Authors "M" and "N" Selections from Stock

MACCABE, Frederic. THE ART OF VENTRILOQUISM. Including Full Directions to Learners How to Acquire a Pleasing Vocalization. With Amusing Dialogues. London: Frederick Warne, n. d. [c. 1885]. Small 8vo; pictorial boards, rubbed and soiled; extremities worn; spine ends chipped; bookseller’s label to foot of front cover; publisher’s ads to endpapers; contents fairly fresh; Theobald’s Britannia Magical Works advertisement to rear cover. $95
The conjuror and actor MacCabe began his stage career in a skit (performed with Henry Irving) guying the fraudulent mediums the Davenport Brothers. He became Britain’s leading ventriloquist and a major draw at London’s Egyptian Hall. §See Toole-Stott (Conjuring) 460.

MACFARREN, George. MALVINA: A National Ballad Opera.... New York: Edward M. Murden, n. d. [1826]. Small 12mo; unbound; creasing and a bit of fraying to edges of title-page and terminal leaf; moderate foxing throughout. $25
The first American edition of MacFarren’s dramatic opera (music by T. Cooke). It had its New York premiere at the Park Theatre in 1826.

[MACKARNESS, Mathilde A.] NEW CHARADES FOR THE DRAWING ROOM. A New Edition. London: Routledge & Sons, n. d. [c. 1874]. Small 8vo; yellow boards; color pictorial cover; a bit rubbed; finger soiling to margins of a couple of leaves; publisher’s advertisements to endpapers and at the end. $30
A yellowback edition containing a dozen charades for four to six characters. The one-word answers appear at the end.

[MACKEEN, (?).] A juvenile drama portrait, “Mr. McKeen as Alfonzo.” London: Hodgson & Co., 1821. Colored by hand; 1/2” tear to (blank) right edge. $60
The equestrian stands in right profile, legs apart, a plumed helmet on his head, shield held before him on his left arm and a sword held before his right hand. Mackeen was associated with Astley’s for several seasons.

[MACREADY, William Charles.] A handbill, "Letter from Mr. Macready to the Director of the Theatre Historique." [London]: n. p., 1848. 4 3/8" x 8 3/4"; just about fine. $100
A handbill, headed "Theatre Royal, Drury Lane," related to the incident when jingoistic riots broke out on the night of 12 June, 1848. These followed Bunn's action in bringing over the French company of Le Théâtre Historique to Drury Lane. On the same sheet is an inflamed criticism of Macready's letter (expressing the actor's regret at the riots), signed "A Jolly Brick." §LAR 1412.

MAIDWELL, L[ewis]. THE LOVING ENEMIES: A Comedy.... London: for John Guy, 1680. First Edition. Small 4to; quarter speckled calf; marbled boards; joints worn; head of backstrip chipped; title-page dustsoiled and reinforced at gutter and lower forecorner; terminal leaf defective at upper gutter, affecting text (provided in holograph), with tissue reinforcement and repair; minimal marks of age to contents. $350
The sole edition of a particularly rare Restoration comedy, performed at Dorset Garden in the early spring of 1680. This was also Maidwell’s only play. “An exceedingly well-written and interesting play, both as regards the romantic incidents and the lighter scenes. One can only be surprised that it did not keep the stage, more particularly as many a worse comedy long maintained a place in the theatre. It is not improbable this disregard was the reason Maidwell did not make another essay in the drama (Summers).” The epilogue was written by Shadwell and refers to Dryden’s Rose Street adventure of the previous December. §Wing M284.

[MARIO, Giovanni.] A one-page autograph letter, signed. N. p.: 17 January, 1864. 4to leaf, folded; integral leaf blank; original folds. $275
A warm (salutation of “Caro”) and fine letter in French, with a very good signature.

[MARS, Mlle.] [Anne F. BOUTET]. A one-page autograph letter, signed. N. p.: n. d. [c. 1825(?)]. 8vo leaf, folded; original folds; hole from opening of wax seal, affecting two letters of text, with early backing to blank reverse. $85
The well-loved Comédie-Française actress writes to a Monsieur Empir asking payment of a sum due to her “que j’en ai grand besoin.”

