Inscribed Author William Gropper (8 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. 133 Pp. Red Cloth, Gilt. First Edition. Near Fine, Gilt Bright. Dust Jacket Worn, Small Chips And Tears. Inscribed By The Author To Social Artist William Gropper And His Wife. Emjo Basshe (Born Emmanuel Iode Abarbanel Basshe Or Emanuel Joseph Jochelman (1898 -1939) Was A Lithuanian-Born Jewish American Playwright Of Spanish Descent, A Recipient Of A 1931 Guggenheim Fellowship, And One Of The Initial Members In 1935 Of The Communist Party-Founded League Of American Writers. He Immigrated To The United States In 1912, Graduating From Columbia University In 1919. He Began His Theatrical Career With The Provincetown Playhouse And, In 1920, Went To Massachusetts, Working With Boston's Peabody Playhouse, Then Chelsea Arts Theatre And Cambridge's Castle Square Players, All During 1920-22. Returning To Provincetown Playhouse, He Remained Until The Premiere In 1925 Of His Play, Adam Solitaire, Directed By Stanley Howlett, And Featuring 19-Year-Old John Huston. Basshe Then Moved To Pennsylvania, Becoming Director Of The Stage Repertory Of Philadelphia, Where His Three Short Plays, The Bitter Fantasy, The Star And Soil Were Presented. Again Returning To New York, Basshe Co-Founded, With Four Others, The New Playwrights Theatre, Initially Finding A Temporary Home At The 52Nd Street Theatre, Where It Premiered, On March 9, 1927, His New Play, Earth, Directed By Russell Wright And Hemsley Winfield. On November 29, 1927, Basshe's New Play, Centuries, Set Among Jewish Residents Of A New York City Tenement House, Had Its Premiere. Directed By The Author, The Production Had A Cast Of 27, Including Future Film Star Franchot Tone, And Lasted For 39 Performances. Continuing As A Director, Basshe Next Helmed The Playhouse's Production Of Upton Sinclair's Prison-Based Drama, Singing Jailbirds, Which Featured Future Character Star, Lionel Stander, As One Of The Prisoners. Premiering On December 6, 1928, The Play Lasted 79 Performances. Provincetown Playhouse Dissolved In April 1929 And Basshe Pursued His Career As A Broadway Director At Other Venues, Co-Supervising North Carolina Playwright Paul Green's Musical Drama, Roll, Sweet Chariot, Set, According To Its Description, In "A Negro Village Somewhere In The South". The Production Premiered At The Cort Theatre On October 2, 1934 And Lasted 7 Performances. Another Green Play Directed By Basshe, Turpentine, Opened June 26, 1936 And Closed In August, Following 62 Performances. On May 13, A Month Before The Premiere Of Turpentine, Basshe's Anti-War Satire, The Snickering Horses, With A Cast Of 34, Was Staged At Daly's 63Rd Street Theatre As The Concluding Presentation Of Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project Experimental Theatre Three-Performance Cycle Of Three One-Act Plays, With The Other Two Being George Bernard Shaw's Great Catherine: Whom Glory Still Adores And, Condensed Into One Act By Alfred Saxe, Molière's The Miser. In January 1939, Basshe Staged A Production Of Three One-Act Plays: Paul Vincent Carroll's The Coggerers (Later Renamed The Conspirators), Jean Giraudoux's Mr. Banks Of Birmingham And Josephinna Niggli's The Red Velvet Goat, Which Opened At The Hudson Theatre On January 20, 1939 And Closed The Following Day. The Sf Encuclopedia Says That In General His Plays Can Be Understood As Agitprop, And Seem To Have Been Particular Successful At The Heart Of The Great Depression, Before The New Deal Began To Rescue America From The Effects Of Unmonitored Capitalism. Of Sf Interest Is Doomsday Circus: A Dramatic Chronicle (1938), Seemingly Unproduced During His Lifetime, An Expressionist, Hortatory Burlesque With Some Similarities To Elmer Rice's The Adding Machine, In Which The Coming Near Future Ownership Of The World By A Single Multi-Tentacled Corporation Is Rendered As A Circus. Inscribed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. (Xiv), 13 