THREE SCREENPLAYS: DANIEL, RAGTIME, LOON LAKE

Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 464 pages. Collection of screenplays. One of E. L. Doctorow's finest and most underrated achievements. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the Softcover Edition. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only by a University Press. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents E. L. Doctorow's "Three Screenplays: Daniel, Ragtime, Loon Lake". Doctorow's achievement as a playwright and screenwriter, finally recognized. "Adapting novels for movies is a tricky and often thankless endeavor. Because Doctorow is profoundly intrigued with film's seductiveness, he has performed this task to fine effect. Here are the screenplays for 'Daniel' (produced in 1983 under the direction of Sidney Lumet), 'Ragtime', a magnificent adaptation that perfectly mirrors the panoramic novel, but was never made (a much shorter screenplay was commissioned for the Milos Forman film), and 'Loon Lake', which has yet to be produced. Doctorow's remarks, meticulous commentary by Film and American Literature Professor Paul Levine, and Interviews with Doctorow and Lumet coalesce to form a provocative inquiry into the process of artistic alchemy that attempts the nearly impossible: The translation of fiction into film" (Booklist). "History is the present. That's why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its end product, myth. So to be irreverent to myth, to play with it, let in some light and air, to try to combust it back into history, is to risk being seen as someone who distorts truth" (E. L. Doctorow). An absolute "must-have" title for E. L. Doctorow collectors. This title is a great collection. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. Winner of the very first National Book Critics Circle Award in 1976 for "Ragtime". Winner of the National Book Award in 1986 for "World's Fair". Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Winner of the PEN/Faulkner, and a second National Book Critics Circle Award in 2006 for "The March". One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER E. L. DOCTOROW TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0801872014.