A Farewell to Arms [First Printing]

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929. Intriguing provenance featured with this first edition. A true first printing with Scribner colophon at copyright page with no additional printings stated, and no disclaimer verso dedication page. Smooth, coated black cloth boards, gold cover and spine labels stamped in black ink, moderate cover, corner wear, rub, discoloration. Cover labels fairly bright; some chip to spine label. Deckled pages very good; moderate discoloration to exterior text block. Bind good, square; hinges intact. Large owner's bookplate designed by "Carlyle" at front pastedown portrays intiguing erotic design of black dancer: "Ex Libris, Leonard Sillman". Sillman was a major twentieth-century Broadway producer. Sillman was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 9, 1908 and was the brother of June Carroll, the brother-in-law of Sidney Carroll and the uncle of Steve Reich and Jonathan Carroll. He produced a series of musical revues, Leonard Sillman's New Faces. These iconic shows introduced major stars to Broadway audiences including Eartha Kitt, Inga Swenson, John Lund, Van Johnson, Carol Lawrence, Madeline Kahn, Paul Lynde and Maggie Smith. New Faces revues were produced in 1934, 1936 (made into the film New Faces of 1937), 1943, 1952 (made into the film New Faces), 1956, 1962 and 1968. The first New Faces of 1934 featured such actors as Henry Fonda, Imogene Coca and Frances Dewey Wormser. Presented in facsimile of first state Cleon dust jacket w/Catherine Barkley misspelled as Katharine Barclay; protected in new clear sleeve. Wrapper art and design by Cleonike "Cleon" Damianakes, an illustrator and etcher who designed some of the most iconic jackets of the era. Good true first edition with an intriguing association in fine facsimile wrapper. Ernest Hemingway's third full-length novel following The Torrents of Spring and The Sun Also Rises. Near good true first edition with unique and intriguing provenance preserved in fine facsimile of original wrapper. The story recounts the romance between Frederic Henry, an American soldier, and Catherine Barkley, a British nurse. Heavily autobiographical, the plot was directly inspired by Hemingway's relationship with Agnes von Kurowsky in Milan. Catherine's parturition (childbirth) was inspired by the intense labor pains of Pauline in the birth of Patrick - Ernest' second wife and second son - and the real-life Kitty Cannell inspired the fictional Helen Ferguson. The priest was based on Don Giuseppe Bianchi, the priest of the 69th and 70th regiments of the Brigata Ancona. 355 pages. Insured post.. First Edition. Hardcover. Good/Fine. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Book.