Duke Ellington (signed copy)

Ulanov, Barry

Published by Musicians Press Limited, London, 1947

About this Item

1947 or 1948. Second UK printing. x, [i], 322pp., frontispiece portrait of Duke Ellington and black and white illustrations. This is more than a biography of Duke Ellington. It is an unbiased picture of the bigotries and biases which "the Duke" and his Negro musicians had to face, presented with a frank prejudice in favour of equality and against discrimination. It is also a story of the Duke's band and the personalities and talent which it comprised. There is also a complete Ellington discography and a full index. The book is bound in the original red cloth covered boards with gold titling on the spine. The case of the book is in good to very good condition with bumping and a little fraying to the cloth at the spine ends. There is fading to the top 1/8" and bottom 3/4" of the spine. The contents are tight and clean apart from a few small marks and some pencil and ink ticks and other marks to some of the entries in the discography at the end of the book. The last two signatures protrude slightly from the fore edge of the rest of the text block and pages 295 onwards have a faint water stain together with some roughening on the fore edge. There is a tape stain running down the spine edge between the frontispiece and title page and down the spine edge of the back of the frontispiece. This indicates that the frontispiece has been loose in the past and affixed back in place. The blank page facing the contents page and been signed by Duke Ellington "good luck Duke Ellington". The front and rear free endpapers have outlines from tape stains and an inscription on the front fixed endpaper has been covered with a blank white label. The unclipped dustwrapper is tatty with shelf wear, soiling, staining and many tears and creases. Most of the larger tears have old tape repairs on the reverse and there is also a tape repair on the front near the middle of the spine. Small pieces are missing from the corners and up to about 1" is missing from the bottom of the spine and part of the bottom rear edge. Smaller pieces are missing from the top of the spine and up to about 3/4" is missing from part of the top rear edge. The wrapper has an old home-made and removable clear plastic cover.

Seller Inventory # gVIJazz01

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Duke Ellington (signed copy)
• Publisher: Musicians Press Limited, London
• Publication Date: 1947
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardback
• Edition: Second Printing
• Condition: Good to Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fair to good
• Signed: Signed by Duke Ellington
• Seller catalogs:
  • SIGNED
  • Music
  • Biography