Signed Limited Edition: Selected Plays Hand-Signed by Tennessee Williams

This entry highlights an exquisite fine binding edition from a premier 20th-century American dramatist: a Signed Limited First Edition of Selected Plays hand-signed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams. Published in 1978 by The Franklin Library as part of its celebrated Signed Limited Editions series, this volume gathers several of Williams's most monumental theatrical works into a luxurious, archival binding.

Widely acknowledged alongside Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller as one of the titans of modern drama, Williams transformed the American theater through his poetic realism, psychological depth, and haunting portrayals of human vulnerability, desire, and Southern gothic decay. This volume includes iconic masterpieces such as The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Night of the Iguana—plays that redefined 20th-century performance and earned Williams international acclaim, including two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama.

Bound in full rich brown leather, the covers and raised-hub spine feature elaborate 22-karat gold-stamped borders and ornamental flourishes. The text block is printed on archival acid-neutral paper with all-gilded page edges, moiré fabric endpapers, and a sewn-in satin ribbon bookmark. On an unnumbered prelim page preceding the title page, Tennessee Williams has inscribed a pristine, bold signature in bright blue ink ("Tennessee Williams"). Complete with the publisher’s original laid-in "Notes from the Editors" booklet, this fine-condition volume shows no shelfwear or gilding loss, representing an indispensable centerpiece for serious collectors of fine bindings and modern drama.

Edition & Special Presentation Specifications

• FRANKLIN LIBRARY SIGNED LIMITED EDITION: Published in 1978 by The Franklin Library, Franklin Center, Pennsylvania.

• FULL LEATHER FINE BINDING: Bound in full brown leather with elaborate 22kt gold ornamentation, raised spine hubs, moiré endpapers, and all-gilded edges.

• ACCOMPANIED BY PUBLISHER'S EPHEMERA: Includes the original, laid-in "Notes from the Editors" booklet detailing Williams's legacy and theatrical career.

Autograph Specifications & Provenance

• HAND-SIGNED BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS: Authentically signed by Tennessee Williams in blue ink across a designated blank preliminary leaf ("Tennessee Williams").

• LIMITED EDITION GUARANTEE: Signature executed exclusively for subscribers of The Franklin Library Signed Limited Editions collection, backed by publisher provenance.