Dynamo, by Eugene O'Neill, Limited & Numbered, 1929. This book is a first edition of "Dynamo" by Eugene O'Neill, it has a soft vellum cover in blue, with a paper label on the spine which reads "Dynamo, Eugene O'Neill" in gilt and gilt lettering on the front which repeats the author's name, blank endpapers, a limitation page which says the book was printed by Horace Liveright in October 1929 and there were only 775 copies printed on all-rag watermarked paper, of which 750 were for sale, this book is number 139 of the 775 copies, it is signed by Eugene O'Neill, the book is protected with an acetate covering and comes in the original publisher's slipcase with spider web designs. The title page is uncut, but it reads "Dynamo, Eugene O'Neill, New York Horace Liveright 1929" in big bold letters, the copyright page is dated 1929 and is followed by a list of characters and an outline of the three scenes in the play (vii - viii), all uncut pages, with 151 pages of text that are mostly uncut, and a last leaf which says "This edition … was printed from Old Caslon Face type which was distributed after printing. The printing in two colors was done to achieve the author's intention to distinguish, in his dialogue, the spoken words from the actual thoughts of his characters …" Eugene O'Neill (1888 - 1953) was an American playwright. His plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish playwright August Strindberg. His tragedy Long Day's Journey into Night is often included on lists of the finest U.S. plays in the 20th century, alongside Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama four times and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936. O'Neill's plays were among the first to include dialogue in American English vernacular and involve characters on the fringes of society. They struggled to maintain their hopes and aspirations, but ultimately slid into disillusion and despair. Of his very few comedies, only one is well-known - Ah, Wilderness!. Nearly all of his other plays involve some degree of tragedy and personal pessimism. Dynamo, starring Glenn Anders and Claudette Colbert, opened on Broadway in February, 1929, and closed in March, after 50 performances. The play was considered a failure for O'Neill, whose other plays of the 1920's played for much longer runs, and the play is rarely revived. The book measures 10 3/8 x 7 7/8 in. wide and is in great condition. The text is clean and the binding is tight, with nicks on the spine label and a small crease at one tip on the cover, the publisher's slipcase has wear at the top and bottom of the spine and at the corners., and the acetate covering has modest wear on the spine. The book itself is still in great condition and one of only a few copies that remain of the 775 limited editions that were ever published. #38 #7030