Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New Directions Book, 1947.
Price: US$450.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Third printing in about very good condition in a jacket with discoloration, fading, small tears and chips. This copy inscribed by legendary acting teacher and actress Uta Hagen who played Stella opposite Anthony Quinn when the play originally left Broadway and went on the road. Inscribed by actress and noted teacher.
Seller: Ink, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Williams, Tennessee.. A Streetcar Named Desire.. NY. New Directions. 1947., 1947.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Description: Second Printing (Stated). Signed/Presentation on an excised endpaper from another work laid in: "To Barker/ Tennessee Williams" in black flair ink. VG/VG in pale green paper-covered boards printed vividly in red on the spine and the front boards. In the scarce, complete dustjacket also in light green and printed in red. With the "$2.75" price on the bottom of the front inside flap. A scarce, collectible copy of the second printing with slight concavity to the front panel and some fading to the spine and the top of the front panel of the dustjacket. Second Printing (Stated).
Seller: Brainerd Phillipson Rare Books, Holliston, MA, U.S.A.
Tennesse Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire. New Directions, New York, 1947.
Price: US$1395.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Light shelfwear to corners; sound and unmarked; original owner's unique bookplate inside front cover. Jacket shows wear/tear at corners and edges, spine somewhat darkened, light soiling, original price ($2.75) at bottom of front flap. Inscribed by Williams on the front flyleaf. This, the best known of Tennessee's plays, opened at the Barrymore Theatre in NY on Dec 3, 1947. Marlon Brando and Kim Hunter starred. The original owner was well know to me; provenance available to those with serious interest.
Seller: Trench Books, Hudson, ME, U.S.A.
Price: US$2572.73 + shipping
Condition: As New
Description: Williams, Tennessee ,A Streetcar Named Desire, rare ,Like new, Signed, Tennesse Williams will be sent boxed and via a signed for method of postage Extra postage will be needed for overseas orders if the weight exceeds one kilo book is signed without dedication unless stated otherwise. All books come with a lifetime guarantee No Coa's issued unless the book originally came with one then it will be included with the book. Tracking Information will be added with your order on abe books once available
Seller: Turn The Page Books, Newcastle, United Kingdom
Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire. New Directions, New York, 1947.
Price: US$2750.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams. First edition, first printing. Signed by the author on the front endpaper on a professionally affixed page from a signed limited edition issued by the publisher - therefore the authenticity is guaranteed. Published by New Directions, New York, in 1947. Measures approximately 9.25" x 6.25", 171 numbered pages. First state with error on page 161 line 17 (Stella for Blanche). Iconic jacket and book design by Alvin Lustig. The original first issue dust jacket is in fair condition. Original $2.75 price intact. Spine sun-faded. Significant edgewear and chipping. Split at the flap folds. Appears to be reinforced from the verso. The book is in very good minus condition. Spine is sun-faded. Cloth worn through at the spine ends and flap folds. Previous owner's bookplate on the front pastedown. Some waviness to the endpaper where the signature was affixed, which will likely correct itself as time passes. Please view the many other rare titles available for purchase at our store. We are always interested in purchasing individual or collections of fine books.
Seller: Ernestoic Books, Clarence, NY, U.S.A.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire (Signed First Edition). New Directions, 1947.
Price: US$3500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Signed First Edition of this Tennessee Williams masterpiece that is among the most acclaimed stage dramas of 20th century America theater and also a cultural icon that is the source book for the classic film of the same title. Marlon Brando's portrayal of Stanley Kowalski both on stage and in film launched his career as one of the great American actors of the 20th century. This copy has the original $2.75 price intact on the front flap of the dust jacket and includes the mis-attribution of dialogue at line 17 on page 161. Signed by Tennessee Williams on the half title page. 171 pages. The book has tanning of the page edges, a bit of foxing on the end papers and light edge wear. The dust jacket has undergone some restoration. The jacket has a bit of tanning on the white figures on the dust jacket and a bit of tanning at the edges of white sections of the front and back flaps. The lavender coloration on the covers as well as the coloration of the titles on spine and front cover are robust. We'll cheerfully provide photos upon request.
Seller: M.S. Books, Salisbury, MD, U.S.A.
