The Theatre of Science: A Volume of Progress and Achievement in the Motion Picture Art ["Autographed Edition," signed by the author]

New York/London/Paris: Broadway Publishing Company. Fair. 1914. First Edition. Hardcover. (no dust jacket, as issued) [well-worn copy, both hinges cracked, extensive edgewear to covers, spine lettering completely rubbed away, etc.; should be considered a research/reference copy only, not in collectable condition; previous owner's pencil signature at top of limitation page]. (B&W plates) SIGNED by the author with generic inscription ("Always Yours") on a limitation page following the title page. A comprehensive history of the movies through mid-1914, at a time when feature films were just getting a foothold in the marketplace (D.W. Griffith's THE BIRTH OF A NATION was in production at the time). The author's Prefatory Note gives a good sense of how rapidly the cinema was developing, as both business and art: although his original intention, he writes, was to survey "every phase of public entertaining of a scientific order, such as the phonograph, the player piano, the organ orchestra, and kindred productions of a mechanical age," once the "dollar photoplay" had arrived, with "eleven of New York's high-grade playhouses [now] in the camera man's possession," he was persuaded to devote the entire book to the movies. And even at that, he concedes that "a single volume has been found wholly inadequate to present a fair appraisal of the influence on mankind of this new art in the second decade of the twentieth century." (This is copy no. 1040 of a stated edition of 3,000.) ****NOTE that additional postage charges will be assessed for international shipping of this heavy volume; if this concerns you, please contact us for a shipping quote before placing your order.**** Signed by Author .