AND NEVER BEEN KISSED, by SYLVIA DEE.

NEW YORK: Macmillan, 1949. First edition, first printing, with "First Printing" stated on the copyright page and the date 1949 on both the title and copyright page.

SIGNED and INSCRIBED by SYLVIA DEE on the title page: "To Emma Swift / With all best wishes / Sylvia Dee".

Hardcover book in dustjacket, 5.5x8 inches, 247 pages.

A humorous novel about two teenage female friends which the back dj flap calls "the low-down on the female of the species between the ages of thirteen and sixteen".

Condition: NEAR FINE book, tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked. In a GOOD dustjacket that has edge wear, a finger-tip size chip to the bottom edge, some toning to the edges and spine folds, and some shorelining from an old spill that is only faintly visible on the bottom area near the spine (much more noticeable on the dj's blank backside); overall the dj is solid and bright.

The rear dustacket panel features a photo of Sylvia Dee taken by the great photographer Lotte Jacobi (who notably also took the photograph of J.D. Salinger which is on the dj of Catcher in the Rye).

RARE - SIGNED BOOKS BY SYLVIA DEE HAVE BECOME ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND. Her archives are held at Boston University Library's Special Collections.

About SYLVIA DEE (excerpts from various Internet sites):

********Sylvia Dee, b.1914 d.1967, was one of the few female lyricists who wrote hit tunes in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. She proved that female songwriters could transcend a single era's musical tastes, and write popular songs for three consecutive decades.

Sylvia Dee also wrote three novels: And Never Been Kissed (1949), Dear Guest and Ghost (1950), and There Was A Little Girl (1951). "And Never Been Kissed" was dramatized on television.

Sylvia Dee died in 1967 at the age of 52, abruptly ending her amazing career. Below is a snapshot of her successes over three decades:

SYLVIA DEE IN THE TIN PAN ALLEY ERA (1940s) - Early American female lyricists like Dorothy Fields ("The Way You Look Tonight") and Kay Swift ("Fine and Dandy") paved the way in a heavily male dominated industry by writing sophisticated standards for Broadway and Hollywood. Dee entered this arena in the early 1940s. She quickly became one of the top female lyricists, collaborating with composer Sidney Lippman on hits including: "Chickery Chick" (1945): A novelty hit song utilizing playful nonsense syllables; "My Sugar Is So Refined" (1946): A satirical, high-society swing tune recorded by Johnny Mercer; and many others.

SYLVIA DEE IN THE TRADITIONAL POP ERA (1950s) - By the early 1950s, Dee cemented her place alongside peers like Carolyn Leigh ("Witchcraft") by penning romantic, poetic lyrics for some of the era's major vocalists. Her massive hit from this period was the 1951 song "Too Young," popularized by Nat King Cole which sold over a million copies and became the number one best selling song of 1951. Cole himself often cited the song as one of his three favorite recordings.

SYLVIA DEE IN THE ROCK & ROLL ERA (1960s) - While many older lyricists struggled or refused to adapt when the rock and roll sound emerged, Dee pivoted. She started working with younger composers like Arthur Kent and George Goehring to write for the teen market. Their hits included "The End of the World" written for Skeeter Davis in 1962. This cross-over country-pop smash became one of the defining sad songs of the decade, and made history as the first and only song to crack the top 10 on all four Billboard charts simultaneously.********