Price: US$3850.00 + shipping
Description: ***** This is the true first edition, first printing (with no later printings listed on the copyright page). ***** This book is SIGNED by the author (Tennessee Williams) on the second page. The author has not inscribed this book to anyone; it is just signed by the author. ***** The binding is the true first printing binding (pink boards). ****** Nice hardcover, lacking the dust jacket. There is NO writing, NO bookplates, and NO remainder marks. It is NOT a book club edition and NOT a former library book. CONDITION: This book is in VERY GOOD PLUS condition (mild rubbing on edges). We will include a custom-fitted mylar (clear) jacket with this book. ****** We will be happy to provide scans of the book and signature upon request. ***** OUR GUARANTEE TO YOU: All books are guaranteed to be as described. We believe that no sale is complete until you are happy. Any book is returnable for a full refund (including postage) if you're not 100% satisfied. All books are packaged very carefully and shipped via USPS Mail with Delivery Confirmation. Thank you! Richard Vick, Modern First Editions (Buying and Selling Modern First Editions since 1982).
Seller: Richard Vick, Modern First Editions, Coral Springs, FL, U.S.A.
WILLIAMS, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New Directions, 1947.
Price: US$5888.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: SIGNED by Tennessee Williams (no personalization) on the front flyleaf. Sold for $15,000 at auction in Sept, 2023! A highly collectible first edition copy, one of only 5080 copies, of his Pulitzer Prize winning drama of faded, promiscuous Blanche DuBois vs her brutally sexy brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski, still celebrated 75 years after its Broadway opening as one of the finest achievements in the American theatre. A highspot of theatre and cinema, Streetcar launched the careers of Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden, and solidified the position of Tennessee Williams as one of the most important young playwrights of his generation, as well as that of Elia Kazan as the greatest American stage director of the '40s and '50s. Of his Broadway performance in Streetcar, Brando remarked: "What I remember most about a Streetcar Named Desire was the emotional grind of acting in it six nights and two afternoons a week. Try to imagine what it was like walking on stage at 8:30 every night having to yell, scream, cry, break dishes, kick the furniture, punch the walls and experience the same intense, wrenching emotions night after night, trying each time to evoke in audiences the same emotions I felt. It was exhausting.it was emotionally draining, wearisome, mentally oppressive, and after a few weeks I wanted out of it." Original publisher's pictorial pink paper over boards (a few spots of rubbing at ends, spine sunned); original unclipped dust jacket (spined sunned, discrete expert restoration along edges). FIRST EDITION, SIGNED BY WILLIAMS on front free endpaper. No other writings, markings, or pastedowns in the book except for author's signature! The author's first Pulitzer Prize winning play which Williams himself considered his best play and is one of the most important American plays of the last century (Devlin, Conversations with Tennessee Williams, p. 50). Crandell A5.1.a. Book #Pv1421. $5888. We specialize in Rare Ayn Rand, history, and science.
Seller: PEN ULTIMATE RARE BOOKS, Pine Plains, NY, U.S.A.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. A New Directions Book, New York, 1947.
Price: US$7500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing. A beautiful copy SIGNED by Tennessee Williams on a laid in signature. This ORIGINAL dustjacket is rich in color with minor wear to the edges. The book is in excellent condition. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A wonderful copy housed in a custom clamshell slipcase for preservation.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New Directions, New York, 1947.
Price: US$7800.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition, first printing. Signed by Tennessee Williams on the front free endpaper. Bound in publisher's original lavender boards designed by Alvin Lustig. Near Fine with fading to spine and edges, light soiling and light edge wear. Pages toned, browning to rear endsheet. In a Near Fine unclipped dust jacket with fading to spine and unevenly to rear cover, light chipping to spine ends, light wear and light chipping at the extremities, short split to front flap fold. The first publication of one of the most popular plays of the 20th century, which inspired a film in 1951. It tells the story of down-and-out Southern belle Blanche DuBois, who has moved in with her sister, Stella, in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire. New Directions, 1947.
Price: US$8000.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: New Directions, New York 1947. First Edition / First Printing. RARE BOOK. Dated 1947 with no additional printings listed. Lavender boards. Signed by Tennessee Williams on a page after the front endpaper. I guarantee the signature to be authentic. Book Condition: Near Fine, shelf wear, newspaper clipping at the endpaper, bookplate. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good, shelf wear, chipping at the spine, age toning at the front flap, two small tears. Wrapped in a new removable plastic cover.
Seller: 1st Editions and Antiquarian Books, Opelika, AL, U.S.A.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire.. New Directions, New York, 1947.
