State Fair

New York: The Literary Guild of America, 1932. Hardcover. 8vo. Red cloth with silver lettering and medallion, pictorial dust jacket. v, 266pp. Pictorial endpapers. Fine/very good. Jacket faintly edgeworn (mainly at spine head/tail). Handsome reprint edition of this bestseller, a coming-of-age tale involving an Iowa farm family's visit to the Iowa State Fair -- kept popular over many decades by four film versions! This unique copy bears five autograph additions from actors that appeared in each of these film versions. First of all is a one-of-a-kind frontispiece in the form of a 6½" X 4½" book photograph, a well-known still scene from the 1945 film version showing Dana Andrews and Jeanne Crain hugging alongside a billboard; in a light area at lower left DANA ANDREWS (1909-92), who portrays Pat Gilbert, boldly pens "Yours Truly / Dana Andrews" in black fineline. Fine. On the half-title page is tipped an irregular-shaped, roughly rectangular 4½" X 5½" slip boldly inscribed and signed large and bold in red ballpoint by star of the 1962 film version, PAT BOONE (born 1934), who portrays Wayne Frake: "To Donald Burnell / with all good / wishes -- / Your friend / Pat Boone." Very good. Oddly trimmed, with small tape stain at each corner. On the blank flyleaf facing this are two signatures: At bottom is another star of the 1962 version, pop singer of "Mack the Knife" fame BOBBY DARIN (1936-73), who portrays Jerry Dundee; he pens "Best to you / Bobby / Darin" hastily and sloppily in blue ballpoint on an irregularly-shaped, approximately triangular-shaped 2" X 3½" slip. Good plus. Weirdly trimmed, with three tape stains. Above this is a star of the earliest (1933) film version: On a 4" X 4" slip, LEW AYRES (1908-96), who portrays Pat Gilbert, signs large and bold in black fineline. Lastly, on the pictorial front flyleaf a star of the 1976 made-for-t.v. film appears: VERA MILES (born 1929), who portrays Melissa Bryant, boldly signs in blue fineline a heavy stock 5" X 3" card, dating it 21 April 1994 at upper right. Laid in are Miles original transmittal envelope as well as the May 1932 issue (Volume 6, Number 5) of "Wings," the Literary Guild's 26pp small 8vo monthly promotional magazine, here with an article by Stong. An exceptionally nice and bright copy of this reprint edition -- issued within months of the first edition -- extra-illustrated with autograph additions from stars of all four of the film versions -- most unusual.