ANNA CHRISTIE: With Twelve Illustrations by Alexander King.

First edition, signed limited edition. The illustrator's copy, with the addition of a loosely laid in original ink and watercolour illustration on thick watercolour paper. Bound for King in full burgundy leather (now restored), tan leather label lettered in gilt to the spine. Facsimile of author's signature stamped in gilt to the upper panel. Housed in a fleece-lined custom made box with marbled boards, quarter-bound in black leather with a red label lettered in gilt to the spine. With 12 illustrations in shades of blue. Printed on laid paper, pages rough-cut with many pages remaining uncut. A near-fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents clean and without inscriptions or stamps. Light toning to page edges, spreading a little to the margins of the endpapers. A unique association copy.

A special edition of O'Neill's 1922 Pulitzer Prize winning play. 775 copies were printed, 750 of which were for sale, this copy is stamped no. 316 and signed in black ink by Eugene O'Neill to the limitation page. The loosely laid in original Alexander King illustration (24 x 18 cm) is not one of the twelve reproduced in the book. It is clearly a companion to the portrait facing p. 59 (of Chris Christopherson, one of the play's characters), with the same face seen from a different angle. In the top left corner, King has neatly inscribed, in black ink, "by Alexander King / for Alexander King". Loosely laid in is a note from the New York bookseller, Glenn Horowitz, explaining that this copy was the illustrator's personal copy, and was "purchased from his library [...]. The restoration to the binding was done by Carol Joyce of New York City. The full burgundy leather binding was typical of the binding[s] King put on many of his books". The Austrian-born King enjoyed a long and varied career as an author, illustrator and editor associated with periodicals including 'The Big Stick', 'Call', 'Americana', 'Stage' and 'Vanity Fair'. In later years, he became known as a regular contributor to the 'The Tonight Show' during the years when it was hosted by Jack Paar. (Atkinson A 21-IV-1).