La jacquerie, scènes féodales, suivies de La famille de carjaval, drame, par l'auteur du théâtre de Clara Gazul

First edition, from Balzac's printing house. Between 1826 and 1828, Balzac purchased a printing house and partnered with a typographer, but the enterprise went bankrupt in 1828. Books printed for Balzac show a concern for typography and fine book production.
Bound in half burgundy long-grain morocco with corners ca. 1840. Spine with raised bands decorated with 5 tools, blind and gilt fillets, head and tail rolls. Double fillet border on boards and corners. Some scattered browning.
Louis Gillet bookplate.
Very fine copy.
La jacquerie and La famille de Carjaval are two dramatic and historical pieces that evoke Schiller's theatre. These dramatic scenes were intended to be read rather than performed. In La Jacquerie, Mérimée reverses the vision of this peasant revolt through the prism of new romantic historiography, and the peasants are no longer perceived as bloodthirsty barbarians but as victims of absolutism. With economy of means and a clear, concise style, Mérimée brings this feudal epic to life before our eyes.