Seven Footprints To Satan

New York: Boni & Liveright, 1928. First Edition, First Printing. This copy belonged to the Fox Film Company in Hollywood and is stamped in red ink “Fox Studio Library” in seven places in the book including the front and rear endpapers. Beneath the stamp on the front pastedown there is handwritten in ink “(5-17-28)” indicating the date the book entered the studio library for consideration by the staff as a potential project for filming. First National Pictures beat Fox to buying the property and released their film version the next year in 1929 making it among the last silent motion pictures as sound pictures were then debuting and remaking the film world. The silent version of the film was released on January 27, 1929 while a version with added sound scenes was released on February 17, 1929. Directed by Benjamin Christensen. starring Thelma Todd and Creighton Hale. Remarkably the title cards in the film were written by Cornell Woolrich who went on become one of the world’s great mystery writers. The film was considered a lost film for decades until one remaining print was recently found in Italy. Hinges cracked, fraying to the cloth at extremities, a used and worn copy. An interesting association copy.