ROADSIDE
NY: Samuel French, 1930. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Sparkling copy of a comedy written by the first playwright of Native American heritage (1/8 Cherokee on his mother's side) to have plays produced on Broadway, and generally regarded as the first Native American dramatist. A native of Oklahoma, the stories he heard told as a youth were the basis for his play GREEN GROW THE LILACS (produced the year after ROADSIDE) on which Oscar and Hammerstein based the landmark musical OKLAHOMA! in 1943. Inscribed in black ink on the ffe: "For Charles- / who got me through/ Russet Mantle and/ back to the Roadside/ (where I belong) - / Regards, / Lynn/ New York/ Jan 21, 1936". Of the over 15 plays Riggs wrote (plus poetry and numerous Hoillywood screenplays), Russet Mantle was staged 6 years after Roadside, in 1936, the year of the inscription, which reveals clearly Riggs' preference for the earlier work of the two. Near fine book in like dustjacket. Scarce, seldom found signed. Near Fine / Near Fine. Item #011172
Price: $750.00