Pp. Illustrated Wrappers, In Similar Illustrated Dust Jacket. First Edition. Slight Wear, But Faint Damp Staining Along Top Edges Of Book, Pages And Dust Jacket. Inscribed By The Author In 1947 To American Social Artist William Gropper And His Wife Sophie, "Two More Internationalists", And Dated 1 May 1947. Charles Fenn (1907-2004) Was Born In England And Emigrated To The U.S.A. As A Young Man, Eventually Becoming A Naturalized U.S. Citizen At The Time Of His Marriage. He Began Working As A Freelance Photographer, And In 1941 Was Assigned By A Magazine Called Friday To Cover The Long-Running War In China, Which Had Been Invaded By Japan Several Years Previously. Friday Folded While Fenn Was In China; He Then Began Working For The Associated Press, Filing Photographs From China And Subsequently Also From Burma As The War Widened In Scope. On His Return To The Us In 1943, Fenn Became An Officer In The U.S. Marine Corps, And Was Immediately Assigned To The Office Of Strategic Services (Oss). Back In China, He Was Assigned To The Air Ground Aid Services (Agas), Where He Engaged In The Rescue Of Downed Pilots And Liaison With Prisoners Of War In Indo-China And Adjacent Areas Of China. His Primary Task, However, Was To Gather Intelligence Regarding, Among Other Things, The Political Orientation Of The Inhabitants Of What Was Then French Indo-China. Following The End Of The War, His Marriage Had Ended, So He Went To Hong Kong Where He Engaged In Several Different Business Ventures. After Two Years He Moved Back To London, His Childhood Home, Where He Attempted To Become A Successful Writer. After Marrying His Second Wife, Fenn Left London Once Again During The Mid-1970S, Moving To Schull, West Cork In The Republic Of Ireland Where He Spent The Rest Of His Life. He Wrote A Memoir Of His Oss Years. All Of Which Shows The Old Truth, That Independent Writers Make Good Espionage Agents, At Least Before The Current Crop Who Are Unable To Write Much Besides "I Am A Good Boy" Or I Am A Good Girl" And Childish Fantasy Like The Vietnam Intelligence Reports, The Libyan Intelligence Reports, The Iraqi Nuclear Intelligence Reports, The Afghani Invasion Intelligence Reports, The Steele Dossier, And Unending Crap Besides. Oh, Let's Add The Pre-1989 Reports About The Mighty Russian State. Inscribed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Original Color Print; B/W Illustrations (illustrator). 1st Edition. 96 Pp. Black Cloth Spine, Gilt, White Boards. Limited Edition With Signed Color Print Bound In, #26 Of 50 Copies. Also Inscribed By The Artist To Social Artist William Gropper "To Bill Gropper Wonderful Artist And My Friend Anto Refregier". Inscribed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Photographs Throghout; Front Cover After Robert Rauschenberg (illustrator). 1st Edition. 72 Pp. Cloth, Front Cover Orange And Spine And Rear Cover Orange (Not Faded). Light Wear. Inscribed By The Author To Social Artist, Thanking Him For His Letter Discussing His Work Which Mondale Included In The Book; The Compliments Slip From Lerner Indicating A Publication Date Of June 1, 1972; The Publicity Sheet For The Book; The Note Indicating It Is A Complimentary Copy And Acknowledging His Art On P. 276; And The Art Books For Everyone Catalog. Artists Look At Politics About As Favorably As They Look At The Detailed Procedures Of Mass Production Of Sausages, And For Similar Reasons. Inscribed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. Photographs, Plates (illustrator). 1st Edition. 