MARSOLLIER, [Des Vivetières, B. -J.] EDMOND ET CAROLINE, ou La Lettre et la Réponse, Comedie.... Paris: M. -N. Barba, 1819. Disbound; foxing to title-page, terminal leaf, and head of some leaves. $35
The libretto to a one-act comic opera, the music by Frédéric Kreubé, first performed at the Opéra-Comique in August 1819. The cast list is printed.

[MARSTON, Henry.] A hand-colored juvenile drama portrait of Marston as MacDuff. London: J. Redington, [c. 1865]. Colors bright; very good. $35
Marston stands, legs apart, in kilted costume. He holds a shield on his upraised left arm and a sword in his right hand.

MARTIN, Sadie. THE LIFE AND PROFESSIONAL CAREER OF EMMA ABBOT. Minneapolis: L. Kimball, 1891. First Edition. Original red cloth, decorated in black and gilt; gilt to spine; extremities rubbed; frontisportrait and 27 plates to text after photographs; decorative endpapers; t.e.g. $50
The Chicago-born soprano-impresaria Abbot was America’s first populist prima donna. After training and touring in Europe she formed the Emma Abbot English Grand Opera Company (1878). With this company she toured all of America, from the operatic palaces of the major cities to the smallest of opera houses in the heartland. She was also noted for interpolating “specialties,” such as popular ballads, into operas in the repertoire. The text is accompanied by 28 plates of Abbot in her roles.

[MARTYR, Margaret.] A line-engraved portrait, “Miss Thornton, at Vauxhall.” London: J. Bew, 1778. 3 1/8” x 4 1/2”; window mounted to a larger album leaf. $40
A full-length portrait of Martyr, when Miss Thornton, in an open gown, to the front singing, music held down in her right hand. From the time of her appearances at Vauxhall just prior to her first season at Covent Garden.

[MATHER, Margaret.] A photogravure of Mather as Juliana in The Honeymoon. [New York]: Gebbie, 1887. 7 1/2" x 12", plus wide margins; minor dusting to outermost margins; image near fine. $10
A full-length portrait of the young actress.

[MATHEWS, Charles James.] A one-page autograph letter, signed, [1836 (?)]. One leaf, black bordered; original folds. $25
The actor turns down an invitation as he is “completely enveloped in the dusty horrors of packing and moving....”

[MATHEWS, Charles James.]  A one-page autograph letter, signed. [London: c. 1864.] Original horizontal folds. $30
The actor addresses a Mr. Donne, believing he has not seen the Lesson in Love  "and it goes out of the bills on Saturday," he sends an undated box pass. Cheltnam's play was first performed in 1864.

[MATHEWS, Charles James.] A one-page autograph letter, signed. [London]: 24 December, 1873. Original horizontal crease. $30
Mathews declines a Christmas Eve invitation on account of a cold caught in "the awful wings of the Gaiety."

[MATTHEWS, John T.] A juvenile drama portrait of Matthews as Clown. [London]: A. Park, [c. 1860]. Trimmed at foot, affecting a few letters of title; two minute stitching holes near head. $22
The pantomime clown Matthews stands with bowed legs and hands in his pockets.

MAY, Earl Chapin. THE CIRCUS FROM ROME TO RINGLING. New York: Duffield and Green, [1932]. Purple cloth; spine a little faded; numerous illustrations. $25
“A useful reference work, particularly on the modern American circus and the artistes performing with the Ringlings (Toole-Stott).” Amongst Toole-Stott’s “100 Best Circus Books.” §Toole-Stott 488.

[MEADOWS, Drinkwater.] A two-page autograph note, signed, to Charles Perkins. [London:c. 1825 (?).] 8vo leaf; original folds; light dusting. $40
Meadows offers congratulations to his fellow actor Perkins (at the Adelphi) and continues in a fairly chatty manner on greenroom subjects.

