THE FIRSTBORN: A PLAY (First edition - first impression)

Christopher Fry

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1946

About this Item

First impression of the true first edition. ***Near fine in grey cloth-covered boards with grey titles to the spine outlined on a mauve panel. The boards are clean and unmarked. No bumps or creases, No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Page block edges clean. Internally also near fine, with no inscriptions. Pages clean. No creases or tears. ***In a very good indeed colour illustrated dustwrapper, which has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of 6s net. The dustwrapper is complete. Corners, head and tail of spine and edges just slightly creased, nicked and rubbed. Spine of dustwrapper slightly browned, but overall not faded. Front cover clean and bright. Back panel slightly discoloured. ***101 pages. 192mm x 132mm. ***'"The First Born" is a play, set in Egypt at the time of the Plagues. Two of the plagues - the Darkness, and the Death of the Firstborn - form part of the action. The root of the play, the central problem, is the character of Moses. Mr Fry's portrayal of Moses, who raises and fights for the cause of oppressed Israel against the Pharaoh, and is backed by elementals of which he is not master, gives expression to the great generalities as well as the temporal events of the story: - What it is to use unlimited power in a just cause; what it means to be seized of a purpose greater than oneself; what heavy sacrifices are demanded on the altar of justice for those who believe in it. This Moses is torn between upbringing and ancestry, between his nature and his accepted destiny. The final avenging of Hebrew misery upon the royal household - the death of the firstborn - becomes a tragic climax, and an instance of one of the hardest of life's dilemmas. ---Mr Fry's comedy, "A Phoenix too Frequent", was performed in London in 1946 and was one of the first plays to go out from the studio at the re-opening of public television broadcasts. It received high praise from critics of The Times, the Daily Mail, The New Statesman, and the Evening Standard. The Firstborn is to be produced in London in the near future.' (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***A first edition, first impression - becoming hard to find now in such nice condition in the original dustwrapper. Attractive black and white engraved illustration to the front panel. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.

Seller Inventory # 1728x

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE FIRSTBORN: A PLAY (First edition - first impression)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 1946
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition
• Printing: First Impression
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Literature
  • First Editions
  • Wartime & Post War Publishing 1939-1950