Who Could Ask for Anything More?

This author-inscribed first edition is a wonderful part of the history of US popular music of the early twentieth century. Kay (Katharine) Swift was an American composer of popular and classical music, the first woman to score a hit musical completely, 1930's "Fine and Dandy". One of her songs was referenced in the 1931 F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, "A New Leaf." Swift was staff composer at Radio City Music Hall where she wrote musical numbers for The Rockettes and director of light music for the 1939 World’s Fair. Swift was in a relationship with composer George Gershwin for 10 years in addition to being his assistant and musical adviser, and after his death collaborated with Ira Gershwin to complete and arrange some of George's songs. The Kay Swift papers are held in the Yale University Archive. Swift met cowboy Faye Hubbard at the 1939 World's Fair and married him two weeks later. "Who Could Ask For Anything More?", her autobiographical novel about life on his Oregon ranch, was made into the 1950 movie "Never a Dull Moment", which featured Fred MacMurray as Hubbard and Irene Dunne as Kay. This copy of the book has a tipped-in newspaper clipping about Swift speaking at a club meeting about popular music and composers, from the "Redmond Spokesman" (Redmond, Oregon), December 2, 1943. The copy shows some rubbing on the corners and a small stain on the spine. A well-read copy but still in good condition. Charming line drawings of ranch life by Julian Brazelton.…