[MENKEN, Adah Isaacs.] A broadside playbill for Boston’s Howard Atheneum announcing Menken “in her great character of Mazeppa,” 26 July, 1862. 6 1/4” x 18 1/2”; one horizontal crease; original posting hole at head; minute pinholes to outermost left margin; inconsequential faint foxing; overall very good. $450
Menken is boldly heralded as a “versitile actress and daring equestrienne” in her best-known role. The other piece was the first night of “capital Irish drama” Norah Creina. The foot of the broadside announces R. E. J. Miles and “his intelligent and highly trainted steed Min-Ne-Ha-Ha” in the equestrian drama Rookwood.

[MENKEN, Adah Isaacs.] A double-page, broadside bill for Astley's featuring Menken in the first performances of Brougham's The Child of the Sun, the week of 9 October, [1865]. 19 1/2" x 14"; trimmed at head and foot, affecting some letters (including upper half of "Astley's"); minor wrinkling and toning; early reinforcements to verso at folds and edges. $500
Menken played four different roles in Brougham's new extravaganza -- the Creole Leon, Zamba "a dumb Peon slave," Metoxa the chief of the Comanches, and the Mexican cabollers Don Leon de Mendez. Primarily a vehicle to display Menken to the fullest advantage, it nowhere neared the success of Mazeppa (presented, also at Astley's, the previous year).

[MEYERBEER, Giacomo.] A double-page playbill for The Fiend-Father at Covent Garden, 2 March, 1832. Pale blue stock. $30
An arrangement of Robert le Diable, with Braham as Robert.

[MEYERHOLD, Vsevolod.] A one-page typewritten document, completed and signed in ink. Moscow: [c. 1938]. 4to leaf; upper left corner removed, other corners torn slightly, text and signature unaffected; moderate wear; original creases for mailing. $1200
Meyerhold writes to Comrade Romansov on the letterhead of the Opera Theatre in the Name of K. S. Stanislavsky. He sends information concerning a performance of The Barber of Seville and seeking to undertake a similar style work with Carmen in the following months. Meyerhold was appointed regisseur at the opera theatre in 1938. An extremely scarce autograph. 

[MEYERHOLD, Vsevolod and Konstantin DERZHAVIN.] [BORIS GODUNOV. A. S. Guschkina. Material K Gostanovke Pod Redakqiei V. Meyerholda i K. Derjavina.] [Petersburg: Izdanie], 1919. Small 8vo; original printed wraps; unstitched, with leaves loosening; backstrip worn; recent glassine; 245 figures to four integrated plates; mild toning. $300
An assemblage of "materials for the staging of Boris Gudunov," collected and edited by Meyerhold and Derzhavin. It includes illustrations of a series of concepts for stage settings. Meyerhold worked much on the text of Boris Godunov, but never staged a production. Scarce, not in Dana.

[MEYERHOLD THEATRE.] A two-color poster for the production of Vishnevsky's Poslednii Reshitelni at the Meyerhold Theatre, 1931. 35" x 23 3/4"; boldly printed in black and green; three small mounting tears to head (the largest 34"), three closed tears to (blank portion of) lower right edge; one central, horizontal crease; neat vertical creases; some abrading to creases with slight loss at four points. $650
The boldest of the poster's typography is consigned to Meyerhold's name (32 1/2" x 8"). Meyerhold's production of Vishnevsky's The Last, Decisive "was a dazzling display of theatrical tricks (E. Braun)" including a production number which parodied the Bolshoi ballet and an effects-laden final scene.

[MEYNIER, Auguste.]  A two-color lithographed poster for the conjuror, known as Agosta, "la plus Grande Nullité du Jour." [Paris (?)]: Dusseque, [c. 1908]. 32" x 47"; early creases, slightly rubbed and lightly embrowned; two halftone portraits; linen backed. $400
Agosta was one of the most prominent of French conjurors at the start of the last century, publisher of the periodical La Prestidigitateur,  and the founding president of the Association Syndicate des Artistes Prestidigitateurs (1903). This poster is printed in green and red with decorations to two corners and a duotone portrait of the performer to the other two.