Price: US$8200.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of Williams' classic play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Signed by Tennessee Williams on the front free endpaper. Near fine in an excellent dust jacket which has had some expert restoration to the extremities. Jacket design by Alvin Lustig. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A Streetcar Named Desire received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was directed by Elia Kazan and starred Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. âNo one dared approach this new thing without caution. They had just witnessed something unprecedented on the stage, a high-pitched, jagged, alarmingâ"and comical!â"drama structureâ (Sam Staggs). It is often regarded among the finest of American plays of the 20th century.
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire.. New Directions, New York, 1947.
Price: US$8800.00 + shipping
Description: Early printing of Williams' classic play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. Octavo, original illustrated boards. association copy, inscribed or signed by several cast members for producer Danny Selznick. Signed by Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Jessica Tandy, and Karl Malden. Inscribed by Kim Hunter on the verso of the first blank: "Love and best wishes always, Danny- one of my Favorite people- Kim." Selznick's ownership inscription on the lower corner of the half-title page. Danny Selznick is a producer and the youngest son of David O. Selznick; it was Selznick's mother, Irene Mayer Selznick, who produced the stage version of Streetcar Named Desire; it was she who recommended to film producer Charles Feldman to cast Kim Hunter in the screen version. Very good in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket design by Alvin Lustig. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed by Brando and the other cast members. A Streetcar Named Desire received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was directed by Elia Kazan and starred Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. The London production opened in 1949 with Bonar Colleano, Vivien Leigh, and Renee Asherson and was directed by Laurence Olivier. âNo one dared approach this new thing without caution. They had just witnessed something unprecedented on the stage, a high-pitched, jagged, alarmingâ"and comical!â"drama structureâ (Sam Staggs). It is often regarded among the finest of American plays of the 20th century.
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
Williams, Tennessee. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. New Directions, (New York), 1947.
Price: US$20000.00 + shipping
Description: Signed first printing of Williams's most enduring play, a beautiful copy in the iconic Lustig-designed dust jacket. The broken dreams of a Southern belle are dramatized in Williams's best known play, a hit on Broadway with Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando in the lead roles (both then virtually unknown). After its brilliant run on stage, STREETCAR went through a groundbreaking adaptation into film, keeping many of the same people involved: Brando garnered his first Oscar nomination in the film, starring alongside Vivian Leigh. According to Geoffrey Shurlock, who was involved in the Production Code Administration that monitored the morality of motion pictures, STREETCAR changed the landscape of how films could communicate drama for adult audiences: "Tennessee Williams was something new to movies. The stage got a shock from Tennessee Williams. We got twice the shock. Now we know that a good deal of what we decide in censoring movies is not morality but taste. It began with STREETCAR" (quoted in Palmer and Bray). This first edition has since become famous in its own right for the brilliant pink jacket design by Alvin Lustig, a high point of New Directions' publications. 9'' x 6''. Original pink pictorial boards with design by Alvin Lustig. In original unclipped ($2.75) pink pictorial dust jacket echoing board design. 171, [1] pages. Signed by Williams on front free endpaper. Book with mild rubbing to top and bottom edges, as typical. Tiny chip to top edge of front panel of jacket. Some faint uneven sunning to spine, front, and rear panel. Top edge a little dusty. Else clean and bright. Near fine in a near fine jacket.
Seller: Type Punch Matrix, Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.
Price: US$20000.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams's first play to win the Pulitzer Prize, signed by the entire original cast, including Jessica Tandy, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. Produced by Irene Mayer Selznick and directed by Elia Kazan, the original stage production opened in New Haven on October 30, 1947: the program for that first performance is present here, with three ticket stubs from the Shubert Theatre. The show then moved to Boston and Philadelphia before arriving on Broadway, where Tandy would win the Tony for her performance as the fragile, self-deluding Blanche DuBois: "Whoever you are - I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." Wolcott Gibbs, in a rave review for The New Yorker, regretted that "there is no way . . . to convey the effect Mr. Williams achieves in his last act of a mind desperately retreating into the beautiful, crazy world it has built for itself." A wonderful association copy, with related ephemera from the very first performance of A Streetcar Named Desire. Single volume, measuring 9 x 6 inches: 171, [1]. Original pink pictorial paper boards, original unclipped pink pictorial dust jacket designed by Alvin Lustig. Ink signatures of the original cast beside their printed names on page 5; former owner's signature to front free endpaper. Shelfwear to boards, jacket spine panel sunned, restoration and light soiling to jacket. With: original program from the October 30, 1947 premiere at New Haven's Shubert Theatre, with three opening night ticket stubs mounted to upper wrapper. Faint tidemark to rear wrapper of program. Book and program housed together in custom clamshell box.
Seller: Honey & Wax Booksellers, ABAA, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.