1612700 1967 Shakespeare
10427.
Fine
Hamlet. Peter O'Toole's annotated copy with extensive markup. 1967.
Duodecimo, 6x4.24 in. Original blue-ribbed cloth with profile stamped in bling on upper board. Spine lettered and decorated in gilt. Estate bookplate of Peter O’Toole to front pastedown. Numerous pencil edits throughout text. Light shelfwear.
Heavily marked-up copy belonging to British actor Peter O’Toole (1932-2013). O’Toole played Hamlet in two important English productions. His 1958 performance in the role at the Bristol Old Vic gave his friend Tom Stoppard the idea for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. His 1963 run at the Royal National Theatre was directed by Laurence Olivier from Shakespeare's uncut text resulting in a production that ran for almost five hours. Critics were skeptical that O'Toole whose recent work in Lawrence of Arabia had made him a movie star could play a convincing Hamlet, but reviews were ultimately positive. O’Toole told interviewers “If you want to know what it's like to be lonely, really lonely, try playing Hamlet“. The text of this 1967 printing of Hamlet has been vigorously edited to produce a much tighter play, a project O'Toole would have had ample opportunity to contemplate during his Royal National Theatre run. A gift from Heather O’Donnell and Honey and Wax Books Christmas 2023.