SIGNED BY TOM STOPPARD

Stoppard, Tom ~ Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth : Signed By The Author

Faber and Faber, London : 1980

The First UK Printing published by Faber and Faber, London in 1980. 8vo., black publisher's boards lettered in gilt to spine; together in the unclipped photographic wrapper ('£4.50 net' to the front flap) featuring an image by Bob Chase; The BOOK essentially in near Fine condition, with very light bumping to spine tips and a hint of toning to the text-block ; The WRAPPER also excellent, with just the tiniest of rubs to the spine ends. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First UK trade edition, initially produced by Inter-Action Inprint in 1979 in wraps format. This copy signed (without dedication) by Tom Stoppard to the front blank endpaper. Two plays by Tom Stoppard, written to be performed alongside each other, which were originally staged on Broadway at the 22 Steps on October 3rd 1979. The former, which curiously combines elements of Shakespeare with concepts introduced by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein about the nature of language, incorporates a fictional language, 'Dogg', and a play-within-a-play; being a much-abridged version of 'Hamlet'. Similarly, 'Cahoot's Macbeth' incorporates a condensed version of Macbeth, which Stoppard had been inspired to write for his friend Pavel Kohout, a Czech playwright who had been banned from working in theatre by the then-Communist government. The plays were not the first - or last - time that Stoppard would incorporate Shakespearean elements in his writing. Most famously he based his award-winning play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on two minor characters from Hamlet, and he later achieved further success in co-writing the script for the film 'Shakespeare in Love'. A lovely copy, scarce with these attributes. (Warner A10 a. 3a).

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Near Fine