[Signed] Venus Castina: Famous Female Impersonators - Celestial and Human [Signed] Bulliet, C.J. [Clarence Joseph] (text); Alexander King (illustrati

RARE LIMITED NUMBERED EDITION. Appears to be SIGNED (?) by illustrator Alexander King (see notes below). Number 10 of 960 copies, the first 13 copies of which include an ORIGINAL SIGNED DRAWING by Alexander King, & specially bound. This copy is one of the 13, specially bound, with what is possibly (?) the signed drawing facing page 110, below which is possibly signed (?) ""King"" in pencil (NOTE: see photographs & further note below). Contains 11 full-page b&w plates, plus frontispiece (complete with tissue guard), as issued, plus small b&w illustrations at chapter heads. Illustrations by Austrian-born artist Alexander King (1899-1965). The author, Clarence Joseph Bulliet (1883-1952), ""was an American art critic and author. Bulliet, best known as the influential art critic for The Chicago Daily News, played a role in popularizing of modern art in the Midwestern United States, and in organizing Chicago's independent artists, who felt snubbed by the conservative tastes that dominated the Chicago Art Institute"". Full printing details on colophon in rear, as follows: ""This book has been designed by Robert S. Josephy for J.J. Little and Ives Company and printed by them in New York in September, MCMXXVIII. Illustrations reproduced by the Knudsen Process. The edition consists of nine hundred sixty numbered copies on Aurelian paper, the first thirteen of which include an original signed drawing by Alexander King, and have been specially bound. This is number 10"" (below which is written in pencil ""FP 110"", indicating that the signed original drawing appears facing page 110). PLEASE NOTE: Spine gilt lettering shows ""Original Drawing"" to lower portion, however the ""drawing"" appears to be one of the b&w plates with ""King"" penciled below (though the signature is likely printed in the plate). Unclear as to whether an original drawing has been removed at some point (?), or if the plate at page 110 is the original drawing. Our copy contains 11 b&w plates PLUS frontispiece (12 plates total), whereas other copies of the first edition usually contain only 11 plates. Fine binding. Bound in half burgundy leather (morocco) & marbled paper covered boards, gilt lettering & elaborate gilt design to spine, raised bands, top edge gilt, fore-edge & lower edge untrimmed, matching marbled endpapers. Slight wear to board & spine edges & tips, hinges a tad loose, a couple of faint marginal smudge marks, otherwise a nice clean tight solid leatherbound copy. 308pp. Scarce signed copy, 1 of only 13 copies. RARE.