The King's Henchman, A Play in Three Acts
Price: $20.00
Hard Cover. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1927. Very Good.
Early edition. Publisher's three-quarter black cloth and blue paper-covered boards with white paper spine label lettered in black. About very good with some light wear to extremities, toning to spine and page edges, both hinges starting, small bookseller's sticker to front free endpaper. Presents well. Yost 31. The King's Henchman is a story inspired by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a set of manuscripts written in the ninth century that detail the history of the Anglo-Saxons in England. Millay's story tells of the travels of Aethelwold, a henchman to the fictional king of England, who falls in love with the woman that the king is supposed to marry and finally kills himself out of guilt for denying them both a marriage to each other. This story was first written as the libretto for an opera commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. American composer Deems Taylor enlisted Millay as his librettist upon the suggestion from his wife. The opera went on to be staged sixteen times at the Met, as well in 46 other cities, and received praise from critics and audiences. Item #ESVM065
