In Defence of Hanslick (Signed and Inscribed)

First edition114pp.  In brown cloth-covered boards, titles on spine.  Signed and inscribed on the front free endpaper by Stewart Deas, ‘To Clifford Curzon, to commemorate the thrill of a great performance, Stewart Deas’.  Clifford Curzon is likely the English classical pianist, knighted for services to music in 1960.Slim 8vo.  Cloth a little rounded at spine tips, slightly rubbed on corners.   Small bookseller’s ticked on front paste down else internally neat, clean, bright and tight.  In its original matte dust wrapper, faded, a little rubbed at edges, price clipped, sunned over spine.

Deas, a music critic, re-evaluates the 19th century Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick, demuring from Wagner’s view that he was no more than a pettifogging prototype for Beckmesser.