Labiche

Best.-Nr. 06477 — Paris: Éditions du Bélier 1943. A pleasing union of classic French theatrical wit and mid-century illustration LABICHE Eugene. MICHEL Marc. Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie. Illustrations de R. Peynet. Paris: Éditions du Bélier 1943. Limited to 4500 copies of which this is no. 1770. Octavo 9 1/2 x 6 1/8 inches; 241 x 155 mm. 1-4 blank 5-12 13-145 1 blank 1 limitation 5 blank pp. Five full-page color plates and numerous colored headpieces. Color pictorial front wrapper bound in. This is Labiche's great classic a boulevard comedy accumulating more rocambolic and burlesque adventures than the others on the occasion of the frantic search for a straw hat on a wedding day. Bound by Sangorski & Sutcliffe ca. 1960 in three-quarter red morocco over marbled boards ruled in blind spine with five raised bands lettered in gilt in compartments marbled endpapers all edges gilt. Spine slightly faded still a fine copy. A celebrated example of 19th-century French comic theatre Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie 1851 written by Eugène Labiche in collaboration with Marc-Michel remains one of the great farces of the French stage - an intricately constructed comedy of errors propelled by escalating absurdity and impeccable timing. Its enduring popularity has led to countless revivals and adaptations including the well-known film by René Clair. The present edition issued in wartime Paris is illustrated by Raymond Peynet whose delicate whimsical style - later celebrated in his iconic "amoureux"-brings a lightness and lyric charm to Labiche's rapid-fire comedy. Despite the constraints of publication during the Occupation Éditions du Bélier produced a visually appealing and carefully designed volume notable for its fresh color palette and decorative program. A pleasing union of classic French theatrical wit and mid-century illustration further enhanced by a refined later binding from one of London's most respected ateliers. Paris: Éditions du Bélier, 1943 unknown