I couldn't resist. A new hardcover edition has been released of Moss Hart's autobiography, Act One, and I just ordered a copy from Amazon even though I already own several copies. My reason — and if you're the kind of person who comes often to this site, I think you'll get this — is that this particular book meant a lot to me. I got a copy (a first printing hardcover) when I was 13 or so and have since read it over and over…especially the second half. That copy started to get shabby and soiled so I eventually stopped handling it and, when I felt like giving one section a reread thereafter, went for a paperback reissue.
The words, of course, were the same but I had a sentimental attachment to that hardcover first printing. The new hardcover is a near-perfect replica of that original. Somehow, I think I'll enjoy rereading the book even more in that form. You understand.
Act One is not quite an autobiography since Hart died before he could write Act Two. Its first part covers his childhood and the days he spent as a social director in the Catskills, developing the wit and flair that would later serve him as one of Broadway's top writers and directors. The second part — of vastly more interest — tells how he wrote his first Broadway success…actually, co-wrote it with George S. Kaufman and then repeatedly rewrote it throughout out-of-town tryouts. Hart's account is apparently not completely accurate. He omitted a couple of earlier theatrical endeavors, at least one of which was actually produced, presumably to make himself appear more the novice when he teamed up with Kaufman. But the tale he relates is very colorful and funny and warm and wonderful, and a fine inspiration for anyone who aspires to write. Or to do almost anything where the odds are against you.
Naturally, I'm going to provide a link so you can order your own copy from Amazon. Here is that link. Use it in good health.