Classical and modern plays, comedies, dramas, tragedies, performing arts

First edition, one of 70 numbered copies on pure thread paper, ours being one of 15 hors commerce copies lettered under Ingres covers, deluxe copies after 2 reimposed on pure thread laid paper hors commerce reserved for Jacques Hébertot and 13 holland paper copies.
Minor marginal tears of no consequence to the covers.
Handsome and rare copy of this response by Albert Camus to Jean-Paul Sartre's "Les mains sales".

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, one of 250 numbered copies on alfa paper reserved for presentation and review.

A pleasing copy.

Signed presentation inscription from Jean Giraudoux to Maurice Martin du Gard, additionally signed by Jean-Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud, who created the roles of the imperial prosecutor Blanchard and Lucile Blanchard.

First edition.

Wrappers illustrated by Louis Icart.

Exceptional signed autograph inscription by Louis Icart: "à mon ami, au peintre Edouard Chimot \"Gouverneur de... Javea\" - ces scènes rapportées d'Espagne ! En hommage cordial. Louis Icart."

Revised and expanded edition, corrected throughout and supplemented with previously unpublished documents, preceded by a biographical notice of the author and followed by notes by Edmond Biré.

Contemporary half red shagreen binding, smooth spine richly decorated with gilt Romantic arabesques, marbled paper boards framed with a gilt fillet, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, signed binding by Flammarion.

Illustrated with 59 etchings engraved by Adolphe Lalauze after the watercolours of Eugène Lami.

A pleasing copy, attractively bound.

Edition illustrated with colour plates by Albert Dubout, one of the numbered copies on Arches wove paper, the only issue after 500 copies on deluxe Arches laid paper.

Spines of the chemises slightly faded.

The set comprises the following titles: "The Miser", "The Bourgeois Gentleman", "The School for Wives", "The Learned Ladies", "Scapin's Deceits", "The Imaginary Invalid", "The Misanthrope", "Tartuffe".

An attractive complete set in 8 volumes, also complete with all its chemises and slipcases.

Charming illustrated edition featuring, as the frontispiece to the first volume, a portrait of Alfred de Musset after the original painting by Charles Landelle, together with 28 drawings by Alexandre Bida; one of the numbered copies printed on laid paper.

Bound in full midnight-blue Russian morocco, spines with five raised bands gilt-tooled with garlands and decorated with gilt fillets and blind-stamped typographical ornaments, gilt rolls to the spine ends, gilt dates at the foot, a few joints slightly split at the head or tail, covers framed with quintuple gilt fillets, gilt armorial bearings stamped at the centres, red moiré silk endleaves and doublures, gilt dentelle border to...

First edition, one of the press service copies.

A faint waterstain affecting the centre of the final leaves.

Bradel binding in patterned paper-covered boards, smooth spine, black oasis morocco lettering-piece, wrappers and spine preserved.

Precious presentation inscription signed by Jean Genet to Claude Romain, who created the role of Maurice in this play: "à Claude Romain petit gamin et déjà grand comédien. Ton pote, Jean Genet."

High Surveillance was first performed in Paris at the Théâtre des Mathurins on 26 February 1949, directed by Jean Marchat, with Tony Taffin, Claude Romain, Robert Hossein and Jean-Marc Lambert in the cast.

Claude...

Rare first edition.

Some foxing, spine slightly cocked.

First edition, one of the scarce copies on Japon paper.
Work illustrated with 17 colour plates.
A fine copy with wide margins.

First edition, one of 355 numbered copies on wove paper, the only issue with 25 copies on Holland paper.
A pleasant copy.

First edition printed in 112 copies, ours one of the 90 numbered copies on Arches laid paper.

A pleasant and scarce copy.

Illustrated with 5 original lithographs by Juan Gris.

Manuscript signatures of Armand Salacrou and Juan Gris at the colophon.

