Signed Limited Edition: Our Town Signed by Thornton Wilder & Robert J. Lee

This entry highlights a masterpiece of American drama: a Signed Limited Edition of Our Town, dual-signed by three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author and playwright Thornton Wilder and acclaimed artist Robert J. Lee. Published in 1974 by The Limited Editions Club, this fine press volume presents Wilder’s seminal 1938 three-act play alongside original illustrations commissioned specifically for this edition, accompanied by an introduction by celebrated drama critic Brooks Atkinson.

First produced on Broadway in 1938, Our Town remains one of the most performed and enduring works in the American theatrical canon. Set in the fictional small town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, between 1901 and 1913, the play utilizes metatheatrical devices—guided by an omniscient Stage Manager—to explore the everyday lives, romances, and ultimate mortality of its citizens. Wilder's poignant depiction of ordinary human experience, life, and loss continues to resonate as a universal meditation on the transience of existence.

Designed by Adrian Wilson and printed on cream-white antique-finish Arak rag stock paper by The Meriden Gravure Company, the volume is bound in tactile tan corduroy cloth with an oval red leather spine label stamped in gold leaf. The book is housed in its original publisher's rust-orange cloth slipcase. On the colophon page preceding the rear endpaper, Thornton Wilder has signed his name in black ink alongside Robert J. Lee, who signed in terracotta ink above the hand-written limitation statement (copy number 514). The set includes the publisher's original monthly prospectus card. Preserved in fine condition, the volume exhibits tight binding, clean corduroy cloth, crisp interior pages, and a sturdy, well-preserved slipcase. Dual-signed by the legendary author and illustrator, this volume stands as a landmark acquisition for collections of fine press editions and classic American drama.

Edition & Special Presentation Specifications

• THE LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB SIGNED EDITION: Printed in 1974 by The Meriden Gravure Company for members of The Limited Editions Club, Avon, Connecticut; strictly limited to 2,000 copies.

• FINE PRESS DESIGN & CORDUROY BINDING: Designed by Adrian Wilson, set in Van Dyck type on Curtis Arak rag paper, and bound in textured tan corduroy with a gold-stamped red leather spine label.

• SLIPCASED WITH PROSPECTUS: Housed in the publisher’s original rust-colored cloth slipcase, complete with the original The Limited Editions Club announcement prospectus card.

Autograph Specifications & Provenance

• DUAL-SIGNED BY AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Hand-signed on the colophon page by author Thornton Wilder (in black ink) and illustrator Robert J. Lee (in terracotta ink).

• PUBLISHER-LIMITED PROVENANCE: Hand-numbered 514 of 2,000 on the colophon page, establishing direct Limited Editions Club provenance.