Callas : As They Saw Her by David A. Lowe
Callas: As They Saw Her (First Edition Collectible Copy)
The Definitive Critical and Biographical Anthology Profiling the Musical Genius of La Divina
The Definitive Critical and Biographical Anthology Profiling the Musical Genius of La Divina
Bibliographic Specifications
• Title: Callas: As They Saw Her
• Author: David A. Lowe
• Publisher: Robson Books Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 1987
• ISBN-10: 0860514112
• ISBN-13: 9780860514114
• Edition Details: First British Edition, First Printing. Hardcover Release.
• Binding: Original publisher's premium cloth boards featuring brilliant metallic foil-stamped lettering across the spine, structurally balanced by strong, heavy-gauge contemporary endpapers.
• Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 280 pages. Enriched with central monochrome photographic sections containing rare performance stills, candid backstage portraits, and historical operational opera reviews.
• Language: English
• Title: Callas: As They Saw Her
• Author: David A. Lowe
• Publisher: Robson Books Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 1987
• ISBN-10: 0860514112
• ISBN-13: 9780860514114
• Edition Details: First British Edition, First Printing. Hardcover Release.
• Binding: Original publisher's premium cloth boards featuring brilliant metallic foil-stamped lettering across the spine, structurally balanced by strong, heavy-gauge contemporary endpapers.
• Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 280 pages. Enriched with central monochrome photographic sections containing rare performance stills, candid backstage portraits, and historical operational opera reviews.
• Language: English
Official Condition Report
• The Book: Used – Very Good (VG)
o Exterior / Boards: The cloth-covered boards are exceptionally clean, flat, and structurally sound. The geometric corner tips and linear edges remain square and firm. The spine is completely straight, sturdy, uncreased, and undamaged, keeping its tight original retail structural integrity.
o Interior: The inner text block is tight, crisp, and flawlessly secured. All 280 interior pages and historical photographic layouts are clean, white, and completely free of handwritten ink inscriptions, text highlighting, or dog-ears.
o Protection: Professionally housed and safeguarded inside an archival-grade clear Cellophane sleeve to insulate the cloth panels from environmental dust and handling friction.
• The Dust Jacket: Used – Very Good (VG)
o Condition: Fully present and enclosed within the protective Cellophane wrap. The jacket exhibits only minor, limited signs of standard storage shelf-wear and light micro-creasing along the extreme peripheral margins. The graphic cover remains bright, complete, unclipped, and highly presentable.
• The Book: Used – Very Good (VG)
o Exterior / Boards: The cloth-covered boards are exceptionally clean, flat, and structurally sound. The geometric corner tips and linear edges remain square and firm. The spine is completely straight, sturdy, uncreased, and undamaged, keeping its tight original retail structural integrity.
o Interior: The inner text block is tight, crisp, and flawlessly secured. All 280 interior pages and historical photographic layouts are clean, white, and completely free of handwritten ink inscriptions, text highlighting, or dog-ears.
o Protection: Professionally housed and safeguarded inside an archival-grade clear Cellophane sleeve to insulate the cloth panels from environmental dust and handling friction.
• The Dust Jacket: Used – Very Good (VG)
o Condition: Fully present and enclosed within the protective Cellophane wrap. The jacket exhibits only minor, limited signs of standard storage shelf-wear and light micro-creasing along the extreme peripheral margins. The graphic cover remains bright, complete, unclipped, and highly presentable.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1987 by Robson Books Ltd, David A. Lowe's Callas: As They Saw Her stands as an invaluable, multi-dimensional critical anthology dedicated to Maria Callas, arguably the most influential soprano of the 20th century. Rather than relying on standard biographical retellings, Lowe expertly gathers a rich collection of rare memoir excerpts, print interviews, and profound personal reminiscences from Callas's closest artistic contemporaries. The text contrasts the raw perspectives of legendary conductors, directors, and singers—such as Tito Gobbi, Luchino Visconti, and Leonard Bernstein—with the fierce analytical accounts of the era's top music critics. The result is an uncompromised historical record that unmasks the real woman behind the "La Divina" legend, exploring her radical vocal technique, her absolute theatrical devotion, and the shifting off-stage relationships that captivated global headlines.
Published in 1987 by Robson Books Ltd, David A. Lowe's Callas: As They Saw Her stands as an invaluable, multi-dimensional critical anthology dedicated to Maria Callas, arguably the most influential soprano of the 20th century. Rather than relying on standard biographical retellings, Lowe expertly gathers a rich collection of rare memoir excerpts, print interviews, and profound personal reminiscences from Callas's closest artistic contemporaries. The text contrasts the raw perspectives of legendary conductors, directors, and singers—such as Tito Gobbi, Luchino Visconti, and Leonard Bernstein—with the fierce analytical accounts of the era's top music critics. The result is an uncompromised historical record that unmasks the real woman behind the "La Divina" legend, exploring her radical vocal technique, her absolute theatrical devotion, and the shifting off-stage relationships that captivated global headlines.
Author Profile: David A. Lowe
David A. Lowe is a highly respected musicologist, cultural historian, and Slavic languages professor widely celebrated for his deep research into opera history and 19th-century European literature. Educated at top academic institutions, Lowe has written extensively on classical music and theatrical icons, earning praise for his meticulous archival tracking and objective historical editing. His scholarly focus ensures that this biographical collection avoids superficial tabloid gossip, offering instead a balanced, deeply artistic chronicle designed specifically for serious opera scholars and bibliophiles.
David A. Lowe is a highly respected musicologist, cultural historian, and Slavic languages professor widely celebrated for his deep research into opera history and 19th-century European literature. Educated at top academic institutions, Lowe has written extensively on classical music and theatrical icons, earning praise for his meticulous archival tracking and objective historical editing. His scholarly focus ensures that this biographical collection avoids superficial tabloid gossip, offering instead a balanced, deeply artistic chronicle designed specifically for serious opera scholars and bibliophiles.
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