Eliot, T. S.. The Cocktail Party. A Comedy.. Faber and Faber, London, 1950.

Price: US$464.92 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: A very good copy of the May 1950 3rd Impression of the play. Spine slightly light faded, but contents clean and tight. Signed by Eliot on the title page to Martin Schute, who was an assistant to George Hoellering, who directed the 1st film version of "Murder in the Cathedral".

Seller: Pricewisebooks, MARLBOROUGH, United Kingdom

ELIOT, T.S.. COCKTAIL PARTY. , 1950.

Price: US$540.00 + shipping

Description: ELIOT, T.S. THE COCKTAIL PARTY. London: Faber and Faber, [1950]. First revised edition, being the fourth impression. "In addition to some minor corrections, certain alterations in Act III, based on the experience of the play's production, were made in the fourth impression of the text." This copy is inscribed by Eliot on the title page. Small notation crossed out in ink to ffep. Cloth faded at crown, else a fine copy. Dust jacket sunned at spine and top edge, split about two-thirds of the way down along front edge of spine and chipped. (Gallup A55c).

Seller: Boston Book Company, Inc. ABAA, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

ELIOT, T.S.. The Cocktail Party. London: Faber & Faber, 1950, 1950.

Price: US$1500.00 + shipping

Description: First Edition. Near fine in a dust jacket with very slight wear and tear. Signed by the author on the title page. All books described as first editions are first printings unless otherwise noted.

Seller: Peter L. Stern & Co., Inc, Newton, MA, U.S.A.

Eliot, T.S.. The Cocktail Party - A Comedy By T.S. Eliot. Faber & Faber Ltd., London, 1950.

Price: US$2500.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: 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

Seller: Singularity Rare & Fine, Baldwinsville, NY, U.S.A.

T S Eliot. The Cocktail Party. Faber & Faber, London, 1950.

Price: US$2582.87 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: The Cocktail Party by T. S. Eliot, First issue, Faber & Faber, London 1950, A first issue with the typographical error on page 29. This very good copy is signed by the author with the printed name crossed through on the title page. This edition of The Cocktail Party is the text of the successful play produced at the Edinburgh Festival in 1949 and repeated at Brighton later that year, preparatory to the season in New York. Several alterations have been made to the text, subsequent to the Edinburgh edition. A list of the original cast is included and the score of the song, One Eyed Riley. Original green cloth boards with gilt lettering on the spine. Spine ends are lightly bumped. The contents are clean and lightly browned. The unclipped dust jacket has minor chipping to the extremities. Labels attached to the interior of the jacket. 8vo 170pp.

Seller: Rare And Antique Books PBFA, Exeter, DEVON, United Kingdom

ELIOT, T.S.. The Cocktail Party - a comedy. Faber and Faber, London., 1950.

Price: US$2905.73 + shipping

Description: First edition, first state. Octavo. 171 pages. A three-act verse play. One Appendix.Presentation copy from the author, inscribed on the front free endpaper: ''Inscribed for Gerald and Mary Graham by T.S. Eliot''. Laid in are photocopies of two interesting typed letters from 1984, signed by Valerie Eliot to Professor Graham. She writes in her capacity as editor of Eliot's letters and asks about the correspondence Graham had with Eliot. She mentions that the first volume is ready to go to Fabers. It was eventually issued in 1988. There is also an intriguing reference to ''your black beauty's poem annotated by Tom, but is she still around to take offence? I am afraid that in today's climate the humourless might consider it racist. Oh dear!''Top edge spotted. Free endpapers tanned and a bit spotted. Very good in good, rubbed, chipped and torn dustwrapper darkened at the spine.

Seller: Peter Ellis, Bookseller, ABA, ILAB, London, United Kingdom

Eliot, T.S. The Cocktail Party.. Faber & Faber, London, 1950.

