Theatres

New York: Theatre Arts, Inc. Printed by Redfield-Downey-Odell Co. Inc. Illustrations by The Knudsen Process, 1929. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. In depth discussion, with extensive visual support, of six of Joseph Urban's theatre designs, only two of which were ever realized, to our knowledge (the Paramount in Palm Beach and the Ziegfeld in New York) but all of which are noteworthy for their panache and beauty. Urban was unique in being accomplished, and celebrated, as both an architect and theaterical scenic designer, and in his hands, the two callings were not independent of one another but splendidly combined to stunning effect, culminating in the best of Art Deco design. As an example, Urban did scenic design for the Ziegfeld Follies but also was the architect of the Ziegfeld Theatre. All the designs here were by Urban himself. They include ones that were never realized, such as Urban's designs for the proposed new house for the Metropolitan Opera on 57th Street, a plan dashed by the Depression and the internal politics of the company. (A new home for the opera had to await til 1965.) 4to. 30.5 by 24.5 cm. Half title leaf, color frontis on glossy leaf, title page, colophon page, [20 unpaginated pages, including list of illustrations, Urban's dedication, main body of text ], followed by 48 numbered leaves, each leaf an illustrated plate, and last leaf with name of printer(s). Book plate with imagery of urban skyline. Condition: chip about 5 cm long lower spine. Otherwise, this is a clean, tight copy, with some of the text leaves as yet uncut.