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Samuel Beckett: A Celebration

New Fiction and Drama

Comment c'est. [Paris]: Éditions de Minuit, [1961]. First edition

How It Is, translated from the French by the author. London: John Calder, [1964].
First British edition, number 29 of a limited edition of 100 copies on handmade paper, bound in vellum, and signed by the author.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold

How It Is How It Is, translated from the French by the author. New York: Grove Press, [1964].

First American edition of Comment c'est.
Happy Days: a Play in Two Acts. New York: Grove Press, [1961].

This copy of the first edition is a review copy and has the publisher's review slip and a mimeographed press release laid in.
Happy Days Happy Days: a Play in Two Acts. London: Faber and Faber, [1962].

Uncorrected proof copy of the first British edition marked "Provisional publication date June 1st 1962."
Happy Days: a Play in Two Acts. London: Faber and Faber, [1962].
First English edition.

The photograph on the front cover depicts Ruth White as Winnie and John C. Beecher as Willie in the original production at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York.
Yamin tovim; mahazeh bi-shete ma'arakhot. Yerushalayim: Sifre Tarshish, 1967.

This Hebrew translation of Happy Days was published in Jerusalem in 1967 in a translation by Matti Meged.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
"Happy Days." London: The National Theatre, [1975?]

This photoduplicated rehearsal script, which is clipped into black paper covers, was prepared for the 1975 National Theatre production in London.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Happy Days. Poster for the production at the National Theatre, 1975.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Oh les beaux jours: pièce en deux actes; traduit de l'anglais par l'auteur. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1963].First edition of the French translation.

This copy is number 118 of an edition limited to 412 numbered copies.

Melva B. Guthrie Fund
Cascando Cascando and Other Short Dramatic Pieces. New York: Grove Press, [1968].
First American edition of Beckett's translation from the French of his radio play, Cascando.

Also collected here for the first time are Words and Music, Eh Joe, Play, Come and Go, and Film. This copy is a review copy and contains the publisher's review slip.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Cascando. [s.l.: s.n., n.d.]

A single sheet printing of Beckett's 1936 poem, the title of which he later used for his radio play Cascando. Beckett has signed the broadsheet at the bottom.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Play Play and Two Short Pieces for Radio. London: Faber & Faber, [1964].

Although written in English and then translated by Beckett into French, the original production of Play was in a German translation in 1963.

Melva B. Guthrie Fund.
Comédie et actes divers. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1966].

Beckett's French translation of Play is printed here with several other short dramatic pieces. This copy is number 111 of an edition of 112 numbered copies.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Film Film. London: Faber and Faber, [1972].

First British edition. Film represents Beckett's first and only venture into the medium of cinema. The film has no dialogue and, in fact, has only one sound--a soft "ssh!"--and features the great silent screen star, Buster Keaton, as the sole cast member, in one of his final performances. This copy belonged to Alan Schneider, who directed Film, and contains his presentation inscription.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Photo with Alan Schneider Photograph of Samuel Beckett and Alan Schneider, 1964.

Schneider served as director of Film and the two consult here during rehearsals in New York. Signed by Samuel Beckett and Alan Schneider.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold

Film suivi de souffle, traduits de l'anglais par l'auteur. Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, [1972].

Beckett translated Film into French for this Éditions de Minuit publication. This copy is number 31 of an edition of 342 numbered copies and contains a presentation inscription from Samuel Beckett to Joseph Gold in the year of publication.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold

Imagination morte imaginez. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1965].

Beckett described Imagination morte imaginez and a number of his other short pieces produced during this period as "residua" of larger works. With Imagination morte imaginez he has created a compressed version of his unpublished piece All Strange Away. This copy is number 82 of an edition of 112 numbered copies.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold

Imagination Dead Imagine Imagination Dead Imagine, translated from the French by the author. London: Calder and Boyars, [1965].

a. This copy is number 30 of a limited edition of 100 on hand-made paper, signed by the author, and printed in advance of the first edition.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold

b. First edition

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
All Strange Away. [New York]: Gotham Book Mart, [1976].
Illustrations by Edward Gorey.

