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Thomson, Virgil (Author); Page, Tim & Weeks Page, Vanessa (Editors) : Selected Letters Of Virgil Thomson

Summit Books, London, England, 1988

ISBN 0671621173

First Edition / First Printing. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket. 413 pages. Collection of letters by subject. One of the most important music books of the 20th century. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Virgil Thomson's "Selected Letters". Deeply absorbing letters from a composer who was also a man-of-letters. "There have been previous collections of the writings of the Grand Old Man of American music, but none as various and personally revealing as this. All his life, Thomson has been a meticulous correspondent, unfailingly courteous, crisp, and elegant, and it is a special pleasure to see these employed on minutiae as well as on such major matters as working on a libretto with Gertrude Stein. Two testy letters to a dilatory watch-repair company are models of their kind. But perhaps the heart of the volume is the letters Thomson returned to correspondents who took issue with him during his years on the New York Herald Tribune as the best, and certainly the most knowledgeable, music critic ever to write for an American newspaper. We see only Thomson's side of the correspondence, but his good sense and generosity of spirit, often in response to clearly irate muddle-headedness, is something to marvel at. The Pages have selected the letters from what they describe as a staggering quantity with great skill, to show Thomson in all his diversity. The concise identifying notes are both necessary and unobtrusive" (Publishers Weekly). Virgil Thomson is a central figure in 20th-century music. His correspondence, that is to say, his flawless writing, not only complements but demonstrates his unique genius. An absolute "must-have" title for Virgil Thomson collectors. This title is a great collection. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. One of the greatest composers of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER VIRGIL THOMSON TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0671621173.

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