The Cocktail Party - A Comedy By T.S. Eliot

London: Faber & Faber Ltd., 1950. First Edition, and first state, with "you shall see here again" at page 29, line1. Signed by Eliot on the title page, without further inscription. Gallup A55a. With the first-state erratum, as called for, at top of page 29. Octavo, cloth, jacket, 168 pp. + "appendix". Book shows only a bit of sunning at top and bottom edges, is otherwise near fine; please see all scans. Jacket has several very small closed slits, slight roughening at spine ends, several small spots of soiling on front panel. See scans. Not price-clipped, still showing the 10s. 6d. Net price. A relatively scarce "flat" signature - i.e., no inscription accompanies it, that being something Eliot did not turn out in great numbers, as many authors today do. This copy was signed by Eliot for a Washington University (St. Louis) student in June of 1953; Eliot presented a lecture to the students and faculty of the institution at that time, and signed this copy afterward, without inscription. Letter of provenance to that effect is laid in. Signed copies of the first state (with the typographical error mentioned above) appear to be quite scarce. The Cocktail Party - designated as a comedy by Eliot, and indeed as a witty verse-play it does tickle - includes an at-first-nameless stranger ("An Unidentified Guest") who assists a married couple in the preservation of their troubled relationship; this guest - later identified - was played in the recorded version by Sir Alec Guinness, and - yes - the Unidentified Guest is.a shrink. A psychiatrist, here, means for Eliot a modern intellect at peace who saves those of ordinary genes in a way that a priest would once have done. Eliot has been accused of being someone who might have been a great playwright had he not been so upper-crusty, so Christian, and so Brit. Didn't seem to adversely affect his poetry much, though. A generally well regarded play, produced for a while on stage and committed to radio and the TV screen as well. Uncommon as the first state with a signature. Accompanied by top signature provenance, as noted, laid in. L-45n. …