This is the first appearance in print of this text from which Imagination Dead Imagine was derived. It was published in this limited, fine press edition, with illustrations by Edward Gorey, as a tribute to the Irish actor Jack MacGowran who died in 1973. This copy is number 27 of 200 numbered copies signed by Samuel Beckett and Edward Gorey.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Bing Bing. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1966].
This copy is number 76 of an edition limited to 112 numbered copies and is inscribed by Samuel Beckett to Sir Joseph Gold.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
L'issue, with six original engravings by Avigdor Arikha. Paris: Les Éditions Georges Visat, [1968].

Avigdor Arikha was one of Beckett's closest artistic collaborators. L'issue consists of a passage from Le Dépeupleur illustrated by Arikha's striking engravings. This is number 52 of an edition limited to 154 numbered copies with each engraving signed by Avigdor Arikha.
Séjour; with engravings by Louis Maccard from original drawings by Jean Deyrolle. Paris: G. Richard, 1970.

This is number 26 of 150 numbered copies on grand vélin paper signed by Samuel Beckett with a facsimile signature of the artist Jean Deyrolle who died before the book was published. Beckett's text consists of the opening paragraph of Le Depeupler.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
The North, with three original etchings by Avigdor Arikha. London: Enitharmon Press, 1972.

This copy is number 2 of an edition of 137 copies. All etchings are signed by the artist; in addition, Samuel Beckett has inscribed this copy to Sir Joseph Gold in the year of publication.
Le depeupleur Le dépeupleur. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1970].

The first edition of Le dépeupleur, this copy contains a presentation inscription from Samuel Beckett to Joseph Gold, dated "Paris March 1971."

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
The Lost Ones, translated from the original French by the author. London: Calder and Boyars, [1972].
This is one of a limited, numbered edition of one hundred copies, signed by the author and specially bound. This copy is unnumbered, but is signed by Samuel Beckett.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
The Lost Ones, translated from the original French by the author. New York: Grove Press, [1972]. First American edition.
Assez. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1966]. Out of a total edition of 662 copies, this copy is number 127 of 450 numbered copies.
Eh Joe Eh Joe and Other Writings. London: Faber and Faber, [1967].

First collected edition of these writings. Beckett wrote Eh Joe for the Irish actor JacMacGowran who is depicted in the title role on the front of the dust wrapper.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Come and Go Come and Go. Dramaticule. London: Calder and Boyars, [1967].

a. First edition. This copy is number 62 of an edition of 100 numbered copies, specially bound, and signed by Samuel Beckett. It includes photographs from the first Berlin production of the play. Although written in English, the French and German productions of Come and Go preceded the first English and American productions.
Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
b. First trade edition.
Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Oh! Calcutta! An Entertainment with Music, devised by Kenneth Tynan, directed by Jacques Levy. New York: Grove Press, [1969].

Opening to acclaim and controversy at the Eden Theatre in New York, on June 17, 1969, this collection of short plays by a variety of authors, includes a "Prologue," by Samuel Beckett, which he had originally written under the title "Breath." The director, Kenneth Tynan, embellished Beckett's initial stage direction by adding the phrase "including naked people." Because of this unauthorized addition, Beckett did not allow "Breath" to be included in the first London production of Oh! Calcutta! which premiered at the Oxford Playhouse on March 8, 1970.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Breath and Other Shorts. London: Faber and Faber, [1971].

First English edition published with three other short plays.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Sans. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1969]. First edition, number 76 of 92 numbered copies.

Samuel Beckett has inscribed this copy on the title page to Joseph Gold.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Lessness, translated from the original French by the author. London: Calder & Boyars, [1970]. First English edition.

This copy is number 7 of a limited, numbered edition, specially bound, and signed by the author.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Lessness Lessness. [London: British Broadcasting System], 1971.

This scarce mimeographed script was prepared for the BBC radio reading of Lessness, which was broadcast on February 7, 1971, and which featured a stellar cast of British and Irish actors, including Donal Donnelly, Leonard Fenton, Denys Hawthorne, Patrick Magee, Harold Pinter, and Nicol Williamson. Samuel Beckett has inscribed the script at the top right to Joseph Gold.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Premier amour. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1970].

