{"product_id":"draft-3","title":"Playbill, Terence Rattigan — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, Hamish Hamilton, 1949\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e Small 8vo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. The binding remains firm and structurally sound, though the original paper-covered boards exhibit general age-toning, mild surface soiling commensurate with age, and a faint crease to the upper front corner. There is light rubbing to the extremities, with minor bumping to the corners and slight wear at the spine head and tail. Internally, the text block is pleasingly bright and clean, free from foxing or significant blemishes. A contemporary ink ownership signature to the front free endpaper is the only notable marking, leaving the remainder of the pages crisp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is the true first edition of \u003ci\u003ePlaybill\u003c\/i\u003e. Unillustrated, this volume comprises Rattigan’s celebrated companion plays, \u003ci\u003eThe Browning Version\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHarlequinade\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe volume features a contemporary ownership inscription (\"Marga Limmis, Xmas 1949\") in ink on the front free endpaper, situating the copy neatly within its year of publication.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile individual later printings of the plays are ubiquitous, finding the original combined 1949 \u003ci\u003ePlaybill\u003c\/i\u003e in its initial paper-covered boards is increasingly uncommon on the open market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePlaybill\u003c\/i\u003e unites two of Terence Rattigan’s most masterful and sharply contrasting one-act plays, famously performed together during their 1948 London premiere. \u003ci\u003eThe Browning Version\u003c\/i\u003e presents a devastating psychological study of Andrew Crocker-Harris, a retiring classics master whose austere exterior conceals a world of quiet heartbreak and bitter frustration. In stark juxtaposition, \u003ci\u003eHarlequinade\u003c\/i\u003e offers a riotous farce centring on an ageing, self-absorbed theatrical couple struggling to mount a production of \u003ci\u003eRomeo and Juliet\u003c\/i\u003e in the provinces. Together, they showcase Rattigan’s unparalleled emotional range and theatrical craftsmanship.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54552030118227,"sku":"4968","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260731_000826.jpg?v=1786437675","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/draft-3","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}