Théâtre. - Le More de Venise, Othello. Le Marchand de Venise

First Edition of The Merchant of Venice.
Half olive calf, uniformly brown back past 4 nerves decorated with gold threads and cold, golden double net coaching dishes percaline green shagreen, covers slightly soiled and kept doubling back, lined with green shagreen case, binding of Vincent.
Invaluable sent to Sainte-Beuve, "to Mr. Ste-Beuve, his friend Alfred de Vigny, May 2, 1840".
Alfred de Vigny adapted this play by Shakespeare in 1829, but had to abandon it represented mainly for administrative reasons. He, however, published in the sixth volume of his complete works published from 1837 to 1839 and in Delloye Lecou. In the nineteenth century, innovative young people who are the future pillars of Romanticism rediscovered the works of Shakespeare and especially the theater through many translations and especially the first performances at the French Comedy. He became the spokesman for all the Romantic generation, particularly because of his refusal spatiotemporal rules. Adaptations of Alfred de Vigny is therefore placed perfectly in the nineteenth century admiration for the works of Shakespeare.
In 1827 Victor Hugo published a sensational preface to his drama Cromwell, who imposed it as a leader in the eyes of future romantic. With Sainte-Beuve, who had become his friend, he founded a "coterie" whose meetings were held in his apartment, rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs. Around Hugo and Sainte-Beuve regrouped the brightest of their generation writers Alfred de Musset, Theophile Gautier, Prosper Mérimée, Gerard de Nerval, Alexandre Dumas and especially Alfred de Vigny, which will bind with the two founders. Now, in the Cenacle Hugo and Sainte-Beuve is preparing a romantic struggle that found its apotheosis in the Battle of Hernani. However, shortly after the triumph of the battle, members found more reason to their meetings and the Cenacle broke up. Besides the relationship between Sainte-Beuve, and Alfred de Vigny were not always friendly. Indeed, although the criticism has always defended the poetry of Vigny, the two men did not share the same vision of a "poet". Vigny saw a public figure invested with a sacred mission, an idea that Sainte-Beuve was superficial and silly and he did not hesitate to denounce his critics, and wounding the pride of his friend. However, this package shows that despite their difference of opinion both men felt.
Bifeuillet bearing the sending seems to have been reassembled.
Source: Library Leon Roy, with his bookplate.