Norma: A Serious Opera, in Three Acts
Philadelphia: Ledger Job Printing Office, 1867. Item #1298 8vo. 220 x 145 mm., [8 ¾ x 5 ¾ inches]. 21pp. Stitched single gathering on ivory stock inserted within glued cover of blue-gray paper of same weight. Libretto is solid and relatively unsoiled; substantial closed tear runs halfway up the back cover at the binding fold. Front cover shows post-publication stamp of “Henry McCaffrey, Music Publisher, Baltimore.”
Printing unknown. This libretto accompanied performances of Norma by the Richings English Opera Company. The predominance of New York City in the advertising inside the front and rear covers points to Manhattan, but Philadelphia seems to be the spot, as the Philadelphia Daily Evening Bulletin of November 15, 1867 declares, in its “Amusements” column on that day, that “The opera of Norma was given last evening at the Academy of Music by the Richings troupe in a very acceptable manner.”
Price: $50.00