First English edition, published one year after the first edition (American), complete with its illustrated dust jacket with unclipped price.
Publisher's pink-red cloth, title, author's name and publisher's imprint to the spine, all three in gilt.
Headcaps very slightly pushed, faint foxing to the boards, a fine copy. On the dust jacket, spine and boards sunned as is common, discreet wear and stains to the headcaps, boards and corners, marginal browning and a dampstain at the foot to the inside of the jacket.

First edition of the French translation and adaptation prepared by Edmond Haraucourt, one of 10 numbered copies on Holland paper, the only deluxe paper issue.

Bradel binding in half tobacco percaline, smooth spine decorated with a gilt floral motif, date and double gilt fillet at foot, hazelnut shagreen title label showing some rubbing, marbled paper boards, wrappers with small marginal losses at corners and spine preserved, contemporary binding.

A few small foxing spots.

Music by Gabriel Fauré.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on Arches wove paper, the only deluxe paper issue.
A fine copy despite a few spots of foxing in the right margin of the first free endpaper.

First edition, one of 100 numbered copies on vellum.

A small chip at the foot of the spine, a few foxing marks to the endpapers, otherwise a pleasant copy.

1865 edition of Goethe's reimagining of Euripides' Iphigenia in Tauris.

Contemporary publisher's plum cloth binding, smooth spine lettered with title and author's name in gilt, blind-stamped decoration on boards.

Spine faded as often, slight loss of cloth at spine ends.

Minor scattered foxing.

First edition of a play regarded as historically significant, performed for the first time nineteen days before the execution of Louis XVI, which set all of Paris and then France ablaze to the point of interrupting the King's trial, by a constitutional monarchist playwright.

Nineteenth-century Bradel binding in half brown percaline, smooth spine decorated with a gilt fleuron, red morocco lettering-piece, pebble-pattern marbled paper boards, edges lightly red-speckled.

First edition.

Binding inspired by Seventeenth century Cambridge panelled boards, spine with five raised bands framed by double fillets in blind, boards framed by double fillets in blind, outer corners of central frame decorated with small fleurons tools in blind, decorated roll inside central frame, decorated roll in blind on edges, all edges gilt, a corner and edge and lower spine-end slightly rubbed, some chafing on boards, a small hole p. 8 affecting part of a letter.

Very scarce first editions of

First edition of this one-act play. Rama VI (Vajiravudh, 1881-1925) was not only the successor to the celebrated Chulalongkorn (Rama V) on the Siamese throne in 1910; he was also a man of letters who composed numerous works of prose, poetry and drama.

Contemporary full dusky-pink glazed cloth, plain smooth spine, title blocked in gilt within a large architectural border on the upper board.

The author played a major role in the development of modern Thai literature, introducing Western-style theatre to Siamese audiences.

In addition to the thousands of original works he produced in a wide variety of genres, including short stories, novels and political essays, he...

New edition, one of 65 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only deluxe paper issue.

A fine copy.

First edition printed in a small number of copies.
Half red morocco binding with corners, smooth spine decorated with a gilt panel and floral tools, enhanced with a grey mosaic morocco onlay, gilt date at foot, gilt fillet framing on the marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved, gilt top edge, binding signed Charles Lanoë.
Illustrated with a fine frontispiece drawn and engraved by Félix Bracquemond.
An attractive copy, handsomely bound.

First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on Japan paper, the only deluxe paper issue.

Bound in full burgundy morocco, spine with five raised bands ruled in black, gilt rolls to the headcaps, moiré-effect paper endleaves and doublures, inner boards framed with gilt fillets, dotted tools and corner fleurons, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt on witnesses, double gilt fillets to the turn-ins, slipcase edged in burgundy morocco with sides covered in moiré-effect paper, contemporary signed binding by Vauthrin-Pezet.

A fine, beautifully executed copy.

First edition, one of the press copies.

A pleasing copy.

Fine signed autograph inscription from René Char: "A Georges Hugnet affectueusement. René Char."

First edition printed on regular stock.

Small tears to the head and foot of the spine.

Fine presentation inscription, signed by Henri de Montherlant to Georges Bataille.

Very rare first edition, with the title printed in black, illustrated with 4 copper-engraved plates hors-texte (cf. Gumuchian, 5321.)

