Into The Woods.

SONDHEIM, Stephen; James Lapine; Illustrated by Hudson Talbott.

Item Number: 130642

New York: Crown Publishers, 1989.

First edition of this classic work, basis for the Broadway musical and later film. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated throughout. Signed by all three contributors on the half-title page. Presentation copy, inscribed “For John- Stephen Sondheim.” Signed below by James Lapine. Signed with the following inscription by Talbott, “Once upon a time… in a far-off kingdom there lived… Safe travels- Hudson Talbott.” Talbott has added a large drawing. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. An exceptional example.

Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine and illustrated by Hudson Talbott. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from "Little Red Riding Hood", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Rapunzel", and "Cinderella", as well as several others. The musical is tied together by an original story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them, and their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey. The musical debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986 and premiered on Broadway on November 5, 1987, where it won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason). The film adaptation directed by Rob Marshall and starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski and Johnny Depp was released and received three Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations.