Description
First edition of Lincoln Steffens Speaking, from the library of Hollywood actress and communist sympathizer, Dorothy Comingore.
Octavo, xii, 315pp. Black cloth, title stamped in silver. Stated “first edition” on the copyright page. Light wear to cloth, rubbing to spine, toning to leaves. Solid text block. In the publisher’s dust jacket, $2.50 on front flap, chipping to edges, some loss along top edge of front panel, a good example. Signed on the front free endpaper by Dorothy Comingore.
Dorothy Comingore (1913-1971) was the breakout star of Citizen Kane, the critically acclaimed film by Orson Welles. As her fame grew, so did the FBI’s attention to her suspected communist activities. In 1952 she declined to answer questions when called in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), resulting in her being blacklisted from Hollywood. She never worked in Hollywood again and struggled with alcoholism in her later years.
