"Marching Along Recollections of Men, Women And Music"

by John Philip Sousa

Copyright 1941, First Edition

Vintage Antique Collectible Book:

This is "Marching Along Recollections of Men, Women And Music" by John Philip Sousa. It is a hardcover vintage antique book in first edition in this format copyright 1941.

From The Dust Jacket:

"More than builders of empire, more than presidents and statesmen, John Philip Sousa epitomizes the spirit that is America's, for he made that spirit articulate, made it throb in the hearts of generations of Americans b;y the martial strains of his name." 

"Modestly and simply he tells his life-story, full-flavored with incident and anecdote, with mellow humor and kindly wisdom; how ;by using well the genius entrusted to him he won success and happiness in ministering to one of the finer attributes of human nature -- the love of good music. 

"At 15 he was a teacher of violin; at 17 a conductor of operettas; at 26 a national figure as the director of the United States Marine Band. For 36 years he was the dominating spirit of Sousa's Band on tours at home, in Europe and around the world. An expert trap-shooter, the author of several novels, a composer of world-wide renown, he was commissioned a lieutenant, senior grade, in the United States Navy on May 31, 1917, and served, at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station and elsewhere, until the end of the World War, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, USNRF. 

"In the first edition of "Marching Along," published in 1928, he said: 'Inevitably there will come a time when I shall be too feeble to serve my public longer.'  The time never came, for he died as he would have wished, 'in business.'  On March 5, 1932, he went to Reading, Pennsylvania, as guest conductor to rehearse a local band for its 80th anniversary concert. After the rehersal he attended a civic dinner in his honor and made a brief speecdh. Early on the morning of March 6th he died unexpectedly in his room at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel. His body was taken to Washington, where it lay in state until his burial in the Congressional cemetary. 

During those last four years of his memorable life, he was still the undisputed "March King." In 1929, after having repeatedly refused to conduct his band over the radio, he was persuaded to lead a selected group of his musicians in a series of one-hour concerts. On April 26, 1930 he led the Marine Band in his new "Royal Fusiliers March" at a dinner of the Gridiron Club in Washington, and in January, 1931 he revealed that he was setting to music a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. In November of that same year, on his 77th birthday, he stood before the microphone to lead a large band in "The Stars & Stripes Forever" on a nationwide network, cut a birthday cake given by five noted conductors, and told the radio audience that he wanted to live to be a hundred so that he could write many more marches. 

'This is far more than a book for music-lovers alone. Sousa's many-sidedness is revealed throughout its pages: his struggles, triumphs, associations with artists, actors and sportsmen, with presidents and kins -- the half-century career of "a man who won the affection of his country by his genius for music and his genius for friendsjh

A hardcover edition by Reprint Services (library binding, no dust jacket) is currently in print at $79. All other editions are currently OUT OF PRINT. Most of these books sell for $300 and up. We are priced to sell.

CONDITION:

Seller Condition Grading Good, meaning all pages are present and in good condition, but the cover is in fair condition. Plus it is an Ex-Library Book: menaing a former library copy, which should always be noted regardless of the book's condition.

• The inside and outside of the book do not match in condition gradings.
• The inside is in very good condition without a dust jacket, but the outside is in good to fair condition.
• The cover has a separation mark at the binding, where due to this book's age it is coming apart but is still currently intact.
• The cover also has some library markings, such as stickers for shelving and identification for the library.
• The inside has the library makrings for a card holder and due date stamps. It also has two columns from the dust jacket glued to the first two pages.
• The title page has a library sticker attached and a school stamp.
• The dedication page has a number written on it, 9640. The last index page has the number 2591 stamped on it.
• The photos are part of the description of the items we sell. So please use the very cool eBay ZOOM FEATURE on the photos for full visual details. We try hard to detail all we see. 

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