Habit by Darryl ZANUCK
ZANUCK, Darryl Francis. Habit and other short stories. Los Angeles: Times-Mirror Press, 1923
First edition. When this book was published in 1923, Darryl Zanuck (1902-1979) was still a struggling writer – his legendary career as a movie mogul and Head of 20th Century-Fox, was still ahead of him. Habit is a four-story collection, including ‘The Forgotten City’, which in 1924 Zanuck turned into a screen story for the silent Western film, The Millionaire Cowboy.
The publication of Habit was funded by A.F. Foster, an eccentric entrepreneur, inventor of Yuccatone, a wonder hair tonic made from the desert yucca plant. In return Zanuck promised to write a story promoting Foster’s miracle Yucca plant product. The resulting story - ‘The Forgotten City’ – is the tale of a mentally unstable chemist whose discovery of a Yuccatone-like product brings prosperity to a New Mexico ghost town. After Habit came out receiving a favourable review from the New York Times, Foster’s business went up in flames when the alcohol in the Yuccatone bottles fermented and exploded in 25 drug stores.
pp. 311. 8vo, original black boards, red lettering to front panel and spine. Dust jacket design and sketches by E.A. Scram. A fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with just a little bruising to spine ends.
A beautiful copy.