Josephine Baker

First Edition ( 'First published 1988' ). You can see the covers of the book in the photos. They are very clean. There is very little wear, a few light scratches, a thin crease below the top edge of the spine. The gilt lettering on the spine is nicely bright. The cover edges are in excellent shape, no rubbing. Same goes for the cover corners, one slight spot of superficial rubbing just below the front top corner, no rub-through. The page edges are very clean. The book is square and the spine is straight. The binding is very solid from cover to cover with nicely tight pages throughout and nicely tight covers as well. The interior of the book is in excellent condition. The pages are exceptionally clean. Scrolling through, I haven't found any instances of soiling. The paper is semi-glossy so there is a light bit of sun toning just off the top and outer edges. There are no markings in the book. No attachments of any kind. And no one has written their name or anything else anywhere. You can see the dust jacket in the first few photos. I have always had it in a fitted protective cover. I just removed it because the protective cover had some scratches. I will replace it with a new protective cover after the photos are taken. The dust jacket is very clean. It has a few of its own scratches, light scratches, also an entirely smooth rectangular tracing on its rear of sign where there may have once been some sort of sticker. The flaps are in very nice shape, very clean. There is a very tiny crease at the front flap's top corner. The jacket is NOT price-clipped, not clipped at all. From the dust jacket: 'Josephine Baker was the first Black superstar, a thrilling presence, an innovative show-business pioneer. She was also a passionate humanitarian, a fighter, a survivor. This book celebrates every facet of her extraordinary life, from her childhood in St. Louis to her spectacular last performances in London and Paris when she wore four-inch platform heels and turquoise ostrich plumes. Admiring words of Colette and Hemingway, together with reminiscences of her children, accompany postcards, song-sheets, posters and film stills reproduced for the first time in book form. Her brave work for the French resistance and her twelve adopted children, the 'Rainbow Tribe', both have their place in Bryan Hammond's personal recollection of memorabilia gathered over twenty-five years, while Patrick O'Connor's biography places Baker's unique artistic talent in a political and historical context. Her story includes the events that led to her being awarded the Legion d'Honneur, bankruptcy, her return to triumph in Paris, and a 21-gun-salute funeral. This book provides an unforgettable portrait of the life and times of a charismatic and complex woman.'.