Dance Books

BALLET OF THE ELEPHANTS (A True Story)
by Leda Schubert. Beautiful and warm watercolor illustrations by Robert Andrew Parker. Condition: NEW 2008 Roaring Brook hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), 3rd printing. 2-3 fold-out pages showing the dancers. Lovely. Content: Sparking watercolors-and-ink illustrations dance across the page and spill out onto a horizontal foldout of elephants and ballerinas spotlighted together--in the true story of "Circus Polka," choreographed in 1942 by George Balanchine, with music by Igor Stravinsky and performances by John Ringling North's elephants. Robert Andrew Parker brings his love of theater, dance, and costume to this captivating story. Leda Schubert's background note includes black-and-white photos of the actual performance. Questions welcome. [1 copy left]
$ 4.39 + $ 3.40 media shipping.

BALLET SCHOOL (DK for kids)
by Naia Bray-Moffett. Beautiful color photos by David Handley. Condition: NEW 2003 DK large soft cover, first American printing. Content: Ballet School is a magical introduction to the world of classical ballet that gives young readers a chance to discover what it's like to become a real ballet dancer. Questions welcome. [1 copy available.]
$ 3.59 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

CELTIC DANCE COSTUMES: Iron-On Transfer Patterns
by Courtney Davis. Cover art by Tom Tierney. Detailed transfers. Condition: NEW 2000 large soft cover, no printing given. Content: Apply authentic, eye-catching designs—from simple weaves to elaborate interlacings—to traditional Celtic costumes, T-shirts, and more. Ideal for embroidery work, fabric painting, woodburning, and other crafts. Simple instructions explain how to transfer patterns depicting wreaths, corners, borders and centerpieces to a variety of ink-absorbing surfaces. Ranging from simple wreaths to elaborate borders, corners, centerpieces, and frames, the dynamic designs are ideal for use in embroidery and applique work. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.29 + $ 3.19 first class shipping. International shipping available.

THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF BALLET (First Edition)
by Horst Koegler. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1977 Oxford Univ. Press large hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first English edition. Problem: medium chip top DJ spine. Interior clean & tight. Tanning to page edges. Content: This is the most comprehensive one-volume reference book in the English language devoted to ballet. Over five thousand entries cover every aspect of ballet over the past four hundred years: dancers, choreographers, composers, designers, ballets, theaters, ballet schools, companies, and technical terms. Reviewers: "This totally necessary work just has to be there on your bookshelf! Herr Koegler deals not only with current dance, but he goes far back into history. If, for example, you read "Theater Street" and come across the passage about the "lovely Istomina". You are at a loss, but not for long - grab your Koegler and you will soon know all about Avdotia Istomina (1799-1848). A total must, you cannot do without it, it covers the lot. In the grand scheme of dance history work, this book is important to own. You'll refer to it numerous times because it contains a good deal of entries not included in contemporary books." Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 7.49 + $ 3.39 media shipping.

THE DANCE
by Richarad Paul Evans. Wonderful soft & warm color illustrations by Jonathan Linton. Condition: NEW 1999 Simon & Schuster for Young Readers hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket) , 3rd printing. Rough shipping from mfg. it seems: bumped corners with 2 tiny impressions front & back covers. Not bad, but there. Tiny edge wear to DJ top edge. Much better than it sounds. Very clean & very tight. Content: A father loves watching his daughter dance--from her first recital where she was dressed as an ear of corn to the final dance she does just for him as he nears the end of his life. While the text is easy-to-read for early readers, the concept of the book may need some explanation. A read-aloud for a first reading would be appropriate, IMHO. Ages 4 - 8. Adults will also appreciate - especially fathers. [1 copy available]
$ 6.69 + $ 3.40 media shipping. Priority by arrangement. Email us.

