Le Barbier de Séville, ou La Précaution inutile [avec] La Folle journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro

Le Barbier de Séville and Le Mariage de Figaro bound in one volume.

Modern half brown chagrin binding, sides in yellow and black marbled paper, spine with five raised bands, author, titles and dates gilt, one gilt fleuron, stone paper doublures. Corners lightly rubbed, leaves lightly browned, a few scattered spots of foxing and soiling, a tear to the title page, a modern repair to the upper margin of the first leaves.

Rare piracies bearing the date of the first edition and issued by the same publisher.

These two most celebrated plays by Beaumarchais stirred passions from the moment of their appearance: criticised by some, they nonetheless enjoyed a resounding success that led to a proliferation of rival editions. The first edition of Le Barbier de Séville (Ruault, 1775) was followed, that same year, by three further editions from the same publisher and by a piracy printed in Neuchâtel, while that of Le Mariage de Figaro (two Ruault editions, 1785) was immediately pirated in Paris, Lyon, Stockholm, Ghent and Dresden. Although our editions display certain features characteristic of the first editions - the correct years of publication and the achevé d'imprimer of Le Mariage de Figaro dated 28 February 1785, together with the name of the publisher Ruault - the pagination, the title-page fleuron and the typography differ. Each contains an introduction in which Beaumarchais answers his critics: in Le Barbier de Séville, it occupies pages 3 to 23, and in Le Mariage de Figaro, it runs from page iii to xlvii.

Le Barbier de Séville, first staged on 23 February 1775, displeased the public on account of its length; the author's response was swift - within forty-eight hours he produced an abridged version of the play, which this time won over the audience. This success allowed Beaumarchais to continue developing the story of the Almaviva family and to produce two further instalments, thereby forming a trilogy. Le Mariage de Figaro, the second play in the trilogy, which this time exposed still further the vices of the nobility, provoked the indignation of the king himself: written as early as 1778 and read by Beaumarchais in the salons, it was censored at the request of Louis XVI, who cancelled its first performance scheduled for 13 June 1783. Having secured the support of those close to the king, Beaumarchais was able, after a six-year wait, to stage the play on 27 April 1784 at the Comédie-Française; this first performance was followed by seventy-three others in the 1784-1785 season alone - a veritable sensation in the French theatre.

Two editorial curiosities that escaped the notice of both Cordier and Tchemerzine, apparently printed shortly after the first editions, capitalising on the plays' success on stage.