Florida Americana,

Anderson, Maxwell (1888–1959)

Key Largo [Film Noir Source] [Florida Interest] [1939]

Washington, D.C. Anderson House, 1939. First Edition, First Printing.
The essential literary foundation for one of the most iconic films in the Noir canon. 

While Maxwell Anderson wrote the play in blank verse, focusing on the moral crisis of a Spanish Civil War veteran (later changed to WWII for the screen), its atmospheric setting on the Florida keys during a hurricane provided the perfect claustrophobic pressure cooker for Hollywood. 

This first printing, issued by the author's own publishing house, is a scarce survival of a major modernist play that successfully bridged the gap between the Broadway stage and the cinematic shadows of John Huston.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
+++ Binding: Original dark gray cloth with stamped dark red lettering on the spine and front cover; illustrated endpapers.
+++ Dust Jacket: Wrap-around jacket design; correctly issued 1/8 inch taller than the book itself. Price of $2.50 intact.
+++ Imprint: Anderson House, Washington, D.C. 1939 [First Edition, First Printing].
+++ Specs: Octavo; 7.9 inches tall; [vi], 125, [1] pages.

CONDITION: Near Fine / Very Good. The bindings are tight and square with minimal shelf handling. Internally clean with light, even age-toning. The dust jacket shows even toning with darkening to the spine and moderate age-soiling. Minor closed tears on the upper front and lower rear edges; tiny loss at the top of the spine. Now protected in a clear Mylar sleeve. A remarkably well-preserved specimen of a jacket that is notorious for its fragility and height-mismatch wear.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Cinematic Origins: The primary source for the 1948 Oscar-winning film starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Edward G. Robinson.
+++ The Florida Gothic: Utilizes the isolation of the Florida Keys and the impending threat of a hurricane as a metaphor for the internal psychological storm of the protagonist.
+++ Verse Drama: Represents Anderson’s ambitious attempt to restore the tradition of poetic verse to the modern American stage, a technique that adds a haunting, rhythmic quality to the dialogue.
+++ Noir Themes: Explores the classic noir archetypes of the weary veteran, the encroaching underworld (personified by Johnny Rocco), and the impossible moral choice.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
Key Largo occupies a unique place in Florida's cultural history. It helped codify the Keys in the American imagination as a place of refuge, danger, and tropical isolation. For the film collector, this 1939 volume is the incunable of the Bogart-Bacall legacy. In the marketplace, first editions of this title are increasingly difficult to locate in collectible condition, as the oversized jacket was prone to severe chipping and edge-wear.

RESEARCH SUMMARY
This is a High-Spot for Film Noir and Florida Regionalism.
+++ The Jacket Height Issue: Because the jacket was manufactured slightly taller than the boards, almost all extant copies have crumpled or torn spine heads. This specimen, with only a tiny loss, is a significant technical upgrade.
+++ Small Press Pedigree: Anderson House was a niche, family-run imprint. Print runs were modest compared to major New York houses, contributing to the title's scarcity.

Subjects: Key Largo, Florida Keys, Film Noir, John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, Maxwell Anderson, Verse Drama, Hurricane Literature, Modern Drama, Film Source Material, Florida Americana, First Editions.

References: Hirsch 150; Johnson v1 8.

Item #21667

Price: $165.00