Number 95 of of 99 numbered copies. Beckett commenced writing this piece in 1946, at the time he was working on his first fictional pieces in French. It remained unpublished until after Beckett won the Nobel Prize in 1969. His publisher Jérôme Linden asked him to submit a new work for publication to take advantage of the expanded interest the Prize created for Beckett's work; instead he offered this earlier piece.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
First Love. London: Calder & Boyars, [1973].

First edition of Beckett's translation of Premier amour.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold

First Love and Other Shorts. New York: Grove Press, [1974].

This American edition collects the title work together with From an Abandoned Work, Enough, Imagination Dead Imagine, Ping, Not I, and Breath.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold

Not I

Not I is one of Beckett's most unusual dramatic productions. It's characters consist of a disembodied "Mouth" and a shadowy figure, "Auditor. Over a period of seventeen minutes, "Mouth" reviews her entire life at an extremely rapid, sometimes unintelligible, pace. Billie Whitelaw played "Mouth" in the original 1983 London production at the Royal Court Theatre.

a. Not I and Krapp's Last Tape. London: Royal Court Theatre, [ca. 1973].

This rehearsal script was prepared for the 1973 production of these plays at the Royal Court Theatre. It consists of twenty-three photoduplicated leaves bound into a red folder.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
Not I b. Not I. Faber & Faber, [1973].
First published edition of Not I. Samuel Beckett has inscribed this copy for Joseph Gold on the title page. In addition, he has made an autograph correction in ink on p. 11 of the text.

Gift of Sir Joseph Gold
c. Pas moi. Paris: Éditions de Minuit, [1975].
First edition of Beckett's translation of Not I into French. This copy is number 123 of 150 numbered copies.

Gift of the University of Delaware Library Associates
That Time

Samuel Beckett described his short play That Time as being in the Not I family. It includes a character "Listener," described as "Old white face" and three voices, "A," "B", and "C". That Time opened at the Royal Court Theatre in Spring 1976 as part of a season mounted to celebrate Samuel Beckett's seventieth birthday.

a. That Time. London: Royal Court Theatre, [1976?].

This rehearsal script was prepared for the original 1976 production at the Royal Court Theatre. It consists of nine photoduplicated leaves bound into a blue folder.
Gift of Sir Joseph Gold

That Time b. That Time. London: Faber and Faber, [1976].
First edition.
c. Cette fois. Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, [1978].

This is the first edition of Samuel Beckett's French translation of That Time. This copy is number 80 of an edition limited to 100 numbered copies.

Footfalls

Beckett wrote Footfalls shortly after That Time and it shares the latter play's autobiographical theme. It's two characters are "May" and "Voice," the latter of whom is May's mother. The pacing of May and the sound of her footfalls are an integral component of the play. Samuel Beckett wrote Footfalls for the actress Billie Whitelaw who performed this role in the original production at the Royal Court Theatre.

a. Footfalls. London: Royal Court Theatre, [1976?]
This rehearsal script was prepared for the original 1976 production at the Royal Court Theatre. The play was performed during a season mounted to celebrate Samuel Beckett's seventieth birthday. It consists of seven photoduplicated leaves bound into a black folder.
Footfalls b. Footfalls. London: Faber and Faber, [1976].
First edition.
c. Pas. Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, [1977].
This is the first edition of Samuel Beckett's French translation of Footfalls. This copy is number 75 of an edition limited to 100 numbered copies.
Nohow On; with six original etchings by Robert Ryman. [New York]: The Limited Editions Club, [1989].

This is number 449 of an edition of 550 copies signed by Samuel Beckett and Robert Ryman. This was probably the final collaboration between Beckett and a book artist before Beckett's death on December 22, 1989. The book was included in the important Museum of Modern Art exhibition, A Century of Artists Books (1995). The etching shown represents Ryman's interpretation of the following text which immediately follows:

"On it's yellowed face in barely legible ink two letters followed by a number. Tu 17. Or Th. Tu or Th 17. Otherwise blank. Otherwise empty."

Gift of the University of Delaware Library Associates

Introduction | Early Works | First Novels | Trilogy | Godot | After Godot
Endgame | Krapp's | Fizzles | Poetry
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