Superman at Fifty: The Persistence of a Legend

This First Edition copy of Superman at Fifty! The Persistence of a Legend!, edited by Dennis Dooley and Gary Engle was published in 1987 by the Octavia Press of Cleveland, Ohio. The book is signed twice by Gary Dumm, one of the artists who contributed their work to the book. The first signature is with an inscription on the half-title page to a book dealer that reads "To Sue, Best wishes to another 'Bookie' - /s/ Gary Dumm. The second signature, on page 61, is associated with one of the book's cartoons and is again inscribed "To Sue, Best Wishes, /s/ Gary Dumm".

The book is described on the fly leaf as "Marking the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Action Comics issue in which Superman first appeared, Superman at Fifty is an affectionate tribute to an authentic American folk hero and the little-known Cleveland boys who created him...The book consists of four sections of essays – appropriately, all by writers with connections to Superman's home town...".

The book, which measures approximately 7 x 10 ¼ inches, is hard bound in red cloth covered boards with gilt lettering on the spine and a gilt Superman symbol on the front cover. The book itself contains 189 pages of text and accompanying illustrations. The book shows some indications of wear on the front free end-paper, but otherwise is in "like new" condition. The dust jacket (not price clipped) is likewise in "like new" condition, and is further protected by a plastic wrapper.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the front face of the Dust Jacket, the signed inscription on the half-title page, the Table of Contents, a typical 2-page spread showing the initial pages of the section titled "The Art And Science of Leaping Tall Buildings, and a page showing text and an illustration by Gary Dumm plus the second signed inscription by Gary Dumm.