Price: US$4800.00 + shipping

Description: First edition ofÂEliot's most popular play published in his lifetime. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to his niece, "Theodora Eliot Smith from T.S. Eliot." Near fine in near fine dust jacket. A nice association. The Cocktail Party was written while Eliot was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1948. It was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1949. In 1950 the play had successful runs in London and New York theaters (the Broadway production received the 1950 Tony Award for Best Play.) It focuses on a troubled married couple who, through the intervention of a mysterious stranger, settle their problems and move on with their lives. The play starts out seeming to be a light satire of the traditional British drawing room comedy. As it progresses, however, the work becomes a darker philosophical treatment of human relations. As in many of Eliot's works, the play uses absurdist elements to expose the isolation of the human condition. In another recurring theme of Eliot's plays, the Christian martyrdom of the mistress character is seen as a sacrifice that permits the predominantly secular life of the community to continue.“An authentic modern masterpiece” (New York Post). “Eliot really does portray real-seeming characters. He cuts down his poetic effects to the minimum, and then finally rewards us with most beautiful poetry” (Stephen Spender).

Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.

ELIOT, T. S.. The Cocktail Party. A Comedy.. London: Faber and Faber Ltd, 1950, 1950.

Price: US$4842.88 + shipping

Description: First edition, first impression, presentation copy, inscribed by the author, "to the Ven. M. C. D'Arcy with the author's compliments T. S. Eliot 6.iii.50" on front free endpaper, three days before publication. Martin D'Arcy (1888-1976) was a Jesuit priest and theologian. He was ordained in 1921 and, after teaching at Stonyhurst College, he undertook research for a doctorate in Rome and London. In 1927 he started teaching philosophy at Oxford University and was Rector and Master of Campion Hall from 1933 until 1945. He was famed for his charisma as a lecturer. As one of the most well-known and eloquent English Roman Catholics, he received many prominent people into the church, including Evelyn Waugh. Richard Harp in "A Conjuror at the Xmas Party" (see TLS, 11 December 2009) called D'Arcy "perhaps England's foremost Catholic public intellectual from the 1930s until his death". Eliot persuaded D'Arcy to provide a number of reviews for The Criterion. Indeed, in 1937, D'Arcy was the top of a list of reviewers that Eliot compiled noting that they "may have carte blanche" in their choice of books for review. Eliot and D'Arcy were regular correspondents from the 1930s and D'Arcy's major work, The Mind and Heart of Love, was published by Faber and Faber in 1945. Gallup A55. Octavo. Original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. State with "here" for "her" on p. 29, no priority. Slight leaning to spine, minor fading to top corner of rear cover, minor creases to front free endpaper, minor surface abrasions to front pastedown; a near-fine and bright copy. Spine of dust jacket toned with a few creases, extremities slightly frayed; a very good and bright example.

Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom

Eliot, T.S.. The Cocktail Party. Faber & Faber, London, 1950.

Price: US$5000.00 + shipping

Condition: Fine

Description: First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by T.S. Eliot. A beautiful copy. This ORIGINAL dustjacket is vibrant in color with minor wear to the spine and edges. The book is bound in the ORIGINAL cloth from the publisher. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp with a hint of wear to the edges. The pages are exceptionally clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A sharp copy SIGNED by the author. We buy SIGNED T.S. Eliot First Editions.

Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.

Eliot, T.S. The Cocktail Party.. Faber & Faber, London, 1950.

Price: US$9800.00 + shipping

Description: First edition of Eliot's most popular play published in his lifetime. Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to his sister, "Marian Eliot from Tom." The recipient, Marian Cushing Eliot was the sister of T.S. Eliot and his favorite. Light rubbing, near fine in near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. An exceptional association. The Cocktail Party was written while Eliot was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1948. It was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1949. In 1950 the play had successful runs in London and New York theaters (the Broadway production received the 1950 Tony Award for Best Play.) It focuses on a troubled married couple who, through the intervention of a mysterious stranger, settle their problems and move on with their lives. The play starts out seeming to be a light satire of the traditional British drawing room comedy. As it progresses, however, the work becomes a darker philosophical treatment of human relations. As in many of Eliot's works, the play uses absurdist elements to expose the isolation of the human condition. In another recurring theme of Eliot's plays, the Christian martyrdom of the mistress character is seen as a sacrifice that permits the predominantly secular life of the community to continue.“An authentic modern masterpiece” (New York Post). “Eliot really does portray real-seeming characters. He cuts down his poetic effects to the minimum, and then finally rewards us with most beautiful poetry” (Stephen Spender).

Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.