Signed Limited Edition: A Streetcar Named Desire Signed by Al Hirschfeld

This entry features a fine press masterpiece of American theater: a Signed Limited Edition of Tennessee Williams’ landmark play, A Streetcar Named Desire, hand-signed by legendary caricaturist and illustrator Al Hirschfeld. Published in 1982 by The Limited Editions Club, this deluxe edition pairs Williams’ Pulitzer Prize–winning drama with Hirschfeld’s iconic line drawings, capturing the raw intensity and theatrical spirit of the seminal work.

First produced on Broadway in 1947, A Streetcar Named Desire stands as one of the paramount achievements of 20th-century drama. Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the play chronicles the tragic clash between fragile Southern belle Blanche DuBois and her rough, uncompromising brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. Hirschfeld’s distinctive caricatures—masterfully engraved and printed for this release—immortalize the psychological tension and dramatic presence of the play's classic characters.

Designed by Gabriel Rummonds of the Plain Wrapper Press in Verona, Italy, the book is quarter-bound in supple rose leather over patterned fabric-covered boards featuring "Checquered Lady," a hand-screened Italian fabric imported by Clarence House. The text was set in Monotype New Times Roman by Mackenzie-Harris and printed letterpress on 100-pound Mohawk Mills wove paper, accompanied by an original frontispiece lithograph printed on Rives paper. Housed in its original charcoal cloth slipcase, the edition includes The Monthly Letter of The Limited Editions Club prospectus insert (Number 531, February 1982). On the colophon page, Al Hirschfeld has signed his name in pencil above the hand-written limitation statement (1698). The volume remains in fine condition, with vibrant cloth boards, a pristine leather spine with sharp gold lettering, clean interior plates, and a tight, undamaged slipcase. Signed by America's most celebrated theatrical artist, this fine press volume is a cornerstone piece for collectors of modern American drama, fine printing, and 20th-century illustration.

Edition & Special Presentation Specifications

• THE LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB SIGNED EDITION: Published in 1982 by The Limited Editions Club; strictly limited to 2,000 numbered copies.

• FINE PRESS DESIGN & FABRIC BINDING: Quarter-bound in genuine rose leather with gold-stamped spine lettering, covered in imported hand-screened Italian fabric, and printed on heavy Mohawk Mills wove paper.

• SLIPCASED WITH PROSPECTUS: Housed in the publisher's dark grey cloth slipcase and accompanied by the original February 1982 The Monthly Letter of The Limited Editions Club insert.

Autograph Specifications & Provenance

• HAND-SIGNED BY AL HIRSCHFELD: Signed in pencil directly on the printer's colophon page by master illustrator Al Hirschfeld.

• PUBLISHER-LIMITED PROVENANCE: Hand-numbered 1698 of 2,000 on the colophon page, establishing direct Limited Editions Club provenance.