Le Théâtre au XIXè siècle | 19th Century Theater

First edition. Very scarce and sought-after, like all of his writings. This play is inspired by his tumultous life, namely the poisoning attempt he allegedly suffered from the hands of his lover Jeanne Sarrey.
With a very rare autograph letter signed by Xavier Forneret, one of the few surviving manuscripts of this bohemian Romantic rediscovered by Surrealists.
The scandalous genius attempts to have Mère et fille performed at the Théâtre de la Gaîté. Letter dated by the author May 27, 1854, addressed to playwright Charles Desolme. Two pages in black ink on a bifolium, small tear along the fold, no damage to the text.
Forneret, a fundamentally...

First editions of eight plays bound in one volume.

Arioste gouverneur ou Le Triomphe du génie, written by Jean-François Roger in collaboration with Jean-Louis Brousse-Desfaucheret, is accompanied by a musical score.

The last three plays in the collection, signed under the pseudonym MM ***, were the result of Jean-François Roger’s collaboration with Auguste Creuzé de Lesser.

Half fawn basane binding, smooth spine richly gilt-decorated, fawn long-grain morocco spine label, speckled paper boards, marbled edges.

Boards rubbed, some scuffing to the leather, corners bumped, minor soiling to the leaves, a marginal tear with no loss of text on page 43 of the...

First edition of the theatrical adaptation.
 
Contemporary binding in red half morocco with corners, spine with five raised bands framed by gilt fillets, adorned with double gilt panels and decorative tooling, gilt fillets framing the marbled paper boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, combed edges.
A few stains to the covers, a crisp and clean copy, free of foxing.
 
Signed autograph inscription by George Sand to the actor Fresne : « à monsieur Fresne, souvenirs affectueux. G. Sand. »
Fresne had performed in her play Molière at its premiere at the Théâtre de la Gaîté...

First collected edition of the works of François-René de Chateaubriand, issued in parts between 1826 and 1831 and here gathered in 32 volumes. Partly a first edition, the series includes the first appearances of Les Natchez, Le Dernier Abencérage, Voyage en Amérique and Moïse. Each volume is illustrated with a wood-engraved frontispiece by Charles Thompson, the English engraver established in Paris from 1816, showing a young woman seated beside a stone inscribed

First edition, rare copy with no statement of print.
Full blue morocco binding, spine with raised bands in the Jansenist style, endpapers and pastedowns of combed marbled paper, gilt dentelle framing the pastedowns, double gilt fillets and gilt tooling to headcaps and board edges, top edge gilt with untrimmed margins preserved, original front wrapper bound in, binding signed by Marius Michel. Monogrammed bookplate mounted on the verso of the first endpaper.
This copy is enriched with four hors-texte plates by Louis Boulanger and Alfred Johannot.
Signed autograph inscription by Victor Hugo on the half-title: « À Monsieur Ch[arles] Mévil son bien...

First edition of the theatrical adaptation.
Bound in half red shagreen, spine in four compartments set with gilt stipples adorned with double gilt spine panels, marbled paper plates, marbled endpapers, contemporary binding.
Precious handwritten presentation signed by George Sand: “à monsieur Huart en lui demandant pardon de tout le mal que je lui donne.” “To Mr Huart asking for his forgiveness for all the harm I am causing him.”

Provenance: from the Grandsire library with its ex-libris.

Complete works of Goethe comprising his poetry, theater, novels, critical essays and correspondence. Gothic printing in 2 columns. 5 superb steel engravings on thick paper under yellow tissue guards in volume 2 by Kaulbach and Felner in Gothic or classical style and engraved by English engravers, 2 engravings in volume 3. One of the first complete works of the author who died in 1833. The same publisher had issued this edition in 55 thin volumes in 1833, here delivering a more compact and manageable version.
German contemporary full green shagreen binding. Smooth spine decorated with rococo tools connected by long fillets. Gilt title and volume number. Double fillet frame on boards...