Tea and Sympathy
New York: Random House, 1953. 8vo. Very Good+ / Good. Item #17846
A very nice Early printing of Anderson's trail-blazing 1953 play, an early pioneer in attempting to normalize how the American public thought about and approached homosexuality, inscribed by the playwright on the front endpaper.
A well-received play that was directed by Elia Kazan and starred Deborah Kerr and John Kerr. Includes a number of black and white photographs by Slim Aarons. Adapted into a movie of the same name that also starred both Kerrs.
"A male private school student, Tom Lee, who faces accusations of homosexuality. A woman, Laura, who is married to an instructor, opposes the students' shaming of Lee and romantically pursues him so he can prove that he has a masculine character.[1] The title refers to what someone in Laura's position was supposed to offer a boy such as Tom.
"Everett Evans of the Houston Chronicle called it "one of the first plays to tackle the then-taboo topic of sexual orientation and related prejudice." Evans stated that the play's final line, "Years from now, when you speak of this, and you will, be kind," is "one of the most quoted curtain lines in stage history" - wiki
Tan cloth binding with photograph pastedown to front board. A Very Good+ copy with some slight wear to the top of the spine, and just a hint of age toning to text block. Dust jacket with mild edge wear, including a moderate chip along the top edge of the front pane and crown of spine.
A basic coming of age story taking place at a private all-boys residential school. Presents handsomely in archival mylar.
Price: $150.00