Beaumarchais, Par M. de. La Folle Journée, ou le marriage de Figaro, comédie en cinq actes, en prose. [The Follies of a Day, or, The Marriage of Figaro. A Comedy in Five Acts, in Prose].
$1,000
[Amsterdam?]: n.p., 1785. 175 by 110 mm (7 by 4.25 inches). Early calf boards; xlvi, [1], 213 pp. In French. A clandestine copy of The Marriage of Figaro not indicating the publisher or place of publication and printed in the same year as the book’s first edition. Good plus. Top of spine and covers darkened, head just starting to separate and small chips to binding. Book block lightly cocked.
This copy was a gift to Lion Feuchtwanger (1884–1958) from his translator William Rose (1894–1961). Feuchtwanger was a German Jewish novelist and playwright most famous for his work Jud Süß. Rose was a professor of German, an English intelligence officer from 1939–1944, and a sought-after translator for German exiles. This book he inscribed:
Lion Feuchtwanger, from William Rose. On completing the translation of the Novel of Franklin & Beaumarchais.
With regards. Xmas 1946.
The book Rose is referring to was published by Viking Press in 1947 as Proud Destiny. Rose translated Feuchtwanger’s text into English under the pseudonym Moray Firth (using a pseudonym upset Feuchtwanger). This book, of course, was the perfect gift as it is Beaumarchais’s Marriage of Figaro.
Provenance
Collection of Felix Guggenheim. Guggenheim was a close friend of Feuchtwanger’s.
| Author | Beaumarchais, Par M. de |
|---|---|
| Title | La Folle Journée, ou le marriage de Figaro, comédie en cinq actes, en prose. [The Follies of a Day, or, The Marriage of Figaro. A Comedy in Five Acts, in Prose]. |
| Year of Publication | 1785 |
| Publisher | n.p. |
