The Mummers' Play, by the late R J E Tiddy, with a Memoir
1923, a rare first edition, this copy signed by actor Marius Goring
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
First edition, first printing. Hardback, black cloth with paper label to spine. 23 × 15cm, 257pp.
This copy was owned by English actor Marius Goring with his pencil signature to the ffep.
A rare book on English folk plays. The author, Reginald Tiddy, was born in Margate in 1880, and educated at Tonbridge School and Oxford (he was friends with E M Forster who was at Tonbridge at the same time, and it is believed Howards End's Tibby was named after him). He became a lecturer at Oxford where he became interested in the English Folk Dance Society and founded an Oxford branch (known as the Dancing Dons) and together with George Butterworth, he was a member of Cecil Sharp’s English Folk Dance Society Demonstration Team.
His particular interest was Mummers Play, and he travelled the villages of England recording oral recitations of the plays. By the time of his death in 1916, he had collected 33, and his records were published by his friends in this book. He was killed when hit by a stray shell on the Somme whilst searching for wounded men.
This book contains a memoir of R J E Tiddy including some of his correspondence from the front, followed by Tiddy's writings on the origin and form Mummer's Play, then the collection of plays themselves: Belfast, Camborne, Cornwall, Bovey Tracey, North Somerset, Cinderford, Weston sub Edge, Hardwick, Sapperton, Icomb, Longborough, Burghclere, Burlesdon, Overton, Cocking, Ovingdean, Waterstock, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Leafield, Cuddesdon, Lower Heyford, Badby, Pillerton, Ilmington, Great Wolford, Malvern, Heptonstall, Bulby, Clayworth, Kempsford, and Kirmington. The book is illustrated with a frontispiece and two plates, one showing Tiddy in uniform, the other showing the Sword Dance at Stratford-upon-Avon.
Condition
This copy is in very good condition. There is surface wear to the paper title label to the spine but the boards have minimal rubbing and bumping. The inner binding is sound, the pages clean bar some age-related toning to the pastedowns and endpapers. A very good solid copy.
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Price
£250.00
