Oeuvres de Racine

Amsterdam: Abraham Wolfgang, 1690. Leather. Good. 5.5" by 3". Not Stated. An illustrated set of the collected dramatic works of Jean Racine, a notable set as it was published during his lifetime. In the original French.Complete in two volumes.A set of the works of Jean Racine, notable for being published during his lifetime. Rare in the original binding. Volume I illustrated with an engraved title page, and six plates.Volume II illustrated with an engraved title page, and six plates.The collected dramatic works of Jean Racine, one of the three greatest playwrights of seventeenth century France, and an important figure in Western literary tradition.Racine's plays were typically tragedies, such as 'Phedre', 'Andromaque', and 'Athalie'. His writing is renowned for its elegance, purity, speed, and fury, and for being a master example of the dodecasyllabic French alexandrine.Each play is paginated separately with its own title page.In this set, Volume I includes 'La Thebaide', 'Alexandre le Grand', 'Andromaque', 'Britannicus', 'Les Plaideurs', and 'Athalie'. Volume II includes 'Bernice', 'Bajazet', 'Mithridate', 'Iphigenie', 'Phedre & Hippolyte', and 'Hester'.Collated, complete. In a full calf binding. Externally, leather is rubbed with some minor marks. Bumping to the head and tail of the spines and to the extremities, with some loss of leather to the head of the spine of Volume I, tail of the spine of Volume II, and to the extremities. Light surface cracks to the spines. Pencil note to the rear paste down of Volume I. Internally binding is a little strained in places. Pages are lightly age-toned with the occasional spot. Ink note to the contents page of Volume I. Good