Ray Bradbury. The Martian Chronicles. Garden City: Doubleday, 1950. Later edition. Presentation copy, inscribed by... (Total: 2 Items)
Description
Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles Inscribed by Him to Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester, With a Later Typed Letter Signed by Bradbury to Lanchester
Ray Bradbury. The Martian Chronicles. Garden
City: Doubleday, 1950. Later edition. Presentation copy,
inscribed by Bradbury on the front free endpaper: "For Mr. and Mrs.
Laughton:/with good wishes and much/respect-/from/Ray Bradbury
[underlined]/April, 1951". Beneath this inscription is a small
photocopy of Charles Laughton's bookplate tipped-in. Octavo. 222,
[2, blank] pages. Publisher's binding of full blue cloth, spine
lettered in red, dust jacket. Jacket spine toned, headcap and front
of jacket near headcap quite chipped, several tears to jacket (some
quite large), some additional chipping and wear to jacket, tape
repairs to jacket verso, spine of binding sunned and lightly
rubbed. A good copy with an excellent association. [Together
with]: Ray Bradbury. Typed Letter Signed. Los Angeles: [n.d.,
ca. 1983]. Written on Bradbury's corporate stationery ("Ray
Bradbury Enterprises"). One quarto page. Approximately 11 x 8.25
inches. "Dear Elsa: "This is a Time Machine of a book. Elsa
Lanchester travels back and arrives at - herself. And a fine
journey it is!" Ray Bradbury. The above is the quote I have sent to
St. Martin's Press to be used with your book. Hope it is okay. The
book is, of course, fascinating. And, naturally, I feel comfortable
with it because I know either the people, or the films, or some of
the events. Good luck with it. Please apologize to Ray [J. Raymond
Henderson, who accompanied Lanchester on piano during her nightclub
act] for me. I am busy finishing or starting 3 films at once, and
taking care, on occasion, of Maggie [his wife, Marguerite], who has
been in and out of hospital, but is allright now, thank God. I hope
to call you and Ray soon and have an afternoon get together with a
martini, if that is allowed? for old times' sake. Love to you both,
meanwhile, Yours, Ray [in brown marker pen]". Letter has two
horizontal creases and a creased soil-mark in the upper left
corner. A good letter with a great association.
More Information:
Bradbury was a friend and admirer of this legendary Hollywood couple. Charles Laughton (1899-1962) was a legendary film actor (his roles included Henry VIII in the Private Life of Henry VIII, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1933, Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty in 1935 and Sir Wilfred Robarts in Witness for the Prosecution in 1957, both of which garnered him Best Actor nominations for the Academy Awards). Perhaps today he is best known for the only film he directed, Night of the Hunter (1955), starring Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish. Elsa Lanchester (1902-1986) was his wife (married to him from 1929 until his death) and a noted actress in her own right. Perhaps her most famous role(s) was in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) in which she played both the Bride and Mary Shelley. She was also nominated twice for Best Supporting Actress for her work. Bradbury had written a one-act musical for Laughton and Lanchester, entitled 2116, which they never presented (this was later performed on stage in 2010).
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