Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer By John Fricke
Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer
A Magnificent Photographic History, Definitive Career Chronology, and Unique Inscribed Visual Keepsake of the Screen's Most Magical Legend
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer
- Author: John Fricke
- Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, New York
- Publication Date: 1992
- ISBN-10: 0805017380
- ISBN-13: 9780805017380
- Edition Details: First Edition, Stated First Printing.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium half-cloth and paper-bound hardcover boards, complete with an unclipped illustrated paper dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Quarto / Large Format (4to), 256 pages. Lavishly produced as a premier pictorial history, graced with over 600 rare photographs, family archival snapshots, behind-the-scenes studio stills, and full-color cinematic layouts.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Boards: The original half-cloth hardback binding is clean, uniform, and structurally sound with perfectly stable edges and clean cloth extremities. The spine remains uncreased, tight, and completely perfect with bright spine lettering.
- Interior / Association Inscription: The text block is robustly bound, tight, and completely square. Internal pages, extensive color layouts, and text margins are beautifully white, crisp, and clean. Free of standard user highlighting, dog-ears, or bookseller markings. This unique copy features an attractive contemporary ink inscription on the front flyleaf/preliminary page, significantly elevating its collector charm.
- Protective Preservation: Professionally enclosed in a heavy-duty, premium archival cellophane cover, fully shielding the exterior boards from environmental friction or dust accumulation.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Condition details: Present, unclipped, and remarkably vibrant. Displays only very limited, microscopic signs of light storage handling along the extreme edges, remaining completely free of open tears, heavy scuffs, or major chips.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1992, Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer stands as the first complete and definitive visual record mapping the unparalleled legacy of a true American icon. Written more than twenty years after her passing, this magnificent book serves as an exhaustive historical celebration of Garland's legendary triumphs as both an actress and a singer. Emmy Award-winning producer and foremost Garland scholar John Fricke delivers an unforgettable narrative pace that tracks her journey from vaudeville child star to her definitive roles in The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Star Is Born, up through her historic, Grammy-winning concert comebacks at Carnegie Hall. Graced with over 600 photographs—many meticulously unearthed from private collections and never before seen—the book beautifully captures the unique, magical effect Garland held over audiences worldwide. For classic cinema archivists, vocal music historians, and serious twentieth-century pop-culture curators, this inscribed first-edition volume is an essential historical keepsake.
Author Profile: John Fricke
John Fricke is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost historical authorities on the life of Judy Garland and the legacy of The Wizard of Oz. A two-time Emmy Award-winning producer for his definitive documentary work on PBS American Masters and A&E Biography, Fricke has authored multiple seminal books, including The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History and Judy Garland: A Portrait in Art & Anecdote. His deep personal knowledge, archival access, and narrative accuracy have made him the absolute gold standard for tracking mid-century Hollywood vocal and film heritage.
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