DANCE: Rituals of Experience
by Jamake Highwater. B&W era photos and drawings of dancers. Condition: Good only, 1985 Alfred van der Marck large soft cover, new and revised edition. Edgewear with light crease front cover, with a break at page 123. A few pen marks throughout. It is a used book. Content: This book presents a powerful view of the history of dance, contrasting its role in Western civilization with its significance in other cultures. Highwater -- a renowned critic, author, and lecturer on art, theater, music, and dance -- links the history of dance to cultural forces as diverse as Karl Marx and Elvis Presley. Beginning with the original, ritualistic, and primal forms of dance, he traces its decline into empty ceremonial forms while all along insisting that dance is a fundamental life impulse made visible in motion -- a spontaneous transformation of experience into metaphoric meaning. Considering the historical and creative context from which dance emerged, Highwater goes on to point out the specific contributions and cultural influences of such 20th-century dance giants as Isadora Duncan, Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Alwin Nikolais, Erick Hawkins, Jose Limon, Merce Cunningham, Meredith Monk, and Garth Fagan. Also examined are many newer artists, such as Bebe Miller and the Urban Bush Women. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 3.50 + $ 3.39 media shipping.

DANCING IN THE WINGS
by Debbie Allen. Beautiful - really beautiful! - color ilustrations by Kadir Nelson. Condition: NEW Dial Books hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), 17th printing. Problem: DJ edges show a bit of shelf wear including a "repaired" short tear back top edge. Content: This charming picture book focuses on the world of ballet classes, and children's cruelty toward those who are different. Sassy loves to dance but she is tall, gangly, and has really big feet. Her desire to perform is her strongest asset. When she soars through the air in a giant leap, she feels like she can do anything. Sassy does indeed live up to her name. This African-American child is fresh, she is innovative-she wears a bright yellow leotard to stand out in the crowd-and she is determined. The story is sure to build self-esteem in those readers who can empathize with Sassy and they'll cheer when she takes center stage in a dance festival in the nation's capital. Nelson's artwork conveys Sassy's spirit and captures well the expressions of her smug, mocking classmates. A great read-aloud. Grades K+. [1 copy available]
$ 7.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

A DICTIONARY OF DANCE (SIGNED BY AUTHOR)
text & color illustrations by Liz Murphy. Condition: Signed on Title Page. Gently pre-read 2007 Blue Apple Books, first printing. No problems, just pre-read. Content: Dance is not just an art, it's a whole different language! From "Arabesque" to "Zones," this is a very broad overview of the subject. The defined words vary a great deal in complexity. Some of the more sophisticated ones include "Notation" and "Improvisation." "Energetic" and "Yearn" are among the more generic terms. Specific movements ("Ouvert") and specific styles, such as "Quickstep" and "Break dancing" are briefly explained. The dynamic and colorful illustrations have real child appeal with line-drawn characters happily and enthusiastically interpreting the words. This potpourri of aspects of dance is imaginatively done, and those who already have an interest in the subject may be fascinated. Grades K - 3. [1copy available]
$ 8.79 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

ISADORA DUNCAN: Revolutionary Dancer (American Troublemakers series)
by Larry Sandomir. James Shenton introduction. B&W era photos throughout. Condition: PLEASE READ / NEW, but not perfect, 1994 Steck-Vaughn hardcover (pictorial boards - no DJ issued), 1st printing. Problem: ding to top back spine - shelf wear. Interior perfect. Library binding. Content: Biography of one of the pioneers of modern dance. Very little information is given about the society in which Duncan lived or why her behavior (fairly tame by present-day standards) was considered shocking by the Victorians and Edwardians. Grade 7+. [1copy available]
$ 8.79 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

MARGOT FONTEYN: A Life
by Meredith Daneman. Two B&W photo sections. Condition: NEW 2004 Viking huge hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Light edge wear DJ top edge at spine. Interior perfect. Content: If you are here on the "dance' page, you know who Margot Fonteyn is. She lived a life of celebrity, adulation, sexual adventure, hard work, political intrigue and heartache - more than enough for a Meryl Streep movie. She is and was ballet's superstar. [1 copy available]
$ 12.64 + $ 3.39 media shipping.

MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE? The Story of Popular Dancing
by Belinda Quirey. B&W era photos from the first dance art to B&W movie photos. B&W dance charts, as well. Condition: NEW NEW 1993 Dance Books soft cover, first thus. Content: This book sets out to trace the development of our social dancing from its origins in the ancient ring dances of antiquity to the teenager's beat dancing of today. From the invention of the couple dance by Troubadors of Provence, through the domination of the Italian, the English and the French courts to the French Revolution and then on to the most shocking dance ever known to Western man, the Waltz. Eighty years later, and the syncopated beat of ragtime leads us to the age of the Foxtrot and the Quickstep - until Bill Haley starts to play and Elvis moves his pelvis. This is not a look at how to dance but what people danced, and why. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping. International shipping available - email us.

NIJINSKY: Scenes From the Childhood of the Great Dancer (Children's Book)
text & detailed color illustrations by Catherine Brighton. Condition: UNREAD 1989 Doubleday hardcover (pictorial boards - no DJ), first printing. Tiny discoloration front cover at spine. Content: This is a young person's biography of the great Russian ballet dancer Waslaw Nijinsky. [1copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

NO INTERMISSIONS: The Llife of Agnes De Mille
by Carol Easton. B&W photos. Condition: UNREAD 2000 Da Capo Press large Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: "Agnes is a very demanding person, she eats up the air," said a friend of choreographer, writer and cultural whirlwind Agnes de Mille. This biography is equally daunting. Easton, biographer of Sam Goldwyn, Jacqueline du Pre and Stan Keaton, has evaluated almost every dance movement, artistic exchange and tantrum of de Mille's 88 years. But far from being irksome, the detailed chronology gathers strength as its subject careens from wild success (Oklahoma and Rodeo) to chaotic failure (Sebastian lasted one night, and Come Summer closed after seven performances). Along the way, Easton doesn't neglect de Mille's equally unpredictable emotional life. Daughter of playwright William de Mille, niece of Hollywood's larger-than-life Cecil B. de Mille, she had a torturous relationship with her mother, Anna, that dominated her early career. Later, her 45-year marriage to Walter Prude, an executive of the Sol Hurok Agency, held together despite internal competition and marked divergence of personalities. The account of their last years together is deeply moving. Nor does Easton forget de Mille's almost accidental writing career. Her Dance to the Piper was a 1952 bestseller, and throughout her career, she always had a literary project under way. Her major life of Martha Graham was published in 1991, only two years before her death. This skillful portrait assumes a deep interest in the world of dance and musical theater. [1copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

SHOES OF SATIN, RIBBONS OF SILK: Tales from the Ballet
by Antonia Barber. Beautiful, soft & dreamy color illustrations by Diz Wallis. Condition: Gently pre-read 1995 Kingfisher hardcover (pictorial boarsd) & DJ (in mylar jacket), first US Edition, first printing. The book is over-sized: 11.1 x 9.4 x 0.6 [96 Pages]. Content: The curtain rises, the orchestra plays, the stage glows, and the magic beings -- dolls come to life, sugarplums dance, swans pirouette, ballerinas glide in shimmering pink. Behind each of these enchanting visions is a wonderful story. Any child dazzled by dance will love this lavishly illustrated collection of nine of the most popular ballet stories including such classics as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Giselle, as well as the less familiar stories of The Firebird and The Boy and The Magic. Also included: Coppelia, Song of the Nightingale, and Petrushka. Included are notes on the performance of these ballets. Ages 4 - 8. (Actually any one who loves the Ballet will enjoy this book.) Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$10.50 + $3.39 media shipping.

SLEEPING BEAUTY (The Magic of the Ballet series)
text by Adele Geras. Beautiful, soft color illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark. Condition: NEW 2000 David & Charles (London) hardcover (pictorial boards - no DJ), first impression. Content: When wicked fairy, Carabosse, isn't invited to Princess Aurora's christening, she is so angry she bestows an evil gift - on her sixteenth birthday, the Princess will prick her finger and die! Can beautiful Princess Aurora be saved from this terrible fate? These attractive books from The Magic of Ballet series tell the stories of major ballets. Each volume features fairly large type, decorative borders, and Emma Chichester Clark's richly atmospheric paintings. An appendix in each book traces the ballet's history, music, choreography, and related matters such as dance notations. Swan Lake is a difficult undertaking with its darker, adult story and tragic ending. Geras makes the ballet more understandable to those who aren't familiar with it. Grades 3 - 5. [1copy available]
$ 4.79 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

