MY HEART BELONGS

New York: William Morrow. Near Fine in Very Good dust jacket. 1976. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. Autograph; Contents clean and secure in original binding in very good dustjacket with minor creases on inner flaps. Inscribed and SIGNED in red marker by Mary Martin on the halftitle: "August 22nd, 1977 / To / Roger and Christine / Thank you for / bringing me back to / the Theater in a play - / that I love so very / much! -- Another 'Circle' / begins with joy and Love, / Mary" After about a week of conversations with Roger Stevens,of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Mary Martin agreed to appear there with Anthony Quayle in “Old World.” The play is by Aleksei Arbuzov and was translated from Russian by Ariadne Nicolaeff. Edward Sherin will be the director. “Old World” was written in 1975, although it takes place on the Riga coast in 1968. It has one song which Miss Martin sang. “Old World” opened in Washington the week of Aug. 15, and ran until Sept. 24. This book is a behind the scenes view of the private life & vibrant career of the actress who appeared on Broadway from childhood through her late years and in numerous major films and musicals during her career. Mary Martin will forever be linked with Peter Pan for her endearing portrayal of the character. An important biography and a significant theater and Hollywood film history. PROVENANCE: Roger Lacey Stevens (1910 – 1998) was an American theatrical producer, arts administrator, and real estate executive. He was the founding Chairman of both the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (1961) and the National Endowment for the Arts (1965). In politics, he made a mark as chairman of the Democratic Party's finance committee in 1956. He produced more than 100 plays and musicals over his career, including West Side Story, Bus Stop, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In 1971, he received Special Tony Award for his body of work. He became known for introducing plays by such adventurous writers as Harold Pinter, Arthur Kopit and Tom Stoppard. Stevens was the General Administrator of the Actors Studio as well as one of the producers of the Playwrights Company, a member of the board of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA), and one of the members of a Broadway producing company he founded in 1953 with Robert Whitehead and Robert Dowling. In 1961, he was asked by President John F. Kennedy to help establish a National Cultural Center, and became Chairman of Board of Trustees of what was eventually named the Kennedy Center from 1961 to 1988. In 1965, he received an appointment from President Lyndon Johnson as first Chairman of the National Council on the Arts later named the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1986, Stevens was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. On January 13, 1988, Stevens was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. In 1988, he was also awarded the National Medal of Arts. ; Signed by Author .