An original autograph manuscript for "Pencil in the Air" signed by Samuel Hoffenstein in the title-page. Approximately 179 pages, most are hand-written in pencil, some are typed, all on one side (except one which is written on both sides). Approx. 12x8¾, on various lined and blank papers. Original manuscript.
Samuel Hoffenstein (1890-1947), screenwriter and poet, earned an Academy Award nomination for his 1931 adaptation of the Paramount film "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" directed by Rouben Mamoulian. He went on to write the scripts for several films directed by Julien Duvivier, including "The Great Waltz" (1938), "Lydia" (1941), "Tales of Manhattan" (1942), and "Flesh and Fantasy" (1943). Also includes: a first edition of "Pencil in the Air," published by Doubleday, 1947, inscribed by the author twice, once on the front flap of the jacket and secondly on the front free endpaper, both for "Bobbi & Dave," with inscription on jacket stating "Remember the Sunday morning in your apartment in Providence when I wrote this?", dated Oct. 4, 1947, Los Angeles; also, a first modern library edition of The Complete Poetry of Samuel Hoffenstein, which includes "Pencil in the Sky." Both approximately 7x4½, cloth and in jackets.
Condition:
Manuscript with slight darkening to margins, light edge wear, couple pages affected from ex-paperclips; jackets with chipping and tears to extremities (larger chips to the first edition of Pencil in the Air), Modern Library jacket price clipped, soiled; light shelf wear, else manuscript in near fine or better condition, cloth volumes are very good or better in very good jackets.