Theatre Royal, Drury Lane – W. MacQueen Pope

Description: Here, at last, is the book that every true lover of the theatre has long awaited—the biography of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
While it is by no means a definitive history of the famous theatre (several volumes would be required for such a task), it is nevertheless a complete chronicle of Drury Lane's colourful and exciting career from the time it opened in 1663 right down to the present day (1945).
It is a truly wonderful story of great plays, great players, and great managers. A story that no other theatre in the world can rival, for in the narrative there is all the romance and high drama of a work of fiction.

Pictorial front board repeats the jacket illustration; the spine and rear board are of black cloth. Gilt text on spine. Illustrated throughout with high quality b&w photographs and reproductions. Pastedowns and endpapers have facsimiles of two original posters from the theatre: one of the 1850 production of The Rivals, and the other of the 1776 production of The Wonder.

The jacket is unclipped (17/6 net.) and has minor scuffing along the top, and some nicks at the head of the spine. It also has a 2 cm (0.8″) tear at the rear where it meets the lower edge. The book itself is in very good condition. Despite being produced to War Economy standards, the pages haven't a jot of foxing, and appear to have largely resisted tanning (though there is a very faint hint in the gutter on certain pages).

Scarce in jacket.

Measures 21.5 cm × 14 cm (8.6″ × 5.6″). 8vo. 350 pp.

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