SWAN LAKE
by Rachel Isadora. Beautiful, soft watercolor illustrations by the Author. Condition: UNREAD, BUT NOT PERFECT, 1991 Putnam's hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. PROBLEMS: price-clipped DJ and a gift inscription on the dedication page (in a foreign language) which can be covered with a bookplate (which I will send to you if you don't have one). Too bad, otherwise a beautiful book. Content: Isadora's adaptation of Tchaikovsky's ballet gently blends the artistry of dance into this most romantic of scenarios. Graceful swans arc down toward the water under the watchful eyes of Siegfried; on the next spread they appear as a line of beautiful ballerinas shimmering in poised symmetry. Deep, liquid watercolors provide a brooding backdrop to the radiant maidens as they dance under the moon. The dark purples, blues and greens of the night sky are sharply cut by the orange streak of the rising sun, and instantly the maidens are returned to their sorrowful fate. The author's experience as a ballerina evidenced by the carefully rendered dance positions assumed by the characters, and would-be ballerinas will no doubt study them eagerly to emulate the replendant mystery of the story. Isadora eloquently demonstrates the interpretive power of dance, making this book an excellent introduction to the beauty of the ballet. Ages 4-8. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 8.49 + $ 3.40 media shipping.

TALES FROM THE BALLET: Retellings of Favorite Classical Ballets
by Antonia Barber and Diz Wallis. Beautiful color illustrations by Diz Wallis. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1999 Kingfisher large paperback, first printing. Problem: The front cover has 2-3 tiny, almost invisible near creases stemming from the spine. Binding error. Interior clean & tight. Content: Enter a world of drama and romance, beauty and enchantment. Experience the magic of ballet. Any child dazzled by dance would love this lavishly illustrated collection of nine of the most popular ballet stories including such classics: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, The Song of the Nightingale, Coppelia, Petrushka, Girl Who Needed Watching; The Firebird, and Giselle. Includes notes on the performances of these ballets. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 10.39 + $ 3.40 media shipping.

TECHNICAL MANUAL AND DICTIONARY OF CLASSICAL BALLET
by Gail Grant. B&W position drawings by Author illustrate. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, c. 1967 Dover Trade Paperback, second revised editon. Edgewear and rubbings along hinges & "spot" on fore edges. Interior clean & tight. Content: From adagio to voyage, over 800 steps, movements, poses and concepts are fully defined. A pronunciation guide, cross-references to alternate names for similar steps and positions that vary from the Russian to the French or Italian schools, are also invaluable aids. [1 copy available]
$ 2.79 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

BALLET SHOES BOOKPLATES
art by A. Velichkovsky. Condition: NEW package of 12 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 3.0 wide x 4.0 high. Content: Beautiful pink ballet shoes on a background of pink and white. We can personalize your bookplate (the font is Snell Blk BT) - just email us the name. Any questions, click here to email us.
$ 4.00 + $ 2.85 first class shipping. International shipping available.

BALLERINA BOOKPLATES
art by I. Balaikin. Condition: NEW package of 12 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 3.0 wide x 4.0 high. Content: Beautiful oil painting of a ballerina with the after-performance basket of pink roses on a multi-colored background. We can personalize your bookplate (the font is ShellyAllegro BT) - just email us the name. Any questions, click here to email us.
$ 4.00 + $ 2.85 first class shipping. International shipping available.

BALLERINA BOOKPLATES
art by Talisalex. Condition: NEW package of 12 bookplates made by pacaritambo books. The peel-off label stock is heavier than most bookplate materials and is matte and not glossy. They are as perfect as possible, and we feel the subject matter is much different than you can get anywhere else. 4.0 wide x 3.0 high. Content: Lovely ballerina in black tutu with orange and yellow background. We can personalize your bookplate (the font is Snell Blk BT) - just email us the name. Any questions, click here to email us.
$ 4.00 + $ 2.85 first class shipping. International shipping available.