Edited Annotated James Hart Foreword (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. An important and surprisingly scarce memoir by one of the founders of narrative cinema. Compiled from David Wark Griffith's unfinished autobiographical manuscript and extensively edited and annotated by Louisville journalist James Hart, this volume chronicles Griffith's rise from struggling stage actor to pioneering motion picture director. Richly illustrated throughout with production stills, behind-the-scenes photographs, correspondence, and archival documents, the book offers firsthand commentary on landmark films including The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Broken Blossoms, Way Down East, and other silent-era classics. A foreword by Academy Award-winning director Frank Capra further underscores Griffith's enduring influence on cinematic storytelling, editing, close-ups, cross-cutting, and feature-length narrative filmmaking. This is a probable First Edition, First Printing published in 1972 by Touchstone Publishing Company. The copyright page bears only the 1972 copyright with no subsequent printings indicated, consistent with a first printing from this small regional publisher. The original unclipped dust jacket is present. Also included is the original Lynchburg College Book Store cash register receipt, dated April 22, 1976, providing an interesting piece of provenance documenting an early retail purchase. Condition: Near Fine (Book) / Very Good+ (Dust Jacket). The cream cloth boards remain clean and square with only light shelf wear and slight age toning near the extremities. Binding is firm and pages are clean with no ownership markings, inscriptions, bookplates, or remainder marks observed. The dust jacket is unclipped and complete, showing moderate age toning, scattered foxing (primarily to the white panels), light edge wear, and a small closed tear with associated crease at the upper rear panel/spine edge. No significant chips or losses. A vintage bookstore price sticker from Lynchburg College remains on the front panel. One of the more appealing features of this edition is James Hart's decision to reproduce portions of Griffith's original typescript alongside facsimile handwritten corrections and signatures, allowing readers to see the autobiography much as it existed in manuscript form. Combined with numerous archival photographs, correspondence, and documentary reproductions, the volume functions as both an autobiography and an important documentary record of early Hollywood. The foreword by Frank Capra further emphasizes Griffith's lasting influence on cinematic technique, despite the continuing scholarly debate surrounding his legacy.…