Regnard

1810 · ref. 5924 — Paris France: Chez Raymond et Ménard 1810. hardcover. Fair. Various Engravings. Publication: Paris Chez Raymond et Ménard 1810. Formatting: 12mo 4 vols. pp. xvi 303; iv 335; iv 301; iv 359. Condition Report: Fair. The bindings present handsomely with their full calf boards and richly gilt spines maintaining a firm tight structure indicative of careful shelving. However the set’s internal condition drops the grade to Fair due to significant historical damage to the preliminary leaves; specifically the lower halves of the half-title pages in Volumes II and III have been clipped or torn away. The gilt tooling on the spines alongside the red and black morocco labels remains moderately bright and unoxidised though there is general shelf-wear including light rubbing to the extremities minor bumping to the corners and slight chipping to the spine ends. The marbled endpapers and all edges gilt a.e.g. retain their decorative appeal. Internally the text blocks are relatively crisp with the expected scattered foxing occasional minor spotting and toning commensurate with early nineteenth-century paper. Catalogue Note: This 1810 edition of Jean-François Regnard's collected works Œuvres is a charming early nineteenth-century production. The complete four-volume set is attractively bound in period full calf featuring contrasting red and black morocco spine labels alongside intricate gilt floral tooling. It contains an engraved frontispiece portrait of the author in Volume I and further engraved plates preceding the plays such as the illustrated frontispiece for Le Distrait Act I Scene I in Volume II. While Regnard's works were printed in numerous editions throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries finding complete four-volume sets in their original contemporary bindings is becoming increasingly uncommon. The severe tearing to the half-title pages in two of the volumes suggests the possible aggressive removal of earlier provenance markings or ownership signatures by previous handlers. Regarded as one of the finest French comic playwrights after Molière Jean-François Regnard 1655–1709 crafted witty energetic comedies that captured the exuberance and satirical edge of his era. This handsome four-volume collection gathers his most celebrated theatrical works including Le Distrait Le Joueur and Le Légataire universel alongside his poetry and travel writings. A beautiful addition to any library of classic French literature this set offers an authentic nineteenth-century reading experience of a foundational literary figure. Chez Raymond et Ménard hardcover