"Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood"

[Hollywood, Calif.]: Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corporation. Near Fine. (c.1922). First Edition. Hardcover. (dark green buckram with gilt lettering; no dust jacket) [faint external wear along spine, otherwise blemish-free]. (sepia-tone film stills) A "photoplay edition" of sorts, this small booklet (approx. 75 unnumbered pages) presents the story of the 1922 silent film epic ROBIN HOOD, which starred Douglas Fairbanks and was produced by him for release through the then-young United Artists. It includes the cast and credits of the film, and is illustrated with a generous selection of full-page scene stills. It appears to be a promotional or souvenir item which has been specially bound; after the conclusion of the story proper, there are another ten pages or so devoted to background on the conception and production of the film, the sort of thing that one might ordinarily find in a studio pressbook of the time. OCLC records several copies of what appears to be a shorter version of this same item, published by Prospect Press in New York; at 64 unnumbered pages, issued in pictorial wraps (which have *not* been bound with the present version), it would seem to be a version that presents the story only, without the additional of the additional production-related information. The latter "production" section is also printed on a somewhat different quality paper, suggesting that the two sections may have been "married" in this custom binding, making this perhaps a unique example. Two notes: (1) "Elton Thomas" was a pseudonym for Douglas Fairbanks himself; and (2) this item comes from the collection of the esteemed film historian Rudy Behlmer (1926-2019), who among his many areas of expertise was known for his comprehensive knowledge of movies about Robin Hood. .