THE LION IN WINTER - A COMEDY IN TWO ACTS, by James Goldman, 1966 1st edition somewhat later printing (still vintage), published by Samuel French, Inc. (New York, Hollywood, London, Toronto), 7.2 x 5-inch PB, 96 pp. with text =on inside covers; near-excellent condition (clean and tightly bound, unbroken spine, bright covers and pages, unusually so for a decades-old PB, tiny upturn at tip of upper front cover).
PLEASE NOTE: The signature and home phone number of a minor actress appear at the top of the upper front cover (as seen in my 3rd photo). I acquired this at her family's Encino estate sale. After acting in TV and film in the 1950s and 1960s, she became a successful dance instructor, and also has the sole credit (for compiling and commenting on) one of the U.K.-published volumes on WHO'S WHO AMONG FAMOUS WOMEN. IMDB lists her as having 14 credits, beginning in 1953 with FORT ALGIERS (under her maiden name Sandra Gale). She was featured in episodes of BACHELOR FATHER, DR. KILDARE, CHECKMATE, DANIEL BOONE, and IT TAKES A THIEF. Of note, she was the ballerina in the episode "The Cobbler and The Elves,' part of the series THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM.
James Goldman (1927-1998) and his younger brother William, later an elite novelist and screenwriter William were born and raised in Chicago suburb Highland Park. He earned a B.A. at the U of Chicago and M.A. at Columbia. He went on to become a major playwright and screenwriter, best known for THE LION IN WINTER, a drama with wicked comedy about King Henry II of England, who releases his imprisoned French wife Eleanor of Aquitaine from prison so she can spend Christmas at his castle with him and their 3 sons. Fireworks erupt when as she and the sons lobby to succeed failing Henry on the Throne. The in-fighting is interrupted by a visit from King Philip of France. Robert Preston played Henry in the 1996 Broadway production, with Rosemary Harris as Eleanor and Christopher Walken as Philip. Although it only ran for 98 performances, critics gushed and Harris won a Tony for Best Lead Actress, with Goldman earning a nomination for best play. The 1969 Hollywood film fared much better. Englishman Anthony Harvey directed towering performances from Peter O'Toole as Henry and Kate Hepburn as Eleanor, and Anthony Hopkins stood out as the most domineering son. It was a box office hit and earned 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Lead Actor (O'Toole), Director, and Costume Design. Hepburn won for Lead Actress, Goldman for Adapted Screenplay, and John Barry for Original Score. Goldman also wrote the book for the smash Broadway musical FOLLIES (music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim), and he wrote several other screenplays, including THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, ROBIN AND MARIAN, OLIVER TWIST, WHITE KNIGHTS, and ANNA KARENINA. Both LION and FOLLIES have been successfully revived numerous times.
There are many different editions of the play on eBay, mostly more recent PBs, but only one match for my 1966 (or somewhat later) Samuel French edition. It's in good condition with a major bend at the lower front corner (running throughout the book), also soft darkening at sections of the front cover. It's $14.99 with free shipping. My copy's near-excellent and is signed by an actress-dancer with real credits.
The Buy-It-Now price of $11.99 includes shipping with cardboard backing via media mail, which takes around 7 days with tracking, less in SoCal.