8vo. Original grey cloth; dust jacket (sunning to spine).

FIRST EDITION. SIGNED BY ARTHUR MILLER. Written at the height of the McCarthy era, The Crucible was conceived as an allegory for unjust persecution of innocent people by the state. Six years earlier Lion Feuchtwanger had written a similar allegory, also set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, entitled Wahn oder der Teufel in Boston (Delusion, or The Devil in Boston). The play opened at New York City's Martin Beck Theatre on 22 January 1953 with Arthur Kennedy as John Proctor. Not long after, the House of Representatives' Committee on Un-American Activities took notice of Miller, all but forcing him to appear before the Committee in 1956. During this hearing Miller lamented his earlier associations with the Communist Party, however when pressed to name names of other associates Miller refused to comply, stating, "I could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him. As a result Miller was found guilty of contempt of Congress, fined, and sentenced to prison, and permanently denied a US passport, all of which were overturned the following year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The Crucible won in every category in which it was nominated in the 1953 Tony Awards including Best Author, Best Play, Best Producer of a Play, and Best Featured Actress in a Play.