Joseph Hays — The Desperate Hours

New York, Random House, 1955. First edition. Cloth. The first edition of a melodrama about a home invasion with convicts, with its Broadway run starring Paul Newman. The first edition of the Desperate Hours, a melodrama involving a family home invaded by escaped convicts, written by American playwright and novelist Joseph Hayes, adapted from the 1954 novel of the same name. In the publisher's original pictorial cloth, with a titular folding frontispiece, and four other illustrated plates. Collated complete. Partially inspired by a real-life home invasion in Philadelphia in 1952, the Desperate Hours was praised for its tension and included Hollywood stars Paul Newman, Karl Malden and Nancy Coleman in its cast. Despite only being staged on Broadway once, it receieved numerous awards, including two Tonys.  From the theatrical collection of Clive Hirschhorn, theatre critic for the Sunday Express from 1966 to 1993. Known for his witty and thorough reviews, features and interviews, Hirschhorn also authored several works on the film industry, including his critically acclaimed biographies of Hollywood stars, Gene Kelly and James Mason.  A renowned book collector, the majority of works from Hirschhorn"s incredible library of theatre-related material have a characteristic pencil inscription with his date of acquisition to the upper corner of the paste down. In the publisher's original pictorial cloth, in the original unclipped dust wrapper. Externally, smart, with minor fading to spine, and slight bumping to the head and tail, and to the extremites. Dust wrapper is mostly bright and clean, with browning to wrapper spine, and to top rear wrapper extremities, with minor sunning. End papers are generally bright and clean with faint offsetting to hinges. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: Unknown [Talbot]. Very Good Indeed/Very Good.