TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC

New York: The Macmillan Company, 1949. First Edition. Hardcover. Some light spotting to the cloth. Very Good, lacking the dustwrapper, with a great inscription. Tenth printing of Michener's first book, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author to the actor who created the role of Capt. George Brackett in the original Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical: "To Martin Wolfson,/In a character that does/not appear in this book, you/catch the precise & wonderful/spirit of what I was trying to/do. I have been deeply impressed/by your art & your sympathetic/understanding. It's been great/fun knowing you & watching your/performances./Your admirer, /James A. Michener." Michener's inscription takes up most of the front endpaper, but just above it is another inscription to Wolfson that we surmise is by the actor William Tabbert who played Lieutenant Joe Cable in the original production and who shared several scenes with Wolfson: "To Martin/In appreciation of his/splendid performance which/added much strength and/reality to the whole production/from his friend/Bill." SOUTH PACIFIC, the musical, won its own Pulitzer Prize, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and nine Tony Awards. Its memorable hits include "Some Enchanted Evening," "Bali Ha'I,"There is Nothing Like a Dame," "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy," and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-a My Hair." It is rare to find copies of this book inscribed by Michener to original cast members of this historic American musical.