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Estimate: $ 400 - $ 600
Hansberry, Lorraine (1930-1965) A Raisin in the Sun.
New York: Random House, 1959.
First edition, first printing, octavo; illustrated with three black-and-white photographs; bound in cloth-backed boards with a photo of Sydney Poitier mounted to front, stamped in black and gilt, yellow topstain; in the original publisher's pictorial jacket, unclipped and with "6/59" on the front flap (jacket toned at spine and top edge, small chips, minor closed tears, lightly soiled; spine darkened, area of toning to front endpapers); 8 x 5 1/4 in.
Hansberry's first play, a powerful portrayal of a family in pursuit of a dream deferred, made its Broadway debut in the Spring of 1959. Not only is it the first play written by a Black woman to be performed on Broadway, but the cast featuring Sydney Poitier and Ruby Dee was the first to include almost exclusively Black actors. Despite the controversy surrounding the subject matter and cast in 1950s America, the play's opening night ended with Hansberry being pulled on stage by Poitier, where she received an extended standing ovation. Raisin in the Sun was met with high critical acclaim and went on to run for more than 500 performances at New York's legendary Ethel Barrymore Theater.
