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from a bookshelf, especially along the bottom edge.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
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