Signed book: Porgy and Bess. Limited first edition of 250 copies (this being No. 224). NY: Random House, 1935. Hardcover, 9.75 x 12.5, 559 pages. Signed on the colophon in fountain pen by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, librettist Dubose Heyward, and director Rouben Mamoulian. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: VG-/VG-. Porgy and Bess, written as an 'American folk opera' according to George Gershwin, made its premiere on Broadway in the fall of 1935, and later toured several eastern cities. Although deemed a commercial failure during its initial run, it is now regarded as one of the most important American operas of the 20th century.