207 Pp. Illustrated Pink And Red Cloth. First Printing. Inscribed By The Author To Social Artist William Gropper And His Wife "With Warm Regards" And Dated In 1968; They Were The Author's Neighbors In Croton-On-Hudson Ny. Book Fine, No Wear Or Damage. Dust Jacket Lightly Used But With A Few Small Losses On Inside Of Front Flap Fold. George Biddle (1885 -1973) Was An American Painter, Muralist And Lithographer, Best Known For His Social Realism And Combat Art. A Childhood Friend Of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, He Played A Major Role In Establishing The Federal Art Project (1935-43), Which Employed Artists Under The Works Progress Administration.Born To An Established Philadelphia Family, Biddle Attended The Elite Groton School (Where He Was A Classmate Of Franklin D. Roosevelt). He Completed His Undergraduate Studies And Later Earned A Law Degree From Harvard (1908 And 1911, Respectively). He Passed His Bar Examination In Philadelphia. Biddle's Legal Career Was Short-Lived, However, And By The End Of 1911 He Had Left The United States To Study At The Académie Julian In Paris. In The Next Two Years He Studied At The Pennsylvania Academy Of The Fine Arts. Returning To Europe In 1914, Biddle Spent Time In Munich And Madrid, Studying Printmaking In The Spanish Capital, Before Trying His Hand At Impressionism In France. In 1917 Biddle Enlisted In The Army. In The Early Interwar Period Biddle Continued His Studies In Far-Flung Locations Such As Tahiti, Returned To France In 1924, And. Prior To His Mexican Travels, Biddle Had Returned To The United States In 1927 And Established A Printing Shop In New York, Where He "Began To Explore The Variety And Richness Of Technique And Expressionism Possible In Lithography", A Medium Which He Hoped Would "Popularize American Art By Making It Better Known To The American Public". He Was A Member Of The Society Of American Graphic Artists. In 1928 Went On A Sketching Trip Through Mexico With Diego Rivera. In The 1930S, Biddle Became A Champion Of Social Art And Strongly Advocated Government Funding For Artistic Endeavors. His Correspondence With His Former Classmate (And Recently Elected President) Franklin Roosevelt Contributed To The Establishment Of The Federal Art Project, An Arm Of The Works Progress Administration That Produced Several Hundred Thousand Pieces Of Publicly Funded Art. Biddle Himself Completed A Mural Titled The Tenement For The Justice Department Building In Washington, D.C. And Made Sketches Of The Opera Porgy And Bess During Its Late 1930S Tour (He Had Already Done The Illustrations For The Libretto In 1930). His Works Were Exhibited At The 1939 New York World's Fair. During These Years Biddle Also Wrote Several Books And Taught At The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Biddle Was Hired In 1940, Along With Eight Other Prominent American Artists, To Document Dramatic Scenes And Characters During The Production Of The Film The Long Voyage Home, A Cinematic Adaptation Of Eugene O'neill's Plays. He Served As President Of The National Society Of Mural Painters From 1935 To 1936. During World War Ii, Biddle Was Appointed Chairman Of The United States Department Of War's Art Advisory Committee And Served To Recruit Artists To That Body. Biddle Himself Traveled Through Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, And Italy With The 3Rd Infantry Division And Produced Works Documenting That Unit's Activities. He Wrote A Book On His War Travels: Artist At War Tunisia-Sicily-Italy, Viking Press, 1944. When The Art Advisory Committee Was Disbanded, He Produced Combat Art For Life Magazine.[In 1950, Biddle Was Appointed To The U.S. Commission Of Fine Arts, Serving Until 1951 And Again From 1953 To 1955. Biddle's Best Known Work Is In The Mural Society Freed Through Justice, Five Fresco Panels In Fifth-Floor Stairway Of The Robert F. Kennedy Department Of Justice Building In Washington, D.C., Produced Under The U.S. Treasury Department's Section Of Painting And Sculpture. Inscribed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. Photographs (illustrator). 