Familiar Chats with Queens of the Stage

New York: G. W. Dillingham, Publisher, 1890. First Edition. Boards. Good. First Edition. viii, [9]-399 pages. 4to. 8 x 9 1/4 inches. Three quarter leather over marbled boards. Page edges and endpapers also marbled. Leather binding rubbed at the extremities, and drying. Front joint started lower few inches. Still a readable copy as long as care is taken to support the spine. With 28 illustrations (all present), most small vignettes in the text, but some presented as full page illustrations, often after photographs. Boards. Often harshly viewed for his critical views of those in the theater, this book is quite interesting to read. Fans of celebrity interviews will relate to this 19th century equivalent. Lacking the visual presentation of television, Dale paints the canvas of personality either outright, or illuminated by some described event. Dale will comment on the appearance of the actress, their energy, his overall impression, and supplements with quotes throughout. Whether these are accurate portraits or not I leave to those with a more thorough knowledge of the time and the characters portrayed. For characters they are!

COHEN, ALFRED J. (better known under the nom de plume of Alan Dale). American dramatic critic; born May 14, 1861, at Birmingham, England, where he attended King Edward's School. Then followed three years' study of dramatic art in Paris, after which (1887) Dale went to New York and began his journalistic career on the "Evening World." The independence, brightness, and acerbity of his criticisms soon attracted attention, and made him the most feared dramatic critic in the American metropolis. In 1895 he joined the "Journal," and increased the scope of his work by a broader and more liberal view of things theatrical—a change brought about by experience. (Jewish Encyclopedia online)

While well represented in institutions, this book is less common in the trade.