KEANE, John B. The Highest House on the Mountain. A Play in Three Acts. (Rare first edition)

With an introduction by Barry Cassin. Dublin: Progress House, 1961. First edition. pp. 69. Original green printed wrappers in the Popular Plays Series (priced 4/6 net). Some minor wear and light toning to covers, otherwise a very good copy.

John B. Keane’s third play, following the success of Sive (1959) and Sharon’s Grave (1960). The Highest House on the Mountain explores themes of family, loss, and the struggle for dignity in rural Ireland, and further established Keane as one of the most important new voices in Irish theatre. Its publication by Progress House reflects the remarkable flowering of Irish provincial drama in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Copies of this fragile acting edition are scarce, as they were heavily used by amateur drama groups. The association note recording its purchase directly from Keane’s public house in Listowel adds considerable interest, as it ties the book physically to the playwright’s celebrated life as both publican and dramatist.

[L3 8D]