FIVE YEAR DIARY [Cover Title]
Diary of Olive Grismer, daughter of eminent playwright-producer-director Joseph R.
Very good +.
Price: $375.00
FIVE YEAR DIARY [Cover Title]
Grismer and actress Olive Chamberlain (Harper) Grismer. Engaging, closely observed, and illuminating record of 1934, written by a young woman born into California's theater aristocracy. Grismer, nineteen at the time of writing, had familial connections to or social acquantaince with an enormous number of theater, film, and artistic personalities of 1930s Los Angeles and San Francisco -- most notably, the de Milles and the Barrymores. Diary highlights include a multi-page description of Grismer's visit to sculptor Lorado Taft's Chicago studio, a vast number of anecdotes regarding various Barrymores and de Milles, and a captivating "time-worn tale of the eternal triangle" whose three members were: the writer Isabel Garland, daughter of Hamlin Garland and then-wife of tenor Hardesty Johnson; the writer Mindret Lord, whom Garland would eventually marry; and Lord's established lover, Marguerite Namara, a once-famous opera singer and fading musical comedy star. Grismer lays out in exacting detail who loves whom, who knows about it, who is complacent, and who will be heartbroken. "Well, well," she concludes, 'I wonder how it will end?" Grismer pauses her diary in 1935, following her 20th birthday, but returns for a brief post-script in 1941. In the intervening six years, she writes, she has been married; now " on the brink of a 'trial separation' -- I call it my vacation!' Other well-known personalities appearing in Grismer's diary include: Stewart Edward White, writer and spiritualist, whose story "The Girl Who Got Rattled" formed the basis for one chapter of the Coen Brothers' recent "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"; Miriam Hopkins, film actress and star of Lubitsch's Trouble in Paradise; Barnaby Conrad: author, author, bullfighter, and boxer; Carman Runyon, coal magnate and onetime owner of Los Angeles's Runyon Canyon/Runyon Park; and many others. A fascinating view on Hollywood and theater life from a child's perspcetive.
The Object
[1934]. 16mo. Black cloth, stamped in gilt, over stiff boards. Journal with side-band and latch with lock (no longer functional). All edges gilt. Red ribbon bookmark attached. Boards moderately worn, with scuffing to corners. Pen writing to approximately 1/4 of ruled pages; remainder blank.
The Fine Print
We work hard to meet our ethical responsibility to describe our material accurately. All items are guaranteed as described and may be returned for any reason within 30 days. Please notify us before mailing a return.
We guarantee the authenticity of our items. All materials are original (meaning not facsimiles or reproductions) unless otherwise noted. First editions (meaning first edition, first printing) are explicitly stated. TPM is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and upholds their Code of Ethics.
All photographs are of the actual item for sale. We're happy to provide additional images on request.
All domestic orders ship gratis. For orders under $250, free USPS media mail shipping is included; orders $250 and over ship USPS Priority. International orders over $500 also ship gratis. Expedited, overnight, as well as other carriers (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.), may carry additional costs beyond quoted rates. All orders receive tracking information and a direct contact in case of any questions.
International buyers are responsible for any customs, taxes, and related import fees. Please note that we are unable to accomodate requests to misrepresent, misdeclare, or otherwise falsify customs documents when shipping internationally. We appreciate your understanding.
We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, check, money order, and bank wire. We are happy to bill institutional buyers' needs. Sales tax will be added to applicable purchases. Items subject to prior sale.
If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact us. We prioritize our long-term relationships far above any individual purchase, and we want you to love your item as much as we loved cataloguing it.
