About this Item
First Edition (SD). This book came from the collection of the renowned actor, balladeer, and political activist, Theodore Bikel. However, it's the only book of his I now own that was inscribed to his parents. The inscription reads: 'To Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bikel, whose description of the miracle called Israel will remain a guiding impression, Paul Louison Adams, Jan 2, 1963, New York.' There is also a letter, dated the same day, to the Bikels who were living at 88 Bleecker St. in Manhattan. The letter reads: 'I have just dispatched a copy of my Maccabean play Seven Days to your son, and I have also enclosed my book The Gods-- Our Image. I hope your son and you find in my book the intended meaning; and I hope, too, that he finds my Maccabean play the right vehicle for his next movie. We shall call you as soon as we round up a few friends for a get-together in our home. Yours very cordially, Paul Louison Adams, Kindest regards from Celia.' Once listed, this will be the Only signed copy of this uncommon book for sale on the Internet. You can see the lavender colored covers in the photos. There is a little toning and a touch of spotting at the margins. The gilt lettering on both the front and spine is quite bright. The top edge of the spine has a bit of crinkling. The cover edges are in solid shape, the lavender color is slightly dulled on the top ones. The corners are in nice shape, not rubbed. The top page edge has some tan spotting that does not migrate onto the actual pages. The middle one has just a few, but in this case there is a tan spot that slips onto a half-dozen of the pages, just off the outer edge. The spine has a slight forward lean but the book is quite solidly bound and the covers themselves are nicely tight. There is one instance of a space at the juncture between two facing pages, where the book was probably left lying open. Both of these pages are tightly bound from top to bottom. Excepting the aforementioned tan spots, the pages are exceptionally clean. They're also in very solid shape. I'm not finding any conspicuous creasing, no turned-down corners or placeholder creases. Nor are there any markings or attachments. And the signed inscription is the only writing to be found anywhere in the book. As you can see, there is a little bit of tanning, spotting, just off the top edge of the signed page, the front end paper. The rear inside cover has some of the same at its outer margin, and the rear blank end paper has a slight bit on both sides, and there is one tiny tannish spot, I am just noticing, on the facing last written page. The book has one full-page illustration. You can see the dust jacket in the photos. It is quite clean. The color of the spine is somewhat less bright than the front and rear. The wear on the jacket is not great, a little scuffing off the top and bottom ends of the spine and in a few places along the spine, also a bit along the outer edge of the front cover and there is small spot off the front top edge. The flaps are in solid shape. There is a little tanning just off the top edge of the front flap, also a small scratch at its middle. The rear flap has the same strip of toning and one light fingerprint. The jacket is NOT price-clipped, not clipped at all. I have always had it in a fitted protective cover. From the dust jacket: 'The Gods-- Our Image, as most universal dramas, is not confined to the borders of its historic limits. It reflects universal realities which are as true today as they were true during all those periods that had fomented universal conflicts. Based on Babylonian Mythology, it is a compact drama, written in rhythmic lines, easily conveying those human emotional stresses which manifest the unmistakable fears, doubts, anxieties and fervent hopes for a more secure existence of our own time.'.
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