KEANE, John B. Sive. A Play in Two Acts. (Signed limited edition)

Dublin: Progress House, 1986. Special signed limited edition. pp. 56. Quarter cloth, titled in gilt. Yellow printed dust jacket. A fine copy. Rare.

Of this edition there were only 275 copies printed on fine Senator Matt cartridge by Speedyprint, Dublin, and bound by William Anderson Ltd. This is copy number 93, signed by John B. Keane on the limitation page. Copies numbered 1–8 were reserved for presentation.

Sive, first staged by the Listowel Drama Group in 1959, was John B. Keane’s first play and a triumph that launched his career. A dark and uncompromising portrait of rural greed, arranged marriage, and social cruelty, it immediately established Keane as a major Irish dramatist. Despite early controversy and opposition from Church authorities, Sive is now regarded as one of the seminal works of modern Irish theatre, frequently revived and anthologised.

This signed limited edition, handsomely produced and rarely encountered complete with dust jacket, is among the most desirable Keane collectibles. With only 275 numbered copies, it represents a scarce opportunity for collectors of modern Irish drama, especially in such fresh condition.

[L4 8D]