Dramatic Event, Signed (2 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 2nd printing. Autographed by Bentley on title page. Uncommon signed. 285 pages. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover with Dust Jacket. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. First Edition, First Printing. Bentley's critical essays here capture American theater as both art and social commentary. Inscribed by Bentley on the front free endpaper: 'My Christmas card to Ben 1956, Eric Bentley.' A significant association copy from the estate of Horizon Books publisher Ben Raeburn, who was deeply connected to New York's postwar literary community. The book is from his estate. Very Good book in a Good Dust Jacket. The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean; light, even age-toning. Moderate shelf handling wear. Pencil notation on the front flyleaf, likely by Raeburn or Bentley, noting the title and author. The Dust Jacket has toned with an exterior tape repair on the top front and the rear of the spine crown. Presents well under fresh mylar protection. 8.75 inches tall; 14 278 [10]. Eric Bentley one of the twentieth century's foremost drama critics, profoundly influenced modern theater study. A student of Reinhold Niebuhr and a translator of Brecht, Bentley helped shape English-language understanding of European modernism while grounding his essays in American social and moral contexts. The Dramatic Eventhis first major work on American theatercaptures the postwar stage's vitality, examining productions and playwrights with both scholarly rigor and theatrical insight. Bernard Shaw praised Bentley's criticism as 'the best critical description of public activities I have yet come across,' while Kenneth Tynan lauded his 'theoretical knowledge and practical fervor.' Inscribed to Raeburn, this copy bridges two key literary worlds: the critic's international reach and the publisher's Manhattan literary salon. Subjects: American Drama, Postwar Literary Criticism, Eric Bentley, Ben Raeburn, Horizon Books, Modern Theater, Brechtian Influence, Mid-Century Criticism, Theater Criticism, Literary Nonfiction, Association Copy.