MOLIÈRE

Les oeuvres. Amsterdam, Jacques Le Jeune, 1675. 5 volumes. - Les oeuvres posthumes. Amsterdam, Guillaume Le Jeune, 1689. One volume. Together 6 volumes small in-12, red morocco, triple gilt fillet, ornate spine, interior lace, gilt edges (F. Bedford). A highly sought-after Elzevier collective edition, consisting of the 27 pieces printed separately by Daniel Elzevier (Guibert, II, p. 699 et seq. - Tchemerzine, IV, p. 825 - Willems, n°1511). It features an unsigned copper-engraved frontispiece at the head of Volume I. Les Fourberies de Scapin, Psiché and Le Malade imaginaire (prologue and interlude) are dated A (1671 for the first two plays, 1673 for the last). The other plays are dated 1674 or 1675, with the exception of Tartuffe, which is dated 1669 (cf. Willems, no. 1418; print run A according to Guibert). The volume of posthumous works contains Les Amants magnifiques, La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas, L'Impromptu de Versailles, Dom Garcie de Navarre and Melicerte; added to these are Le Festin de Pierre in the Amsterdam edition of 1683, which gives the full text, and a 1690 edition of Le Malade imaginaire. Each of the 7 plays cited above is adorned with an engraved intaglio figure. The Tartuffe play was enriched at the time of binding with the preface to the Elzévirienne reprint (5 leaves signed *2-6). A very fine copy, well established by Bedford. Small perforation deleting page numbers on two leaves (volumes II and V). Slight wetness on the side edge of volume III, with a slight halo in the margin of the affected sections. Skilful and discreet marginal restoration to 2 leaves. Small chip on the first cover of volume I.