Subtitled, "And How to Make it Pay"
I have to confess
that I've got a soft spot in my heart (which nicely complements the one
in my head!) for this grand book on ventriloquism. This was "my
first"... It was the only book on ventriloquism in my local library when
I was a mere pup (mid-1960's). I checked it out, again and again, for years.
Literally. Eventually, the kindly librarian tired of my regular visits
to renew this one book. She took pity on me and "retired" the book,
allowing me to keep it. Or maybe I just stole the thing... it's been so
long now I really can't remember!
At any rate... this 1938 book actually
has a bit of mystery surrounding it. Who was Sydney Vereker? In the
book, he claims to have worked for British vent "Lydia Dreams" (Walter
Lambert). I've read the correspondence between Lambert's daughter and
W.S. Berger, and I've read the correspondence between W.S. and Lambert's
wife. Neither had ever heard of Vereker! I was fortunate to meet
Lambert's grandson several years ago. I mentioned the mystery to him,
but he knew nothing of it. On the other hand, he *did* know what
happened to the prologue film for his grandfather's vaudeville sketch,
"Lucky Nutty Jones".... but that's a story for another time.
"Ventriloquism as a Hobby" is actually quite a decent book. Good
instruction in vent, interesting chapter on figure manipulation, and
some interesting commentary on contemporary vents, both British and
American. The chapter on the Distant Voice is good, while the chapter on
"Voice Throwing" is... interesting. Also includes several complete acts
and dialogues for various scenarios.
Copyright 1938; this is the second
edition. Book measures 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" and is hardbound, with 107pp. Overall very fine condition, tight binding, etc. No dustjacket. Very minor soiling on cloth cover.
An extremely scarce title with great info not found elsewhere.
$40.00
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