The Greatest Gift.

Name: The Greatest Gift.
Brand: STERN, Philip Van Doren.
SKU: 106663
Price: 16434.00 USD
Availability: InStock

A Christmas Tale.

Stock Code 106663

New York, Privately printed for the author, 1943

$16,434 USD

Sale Sold

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It is, indeed, a wonderful life. The story goes, Stern was in a New York department store, waiting in line to pay for some Christmas presents, when the story of The Greatest Gift came to him complete and all at once. He went home, wrote it up and had 200 copies printed for use as his Christmas card for 1943. It was noticed and subsequently issued commercially the year after. Its fame, however is due to the film that was made, based upon this story. The film was, of course, It's A Wonderful Life.

Truly one of the scarcest filmed books and a classic piece of modern Americana.

First edition, sole printing; one of 200 signed copies privately printed for the author and distributed by him as a Christmas card; presentation copy inscribed by the author; 8vo; single gathering, wire stitched into the original tan wrappers, cream paper title label to front wrapper printed in black. Tiny loss at one corner, light crease to another, professionally repaired at fold. A very decent copy of a rare and vulnerable book.

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Shapero Rare Books is an internationally renowned dealer in antiquarian & rare books and works on paper.

Our Bookshop and Gallery can be found in the heart of Mayfair at 94 New Bond Street, where most of our stock is available to view and on public display.

We exhibit at major international art fairs, including TEFAF (Maastricht and New York), Frieze Masters, Art Miami and Masterpiece London, as well as antiquarian & rare book fairs including New York, Paris, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hong Kong.

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