Contemporary half brown sheepskin over marbled boards, smooth spine tooled in gilt with fillets and dotted rolls, covers framed with a double gilt rule, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, two corners slightly bumped, speckled edges, period binding.

Expert restorations to the corners and spine ends, spine partially faded with light rubbing, occasional minor foxing.

With a highly interesting preface by the author, in which she explains that she herself directed a puppet theatre.

Brings together the following four adaptations for...

Collected edition commissioned by Louis XV following the success of Catilina, containing Crébillon's 9 tragedies and his academic discourses, without Le Triumvirat, which appears only in certain copies. This is the first collected edition of the dramatist's works, published under the author's supervision.

Two volumes bound as one in marbled calf, spine with five raised bands richly decorated with small gilt floral tools, triple gilt fillet border on boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt inner dentelle, red edges. Discreet restorations to the joints, corners, and top spine-end, with some loss to the gilt tooling at...

Original black-and-white photograph depicting Elvire Popesco in a three-quarter profile.

A handsome print. Vintage print, with the printed stamp of the Nicolas Treatt Studio in Paris on the verso.

Signed in black ink by Elvire Popesco.

Provenance: from the collection of renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

Black-and-white photographic postcard depicting a young Ludmila Tcherina.

Pinholes to the corners of the card.

Signed autograph inscription by Ludmila Tcherina, in white felt-tip pen, to the prominent autograph collector Claude Armand: "A Claude bien amicalement Tcherina."

Provenance: from the collection of the renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

Autograph letter dated and signed, one page by Jean-Louis Barrault addressed to Thierry Maulnier (34 lines in blue ink on a recto verso sheet)

Central folds inherent to the mailing, some foxing spots on the letter.

Jean-Louis Barrault, returning from a tour in South America, hastens to respond to Thierry Maulnier in order to consider a radio adaptation and possibly theatrical adaptation of his text Une ville sous la mer: "I do not know if this purity would remain in a theatrical realization, but this confirms to me that you must absolutely give us the opportunity as soon as possible to serve you directly on the theatrical plane."

Autograph letter signed and dated, one page, from Maurice Blanchot addressed to the theater actress Marcelle Tassencourt, wife of Thierry Maulnier, 18 lines in black ink.
Central folds inherent to postal handling, envelope included.

Maurice Blanchot praises the acting performance of Marcelle Tassencourt who created, in 1944, the role of Antigone in Robert Garnier's play directed by her husband, Thierry Maulnier:  "... cette Antigone m'a beaucoup touché. Je ne croyais pas que la beauté des vers y fût capable d'une actrice aussi vivante. Que la vie et le style peuvent être à ce point associés, que l'harmonie engendrât l'horreur, et la beauté le déchirement, c'est que...

First edition on ordinary paper, bearing the correct imprint dated 6 May 1959, with the false statement of second edition.
Spine very slightly sunned.
Signed and inscribed by Eugène Ionesco to the stage director, playwright, and writer Simone Benmussa on the half-title.

First edition with false statement of 3rd edition, as this theater play was first created at the théâtre français on January 18, 1866.
Split to upper part of joint of the second board, some wear to head and foot of joints, rubbed corners.
Contemporary deep green morocco binding. Arms of Napoléon III stamped at center of each boards. A nice copy.
In the aftermath of the Terror, the author portrays the protagonists of the French political revival: General Hoche and General Bonaparte in the Salon of Madame Tallien.

Complete set of 13 original lithographs by Eugène Delacroix, in first edition, first issue with the letter, one of 20 copies on Chine paper pasted on laid paper:

"It was originally printed in a few proofs on Chine, the format of which exceeds the square line by one or two centimeters. They are highly sought-after, even though they bear the letter" (Robaut).

Bound in the original publisher's brown half-shagreen binding, title gilt stamped on first board, original first cover wrapper preserved. Small restored tear to the margin of the wrapper over 5 cm, sunned spine, joints and corners rubbed, scattered foxing and a dampstain to the lower part of the laid paper...

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...