281 - SAINT-RÉAL, César Vichard de. *Dom Carlos*, a historical novella.

SAINT-RÉAL, César Vichard de. *Dom Carlos*, a historical novella. A beautiful and rare edition printed in a very limited run at the expense of the Count of Artois, in a fresh contemporary red morocco binding. Paris, Didot the Elder, 1781. In-18, red morocco, smooth spine decorated with gilt fleurons and the title, triple gilt fillet framing the covers, interior lace, gilt edges (contemporary binding). 135 pages, vignette featuring the coat of arms of the Count of Artois on the title page, an engraved headband. Minor scuffing, tiny foxing spots, and slight yellowing in the margins. A charming edition published in a run of only 100 copies at the expense of the Count of Artois, whose coat of arms was printed on the title page. Speaking of the Count’s collection, Brunet noted that “it would be difficult for typography to produce anything more beautiful than these… small volumes, which will always be counted among Didot’s masterpieces.” In this work, first published anonymously in 1672, the Abbé de Saint-Réal (1639–1692) recounts the tragic love story of Don Carlos, son of Philip II of Spain, and Queen Elizabeth of Valois. Considered the consummate model of the “historical novella” genre of the Grand Siècle, it exerted a major influence on numerous artists in the centuries that followed: in particular, it served as the direct source for Friedrich Schiller’s historical drama *Don Karlos* (1787) and, later, Giuseppe Verdi’s famous opera (*Don Carlos*, 1867) A charming copy in a contemporary binding.