Five Finger Exercise.

SHAFFER, Peter.

$750.00

Item Number: 114579

London: Hamish Hamilton, 1958.

First edition of Shaffer’s classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, “Sir Peter Shaffer.” Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing. Jacket photograph by Angus McBean. A very nice example.

It follows a few days in the lives of the Harringtons, who are at war. While the husband and wife fight each other, the son and daughter are on the same path. Then, when a music teacher comes in, things begin to change, until other things start to threaten the peace. The play premièred at the Comedy Theatre in London's West End in February 1959, and opened at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on December 2, 1959 and closed October 1, 1960 after 337 performances. The young Juliet Mills, a teenager at the time, played the role of Pamela Harrington, and was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance. It was made into the 1962 film directed by Daniel Mann and produced by Frederick Brisson starring Rosalind Russell, Jack Hawkins, Richard Beymer, Maximilian Schell, and Annette Gorman.