1st Edition. Ix, 209 Pp. Yellow Cloth Lettered In Black. First Printing, 1946 Date On Title And Copyright Pages. Inscribed At Length From Fritchman To Social Artist William Gropper And His Family, Undated, At Boston. Light Usage. Dust Jacket Priced $2.00, 1 1/2" X 1" Hole Near Bottom Of Front Panel, Without Loss Of Lettering. The Flaps Contain An Extremely Favorable Review By Dilworth Lupton In The Christian Register, "I Believe This Handbook Of Religious Liberalism To Be The Most Graphic And Stirring Ever Published." Very Scarce, Present In Many Institutional Collections Internationally But Scarce In The Trade. Stephen Fritchman Served As The Minister Of First Unitarian From 1948 To 1969. During His Tenure, The Church Supported A Number Of Progressive Causes. In The 1950S And 60S, The Church Took Strong Stands Against The Korean And Vietnam Wars. On February 21, 1954, The First Unitarian Congregation Voted To Refuse To Sign A "Loyalty Oath" To The United States That The State Of California Required From Non-Profits As A Condition Of Keeping Their Non-Profit Status. The Church Issued Released A Press Statement Saying, "While Unitarians Yield To None In The Degree Of Their Loyalty To This Country, They Also Yield To None In Their Determination To Protect Religious, Philosophical And Political Freedom For Every American." The Church Sued The City Of Los Angeles In An Effort To Overturn The Law And In 1958, The U.S. Supreme Court Ruled In Favor First Unitarian, Invalidating The Law. Fritchman's And The Church's Strong Defense Of Civil Liberties And The Freedom Of Speech Help Build The Church's Relationship With Los Angeles Liberals And Leftists, Including The Motion Picture Artists Called The "Hollywood Ten" That Were Accused Of Having Communist Ties Or Sympathies. Over Its Many Years First Unitarian Has Hosted A Number Of Famous Speakers Including W.E.B. Du Bois, Thomas Mann, Linus Pauling, Pete Seeger, Paul Robeson, Jane Fonda, And Rita Moreno. Fritchman Was Known As A Warm, Charismatic Speaker With A Sense Of Humor. He Cared Deeply About Social Justice Issues And The Importance Of A Liberal Church As A Religious Institution. Under His Ministry, First Unitarian Grew In Membership To Over 1,200 With Weekly Attendance Of Over 400. The Church Was Also The Home Of German Writer And Nobel Prize Winner Thomas Mann. Inscribed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. 191 Pp. Green Boards. First Edition. Inscribed By The Author 1 19/1964 To Social Artist William Gropper, Who Illustrated A Book For Seltzer. Would Be Near Fine But Plasticized Cloth Covering The Boards Has Dried And Has Just Cracked Along The Entire Front Gutter; Binding Secure, But, The Crack Is Clear. Inscribed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. 200 Pp. Beige Cloth. First German Language Edition, 1956. Lightly Used Book In Lightly Worn Dust Jacket. Inscribed "With Friendship And Esteem." From Hogarth To Social Artist William Gropper. Paul Hogarth (1917 - 2001) Was An English Artist And Illustrator. He Is Best Known For The Cover Drawings That He Prepared In The 1980S For The Penguin Edition Of Graham Greene's Books. Paul Hogarth Was Born In Kendal, Westmorland, And Aged 6 Moved In 1923 With His Family To Manchester. He Attended The Manchester School Of Art From 1934 To 1936, Where He Became Involved In The Artists' International Association And The Communist Party Of Great Britain. After 1936 He Attended Saint Martin's School Of Art In London, And Drove Lorries In The Spanish Civil War For The International Brigade. Paul Hogarth Was A Painter With A Talent For Illustration And Reportage, Which Was Allied To His Love Of Travel. This Led Him To Produce Drawings And Watercolors Recording Events And Places All Over The World. As An Illustrator He Studied Under James Boswell, And Worked With A Number Of Eminent Authors, Including Robert Graves, Graham Greene, Brendan Behan, Lawrence Durrell, And William Golding. He Illustrated The New Penguin Shakespeare Series Of Paperbacks In The 1970S, And His Work Can Also Be Seen On The Cover Of John Wyndham's 'The Midwich Cuckoos' (1964, Penguin ). He Was Elected An Associate Member Of The Royal Academy In 1974, A Full Member In 1984; And Was Awarded The Obe In 1989. Signed by Illustrator(s).