Tennessee Williams Exhibit at The Bookshop in Old New Castle
Tennessee Williams Centennial Exhibit of Rare Books and Memorabilia
Including original uncensored scripts of two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays
NEW CASTLE, Delaware (February 28, 2011) — Between the Covers Rare Books Inc. is presenting a month-long exhibition of rare Tennessee Williams books, play scripts and assorted memorabilia in honor of the playwright’s one hundredth birthday at The Bookshop in Old New Castle starting March 1. Among the notable and rare items is an original script for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which was used during the Philadelphia tryout of the play. The copy contains a sexually charged scene between Big Daddy and his daughter-in law that was removed before its run on Broadway. Also on display is one of only a handful of known copies of the original script for A Streetcar Named Desire bearing its original title, The Poker Night. This early version includes scandalous dialogue that was cut before production, implicating Stanley Kowalski’s wife, Stella, in the sexual assault of her sister, Blanche Du Bois.
Tennessee Williams, who would be 100 on March 26, is considered the greatest Southern playwright and one of the most important of the twentieth century, with a body of work that still resonates with American audiences today in revival after revival. His work examined subjects previously taboo to American audiences of the late 1940s and 1950s, such as mental illness, domestic violence, and untamed sexuality. In addition to A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, both Pulitzer Prize winners, he wrote The Glass Menagerie, The Rose Tattoo, Night of the Iguana, and Suddenly Last Summer. Just as familiar to many people are the film versions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor and Burl Ives as Big Daddy, and A Streetcar Named Desire, which features the iconic scene of Marlon Brando as Stanley screaming “Stella!” from the street below, and Blanche’s famous final line: “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Most of the exhibit comes from the personal collection of the publicity director for New Directions, which first published many of the Williams plays. This enabled the collector to get books signed by the author, and gave him access to the publisher’s pre-publication galleys and page proofs, both of which will be on display. He also meticulously collected Williams’s magazine appearances, as well as foreign editions, and any and all related ephemera, including playbills, ticket stubs, lobby cards and flyers.
Among the items is a beautiful copy of Weird Tales magazine from 1928, which contains Williams’s first published story, written when he was just 16 using his real name, Thomas Lanier Williams. Also on display is the film treatment for The Gentleman Caller which Williams first offered to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while briefly employed as a staff writer. The studio passed on the detailed outline, despite the inclusion of several happy endings from which they could choose. The rejection turned out to be a blessing for Williams who opened the play the following year on Broadway with a new title, The Glass Menagerie. It was his first major success on Broadway and is considered an American classic.
The Tennessee Williams exhibit runs from March 1-31 and is free to all visitors to The Bookshop in Old New Castle, located at the site of the historic opera house at 308 Delaware Street in New Castle, Delaware. Images from this exhibition are available upon request: matt@betweenthecovers.com
On April 1, the Bookshop of Bordentown will open the next exhibit in its series; “The National Game — Baseball in Print,” which will showcase baseball-related books and prints.
About Between The Covers Rare Books, Inc.
Between The Covers Rare Books Inc., founded in 1985, is a leading antiquarian bookseller specializing in modern first editions, African-Americana, sports (particularly baseball), mysteries, genre fiction, art, photography, and women’s studies. It is a member of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA). www.betweenthecover.com
About the Bookshop in Old New Castle
Each bookseller in the Bookshop in Old New Castle is a member of the ABAA and offers a unique selection of books characteristic to its specific specialties. The Bookshop in Old New Castle opened May 1, 2010. As The Bookshop in Old New Castle is a combination store between Oak Knoll Books, Between the Covers Rare Books, The Kelmscott Bookshop, and the Old Bookshop of Bordentown, the exhibitions will alternate monthly with each store taking turns showcasing different collections of their finest material. www.booksinnewcastle.com
Contact: Matt Histand
matt@betweenthecovers.com
856-456-8008
Including original uncensored scripts of two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays
NEW CASTLE, Delaware (February 28, 2011) — Between the Covers Rare Books Inc. is presenting a month-long exhibition of rare Tennessee Williams books, play scripts and assorted memorabilia in honor of the playwright’s one hundredth birthday at The Bookshop in Old New Castle starting March 1. Among the notable and rare items is an original script for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which was used during the Philadelphia tryout of the play. The copy contains a sexually charged scene between Big Daddy and his daughter-in law that was removed before its run on Broadway. Also on display is one of only a handful of known copies of the original script for A Streetcar Named Desire bearing its original title, The Poker Night. This early version includes scandalous dialogue that was cut before production, implicating Stanley Kowalski’s wife, Stella, in the sexual assault of her sister, Blanche Du Bois.
Tennessee Williams, who would be 100 on March 26, is considered the greatest Southern playwright and one of the most important of the twentieth century, with a body of work that still resonates with American audiences today in revival after revival. His work examined subjects previously taboo to American audiences of the late 1940s and 1950s, such as mental illness, domestic violence, and untamed sexuality. In addition to A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, both Pulitzer Prize winners, he wrote The Glass Menagerie, The Rose Tattoo, Night of the Iguana, and Suddenly Last Summer. Just as familiar to many people are the film versions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor and Burl Ives as Big Daddy, and A Streetcar Named Desire, which features the iconic scene of Marlon Brando as Stanley screaming “Stella!” from the street below, and Blanche’s famous final line: “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Most of the exhibit comes from the personal collection of the publicity director for New Directions, which first published many of the Williams plays. This enabled the collector to get books signed by the author, and gave him access to the publisher’s pre-publication galleys and page proofs, both of which will be on display. He also meticulously collected Williams’s magazine appearances, as well as foreign editions, and any and all related ephemera, including playbills, ticket stubs, lobby cards and flyers.
Among the items is a beautiful copy of Weird Tales magazine from 1928, which contains Williams’s first published story, written when he was just 16 using his real name, Thomas Lanier Williams. Also on display is the film treatment for The Gentleman Caller which Williams first offered to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while briefly employed as a staff writer. The studio passed on the detailed outline, despite the inclusion of several happy endings from which they could choose. The rejection turned out to be a blessing for Williams who opened the play the following year on Broadway with a new title, The Glass Menagerie. It was his first major success on Broadway and is considered an American classic.
The Tennessee Williams exhibit runs from March 1-31 and is free to all visitors to The Bookshop in Old New Castle, located at the site of the historic opera house at 308 Delaware Street in New Castle, Delaware. Images from this exhibition are available upon request: matt@betweenthecovers.com
On April 1, the Bookshop of Bordentown will open the next exhibit in its series; “The National Game — Baseball in Print,” which will showcase baseball-related books and prints.
About Between The Covers Rare Books, Inc.
Between The Covers Rare Books Inc., founded in 1985, is a leading antiquarian bookseller specializing in modern first editions, African-Americana, sports (particularly baseball), mysteries, genre fiction, art, photography, and women’s studies. It is a member of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA). www.betweenthecover.com
About the Bookshop in Old New Castle
Each bookseller in the Bookshop in Old New Castle is a member of the ABAA and offers a unique selection of books characteristic to its specific specialties. The Bookshop in Old New Castle opened May 1, 2010. As The Bookshop in Old New Castle is a combination store between Oak Knoll Books, Between the Covers Rare Books, The Kelmscott Bookshop, and the Old Bookshop of Bordentown, the exhibitions will alternate monthly with each store taking turns showcasing different collections of their finest material. www.booksinnewcastle.com
Contact: Matt Histand
matt@betweenthecovers.com
856-456-8008