MILES, George H. MOHAMMED, THE ARABIAN PROPHET. A Tragedy.... Boston: Phillips, Sampson & Company, 1850. First Edition. Original patterned cloth; covers a bit marked and worn; spine ends worn; joints worn; slightly cocked; decorative endpapers; slight age-spotting to first few and final few leaves; multiple penciled ownership signatures to preliminary leaves; a fair copy. $30
The publisher’s advertisement leaf states: “...In the course of last year, Mr. Edwin Forrest offered a prize of One Thousand Dollars for the best original tragedy.... The present volume is the one to which the prize was awarded.” Forrest held nine of these contests and this final winning drama sought to “explain the life of Mohammed from the age of forty to his death.... After all that has been said, the true character of the great founder of Islam is but imperfectly understood.”

[MINSTRELSY.] MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT “between Isaac Wilkinson, the Manager and Secretary of the Brighton Aquarium, Brighton, and Mack and Curdy,” 1885. 4to; printed text, completed in manuscript, signed. $60
A contract engaging the pair for “Negro Burlesque, Grotesques, and acrobatic Songs Dances &ct.”

MOORE, E[dward]. THE FOUNDLING. A Comedy. The Second Edition. London: for R. Franklin, 1748. Disbound; minor foxing, primarily to the first signature. $40
The same year as the first edition. First performed at Drury Lane in February 1748, with Garrick as Young Belmont and Woffington as Rosetta — they had for some time been living together as lovers. The prologue was by Henry Brooke (with whom Moore collaborated on Fables for the Female Sex) and the epilogue by Garrick himself.

MOORE, Thomas. MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, 1825. 2 vols. Original gray boards, worn at corners and foot; rebacked; paper labels; hinges neatly reinforced; engraved frontisportrait to the first volume; one folding plate; a hint of foxing; publisher’s catalogue at the beginning of Vol. I; untrimmed throughout. $85

“Constructs from documents made available by the Sheridan family and from private impressions of Sheridan’s own intellectual and political milieu an assessment... which sees him rising to eminence from a slight foundation of instruction and maintaining himself there by dint of great effort and continuous preparation (Durant).” §LAR 3501.

MORISSET, B. LES CONTES DU PREMIER ET DU SECOND AGE, ou Le Pouvoir des Bons sur les Mauvais Génies. Paris: Libraires Associés, 1807. 12mo; contemporary blue wraps, rather scuffed; neat reinforcement to fore-edges of inside wraps and foot of backstrip; engraved frontispiece, colored by hand; a hint of dusting, primarily to fore-edges; a few fore-corners turned up; a few upper fore-corners stained; completely untrimmed; in a protecting box. $175
An unsophisticated, desirable copy of a pleasant juvenile, with a hand-colored frontispiece. Two of the four stories are "Les Mauricauds, ou, L'Origine des Arlequins" and "La Bella Fortuna, ou, Le Palais des Nains."

[MORTON, Thomas.] THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD. A Musical Piece.... Dublin: John Rice, 1794. 12mo; unbound; 1” trimmed from head of title-page; variable dust soiling; moderate foxing to a few leaves; contemporary name in ink to title-page; a few brief prompt marks to text; without the half-title. $45
The first edition of Morton’s two-act interlude (a Dublin piracy). It was performed at the Haymarket and Crow-Street theatres from late the previous year. This copy carries a few brief prompts or cues in a contemporary hand.

MORTON, Thomas. COLUMBUS: or, A World Discovered. An Historical Play. The Second Edition. London: for W. Miller, 1792. Disbound; a hint of foxing to half-title and a few leaves of text. $45
Deriving from Marmontel’s tale of the Incas and covering much the same ground as Kotzebue’s Die Spanier in Peru. Nicoll rates it “a truly amusing piece” — presumably ridiculous rather than comic — for its anachronisms and impossibilities such as Columbus conversing freely with those who have never encountered a European.

MORTON, Thomas. SECRETS WORTH KNOWING; A Comedy.... London: for T. N. Longman, 1798. First Edition. 12mo; disbound; minor ink smudges to head of title-page; brief early prompt marks to text; publisher’s advertisements. $40
First performed at Covent Garden in January 1798.

