"SOME OF THIS IS TRUE": TWICE INSCRIBED BY BARRY HUMPHRIES/DAME EDNA

(HUMPHRIES, Barry, real name of DAME EDNA) LAHR, John. Dame Edna Everage and the Rise of Western Civilisation. Backstage with Barry Humphries. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, (1992). Octavo, original half purple cloth, original dust jacket. $200.

First edition of critic John Lahr's fascinating biography of comic great Barry Humphries, the actor behind the character Dame Edna, inscribed on the half title: "To Ralph With Love from Dame Edna (Some of this is True)," and additionally inscribed on the title page: "To Ralph. Best Wishes. Barry Humphries."

Called "one of the idols of the eighties" by the Observer, Dame Edna has long been known for her hilarious comedy shows, crowd-pleasing wit, and her ability to combine the high-brow with the low-brow. However, few have known about the man behind Dame Edna. This work strives to delve into the personality of Barry Humphries, the man who has played Dame Edna for so many years and to find out where he intersects with his much-loved character. Here, acclaimed biographer and theater critic John Lahr investigates comedy, humor, drag, and human nature to find out what makes Dame Edna so popular and what has made Barry Humphries stick with her through it all. With ephemera, including the original New Yorker articles (in which portions of this book first appeared) about Dame Edna.

A fine copy, twice inscribed.