First edition, second printing. Signed and inscribed by Fritz Kreisler on the front free endpaper, dated October 1951. xx, 456pp, plus a few black and white plate illustrations. In black cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering on spine. 8vo. Cloth is gently pushed at spine ends, very slightly rubbed on corners, with a mild stain affecting the top fifth of the backstrip. Text block edges a tad evenly toned. Hint of toning on endpapers else internally neat, clean, bright and tight.
The first biography of composer Fritz Kreisler, one of the most glamorous figures in musical history. A child prodigy, he could read music before he mastered the alphabet and made fantastically triumphal tours across Europe and America and beyond. He shook the music world when he confessed, later in life, to hoax played for over 30 years by acribing many of his most popular works to early composers.
