The Caretaker

London: Methuen & Co, 1960. First Edition. wrappers. Very good. 1st trade edition (a Samuel French acting edition precedes). The Nobel laureate's own copy (Pinter's salient beloved) of his first major success with his extensive, handwritten corrections, deletions, additions, and notations on 52 of the 77 pages. 22 of the additions on 17 of the pages are dialog, from a word to a line, and 18 pages indicate the book was also used by him as a prompt copy. Research rich with unique changes and thoughtful adjustments here, that his own corrected copy never appeared in any subsequent edition, and it is a careful editing, in different color inks and pencil, certainly done in many steps, by revisiting it regularly over a long time. Original wrappers (Methuen also issued it hardbound simultaneously), one small corner crease and some edge rubs else very good, game used but never abused. The Caretaker was Pinter's first appreciable commercial success, a theatrical dynamo, that is, to postmodern plays, what Customer Service is to condescension, and this is the best copy of it in the world. Cloth case. Ex-Edwin Erbe. (Inventory #: 75)