A Night to Remember: Illustrated Edition

New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976. Hardcover. Small 4to. Black cloth with silver spine lettering, pictorial dust jacket. 232pp. Extensive illustrations, pictorial endpapers. Fine/fine. Superbly tight and bright edition of this first thus, a highly-illustrated edition of Lord's 1955 account that sparked a renewed and ongoing interest (and a film version) of the famed disaster. This special copy bears a choice autograph addition: Tipped in facing the half-title page is a great content Typed Letter Signed from Lord, 1p, 5¼" X 6½", New York, NY, 31 July 1955. Addressed to Lord's long-time correspondent Arnold F. Gates (1914-93, noted Lincoln/Civil War scholar). Fine. On letterhead of "The Princeton Club" (Lord's alma), Lord first thanks Gates for his favorable review of the book he edited published in 1954, "The Fremantle Diary" (a new edition of Sir Arthur James Lyon Fremantle's 1863 "Three Months in the Southern States April-June, 1863 -- he was lieutenant-colonel with the Coldstream Guards). Most importantly, though, he goes on: "I am just finishing up another book, on the Titanic disaster this time, and my publisher has done everything but use whips to keep me at it. The result has meant postponing until now a lot of things I've long wanted to do." Turns out the publisher was right, for "A Night to Remember" became Lord's best-known book by a long shot. Finally, Gates (a founder of the New York Civil War Round Table and long-time officer) appears to have interested Lord in joining that group, for he concludes: "I certainly hope you will follow through on your offer to let me sit in on one of your New York meetings. Perhaps, if you have any spare time, I could entice you to my apartment. I think you would be interested in the collection of 47 prints I have that were printed in the Confederacy during the war." Boldly signed in full. A great copy of this title with exceptional content letter penned shortly before publication of this important title.