Great Times, Good Times: The Odyssey of Maurice Barrymore

Signed and inscribed by the author on front free endpaper. 538pp, some black and white photographic plates. Quarter bound in black cloth under black paper-covered boards, gilt titles on spine. 8vo. Rubbed spine ends. Text block edges tanning. Text block dropped, volume a little loose. Otherwise internally neat, clean and bright. Dust jacket tanning, has 2cm closed tear and crease, some shelf wear and chipping to edges, mirrors book damage, not price clipped.

Born in India, where his father was a surveyor working for the East India Company, Barrymore (1849-1905) was a prominent 19th century stage actor who was shot by notorious gunfight Jim Currie in 1879.  As a playwright, he later claimed that La Tosca was a plagarism of his work. Contraversial, and a vivid character, he became the founder of the leading actor family of Barrymore: he was father to Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore and John Barrymore (Drew Barrymore’s grandfather), through his marriage to Georgina Drew.