MORTON, Thomas. SPEED THE PLOUGH: A Comedy. London: for Longman and Rees, 1800. Disbound; publisher’s advertisement leaf at the end. $25
The best known of Morton’s plays, a successful blending of pathos and broad comedy, famous for introducing the (off-stage) character of the moral watchdog Mrs. Grundy. First published the same year.

[MOSCOW STATE CIRCUS.] An illustrated poster for the Moscow State Circus on tour, [c. 1930]. 21" x 28 1/2"; boldly printed in red; two halftone illustrations; creased to quarters; minor wrinkling; one short line of small ink stains; else very good. $250

[MOTTLEY, John.] WIDOW BEWITCH’D. A Comedy. London: for J. Watts, 1730. First Edition. Modern red half calf and cloth; title-page torn and laid down; tissue repair to gutter of terminal leaf. $65
A comedy of sentiment and sensibility, according to Nicoll, which he also admits is “even more immoral” than Killigrew’s Chit-Chat or Haywood’s Wife to Let. It was performed at Goodmans-Fields in June of 1730.

MOWATT, Anna Cora. ARMAND; or, The Peer and the Peasant. A Play.... New York: Stringer and Townsend, 1851. First Edition. Disbound; some foxing; primarily to first signature and margins. $40
Mowatt’s second play and the first to be publicly performed. It was premiered at New York’s Park Theatre in September 1847 and in London in January 1849. On both occasions Mowatt took the part of Blanche. §Roden, p. 96.

[M-ROV, G. T. (Pseud.).] [OUT OF THE FIRE AND INTO THE FLOOD (?). Drama....] [Tomsk: P. I. Makushina], 1896. 8vo; original paper-covered boards; marbled paper to rear cover; extremities rubbed; front cover a trifle soiled; erased letter-code to upper left edge of cover; black cloth spine; Library of Congress duplicate stamp to front flyleaf; binding tight; contents clean. $50
A five-act drama. M-rov was the pseudonym of Gamaliil S. Gantimurov.

[MRVINA, Eugeniya.] A cabinet card photograph of Mrvina in costume. [St. Petersburg: for the Imperial Theatres, c. 1890.] Image a trifle light; minor marking, away from image; mount corners rubbed. $50
The great soprano is shown three-quarters length, in costume, in a performance pose. Mravina studied with Pryanishnikov in Russia, Artôt in Berlin, and Marchesi in Paris. She made her debut (1885) at Vittorio Veneto as Gilda (Rigoletto). This intelligent and highly regarded singer was a mainstay at the Mariinsky Theatre between 1886 and 1897 -- creating the roles of Oxana in Rimsky-Korsakov's Christmas Eve and Fornarina in Arnesky's Rafael.

MÜLLER-GUTTENBRUNN, Adam. DIE GEFESSELTE PHANTASIE. Gelegenheitschrift zur Grössnung des Raimund-Theaters.... Mit einem Unhange: “Zur Geschichte dr Gefesselten Phantasie.” Vienna: Carl Honegen, 1893. Small 8vo; original stiff printed green wraps; engraved illustration to upper cover; covers a trifle soiled; head of backstrip nicked; frontisportrait. $30
A souvenir of the opening of Vienna’s Raimundtheater in November 1893. Müller-Guttenbrunn was director designate, a position he was given primarily because of his sloganeering opposition to trivial commercialization in the theatre, in particular operetta and variety. “The name chosen for the new theatre was programmatic: it was conceived as a base for dialect drama and local comedy, and it opened with a performance of Raimund’s Die Gefesselte Phantasie... (Yates).”

[MURDOCH, James E.] A photogravure portrait, "James E. Murdoch as the Stranger [Count Waldbourg]." [New York]: Gebbie, [c. 1887]. 8 1/2" x 11 1/2", plus wide margins; very minor spotting to margins. $10
A full-length portrait of Murdoch, seated, in costume.

