1953 The Rape of Lucretia

Description

First Edition, Signed, With Dustwrapper

This edition is signed by the author to the front free endpaper, dated 1971 and dedicated to 'John Marsh'.

A first edition of this work, in the publisher's original price unclipped dust wrapper. This is the text of Benjamin Britten's opera in two acts, 'The Rape of Lucrece', written here by English poet and playwright Ronald Duncan.

First performed in 1946, this tells the tale of Roman noblewoman Lucretia, whose rape and subsequent suicide precipitated a rebellion that overthrew the Roman monarchy and led to the foundation of the Roman Republic. This story has seen numerous adaptations in literature and music, perhaps most notable in the form of Shakespeare's poem, 'The Rape of Lucrece'.