Hymn and Cocktail Sticks.

First edition thus, first impression, of two autobiographical "recollections". This edition was published to accompany the National Theatre's 2012 production of Hymn and Cocktail Sticks, where the two played in repertoire. Hymn was first performed in 2001, a collaboration between Bennett and the composer George Fenton, with the text published in 2002. This is the first appearance of Cocktail Sticks. The two pieces were directed by Nicholas Hytner, the artistic director of the National Theatre and one of Bennett's favoured directors: "I found in many ways he was the ideal person to work with" (Wu, p. 80). Although unmarked as such, this copy is from the theatre collection of Clive Hirschhorn (b. 1940), who spent decades as the film and theatre critic for the Sunday Express. His various histories of Hollywood include The Warner Bros. Story (1978) and The Hollywood Musical (1981). Duncan Wu, Making Plays: Interviews with Contemporary British Dramatists and Directors, 2000. Octavo. Musical scores in the text. Original black boards, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. Head of spine and top edge bumped; touch of creasing to unclipped jacket: a near-fine copy in like jacket.…