An Autobiography (INSCRIBED to his late mother)
New York: Longmans, Green and Company, 1933. Second Printing of the 1932 First Edition. INSCRIBED on the half title "To his mother - Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesan - October 16th 1933." The inscription directly echos the printed dedication ( 'To the Anna, who is my mother...' ) and Wright’s lifelong symbolic tributes to Anna (who died in 1923). His mother Anna played a profound, almost mythic role in shaping his life and career. 'Before he was born, she said she intended him to be an architect' (from the book's 'Family' section) and famously gave him the 'Froebel Gifts' with their emphasis on basic geometric shapes, which Wright credited with awakening the foundations of his design philosophy. Octavo; [vi], 371pp plus 22pp of photographs at rear. Good to Very Good condition (pencilled initials to ffep, light wear and soiling, lower spine frayed) in tan linen cloth over thin flexible boards titled in black and red. Item #23137
The book, signed at the height of the Taliesan Fellowship’s first years, captures the exact intersection of his writing, his mother’s memory (and influence), and the communal energy of the early years of Taliesan - just as he prepared for the Fellowship’s first major winter “trek” to temporary quarters in Arizona (departure late November 1933). A true FLW rarity.
Price: $4,000.00