Beaumarchais (M. de). La Folle Journee, ou le Mariage de Figaro

Beaumarchais (M. de). La Folle Journee, ou le Mariage de Figaro, Comedie en cinq actes, en prose.
Représentée pour la premiére fois, par les Comédiens français ordinaires du Roi, le mardi 2 avril 1784.
à Paris: De l'imprimerie de la société littéraire typographique (Kehl) ; chez Ruault, 1785.
Tall 8vo. ( 6" x 9 5/8"). AEG. 199p, 1p approb, 1p errata. Five engravings. A very fine copy boun d in red
morocco using the floral motif in each corner, ruled in gilt and with circular and triangular onlays of red
and green; ornate, multi-color doublures of red morocco including sea-spray designs of green and floral
sprigs of gilt and green. Silk end leaves. Signed Guild of Women Binders (done between 1902-1904, with
tools similar to those used by Edith or Florence de Rheimes).
Front doublure
The engravings for this edition were re-engraved by Lienard due to the reported dissatisfaction of
Beaumarchais. Le Petit notes that they are larger and better than those of the first illustrated edition,
issued a bit earlier in the year.
No less than 16 spurious editions of Mariage de Figaro appeared in 1785 date due to censorship. Our
edition was printed under the care of the author himself. (The Baskerville typeface was used to print
the famous collected works of Voltaire, 1785-1789, in seventy octavo volume known as the “Kehl”
edition.)
Ref: Cohen de Ricci, Guide de l’Amateur de livres a gravures du XVIII e Siècle. (1951). p.125-6; Not in Guild
of Women Binders, London. Bindings of to-morrow. A record of the work of the Guild of Women-binders
and of the Hampstead Bindery.1902; Not in Nixon, H.M. Five Centuries of English Bookbindings. 1978.
Provenance: sold Sothebys, Wilkinson & Hodge, November 7th and 8th, 1904. Bindings and ExtraIllustrated Books, produced by the Guild of WomenBinders and the Hampstead Bindery. Lot 21. (Hammer
price 3£).