97 - [LITERATURE] - D'AUBIGNÉ, Agrippa

[LITERATURE] - D'AUBIGNÉ, Agrippa Hell. The Tragic Poets, Book IV. Reprinted from the 1616 edition and preceded by a note by Charles Read Paris, Librairie des Bibliophiles [Albert Jouaust], 1873 Square 12mo. Full black morocco bound, signed H. Bellevallée. Spine with 5 raised bands, title and date in gold. Intermittent gold fillets on the edges, double gold fillet inside, one dotted, with gold arabesques in the spandrels, surrounded by beige moiré. Endpaper in beige moiré. Edges gilt. Blank cover and spine, well-preserved. Untrimmed. With a slipcase edged in black morocco leather. Slight scuffing on the spine and slipcase. A deluxe, highly collectible edition of this legendary work from the “Tragiques,” the poetic and baroque masterpiece by Agrippa d’Aubigné (1552–1630). Written in the midst of the Wars of Religion, “L’Enfer” displays a vengeful and apocalyptic verve of extraordinary biblical power, in which the Huguenot poet condemns the persecutors of Protestants (kings, popes, and inquisitors) to eternal torment. This impeccably scholarly reprint was orchestrated by the scholar Charles Read on behalf of the renowned publisher Albert Jouaust. Limited first edition of 350 copies; this is copy 1 of 15 numbered copies on Whatman paper (No. 28). The copy is in very fine condition, with the black Bellevallée binding providing a striking symbolic echo of the text’s funereal theme.