[MURPHY, Arthur.] KNOW YOUR OWN MIND: A Comedy.... London: for T. Becket, 1778. First Edition. Disbound; early ink inscription to one leaf; some dusting and minor foxing. $40
Based on L’irrésolu of Destouches.

[MURPHY, Arthur.] THE ORPHAN OF CHINA, A Tragedy.... The Second Edition. London: for P. Vaillant, 1759. Disbound; dusting to title-page and final leaf; stitching holes to gutters. $25
An adaptation of Voltaire's L'Orphélin de la Chine, a Roman drama transferred to a Chinese setting. Appended is an open letter from Murphy, a "patriotic epistle to Voltaire, commenting unfavorably on that author's anti-English strictures (Nicoll)."

[MURPHY, Arthur.] THREE WEEKS AFTER MARRIAGE; A Comedy.... London: for G. Kearsley, 1776. First Edition. Disbound; lacking half-title; ink stain to verso of terminal leaf. $40
The first edition of Murphy’s reworking of his own What We Must All Come To (1764).

[MYERS’ CIRCUS.] GROOTE AMERIKAANSCHE CIRCUS. Eigenaar en Directeur: J. W. Myers. Hamburg: J. F. Richter, n. d. [c 1873]. Later cloth-backed boards; original pictorial blue wrappers pasted onto covers; paper labels to spine; small ink stamp to (blank) upper fore-corner of first page; six wood-engraved illustrations, the last two full page. $400
An illustrated pamphlet, in Dutch, promoting the European residency of James Washington Myers’ Circus (1807-1873). It features an overview of their departure from the U. S., arrival in London in 1867, 18 months touring Britain and Ireland, then in France and Switzerland, before their leaving Italy in 1871 to perform in Austria, Germany, and the Low Countries. One page is given over to a list of performances and adminstrators. The wood-engravings include several illustrations of acrobats, trick equestrians, clowns, an Arab troupe, trained monkeys, and two full-page: the “Wonderful Performing Lions” and one made up of 15 vignettes of the “Marvelous Performing Elephants.” The American trick equestrian and clown Myers was associated with Sands and Lent’s Circus and Howes and Cushing’s Menagerie as well as his own companies.

NEWTON, H. Chance. THE OLD VIC. And Its Associations. Being My Extraordinary Experiences of “Queen Wictoria’s Own Theayter.” Foreword by George Dance. London: Fleetway Press, n. d. [c. 1922]. Small 8vo; green wraps, edges dust soiled; pictorial vignette to front cover; frontisportrait; plates. $20
Recollections of the first 100 years of the London theatre and the plays, variety entertainments, and principal stars seen there.

NIKLAUS, Thelma. HARLEQUIN PHOENIX, or, The Rise and Fall of a Bergamask Rogue. London: The Bodley Head, 1956. Cloth; pictorial dustwrapper (design by Mervyn Peake); illustrated. $30
A well-documented history of the commedia figure tracing him from his Italian roots through to modern representations. “There is a particularly interesting account of the shows given in the fairgrounds and... a description of Grimaldi’s technique (R. Toole-Stott).” With an appendix of “Some Celebrated Players of Harlequin” and one of early scenari. §Toole-Stott 523.

[NIXON, John (?).] An engraved caricature, "Country Acting -- or no Tricks upon Travellers." London: Laurie & Whittle, 1804. 9 3/4" x 7 3/4", plus full margins; slight dust soiling to outermost margins; hand colored; very good. $175
"Tricks upon travellers" was a catch-phrase, perhaps deriving from Foote's The Orators (1762). This hand-colored caricature, attributed to Nixon, depicts a kitchen scene. An Irishman, wearing smart (spurred) top boots, bastes a bird on a spit. He is interrupted by an actor in the costume of an African prince who inquires as to when the fowl will be finished. The Irishman responds angrily to the "outrageous looking Rascal" that the chicken is for his dinner and he does not mean to share it. The actor responds: "My Dear Sir I dont want your Fowl I am going to play Oroonoko in this House and we cannot begin for want of the Jack Chain." §George 10357.