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175 - HUGO (Victor). Le Roi s'amuse, drama by Victor Hugo.
See original version (French)

Estimate €400 - €600
Sale commission
Description
HUGO (Victor). Le Roi s'amuse, drama by Victor Hugo. A handsomely bound copy of Le Roi s'amuse, a drama in five acts by Victor Hugo first performed in 1832, a major work of Romantic theatre both in terms of its impact at the time and its posterity. Paris, Eugène Renduel, 1832. In-8 (236 x 152 mm), red half calf with corners, smooth spine decorated with three compartments trimmed with romantic fillets and foliage, gilt head. Bound at the end of the 19th century. xxiii, 183 pages. Covers washed with minor restorations, the first reinforced on the verso. First edition, with no fictitious edition statement on the title page. Illustrated with a frontispiece by Tony Johannot engraved by Andrew, Leloir and Best and mounted on Chine. The play, which portrays King François I as a debauched and tyrannical ruler, was banned the day after its first performance, on 22 November 1832. Hugo sued to defend freedom of expression, but the play remained banned for fifty years. We had to wait for the printed version before we could read the preface in which the author denounced the censorship to which he had fallen victim. The play then enjoyed all the success it deserved, but in its printed version. Although less performed than other works by Hugo, "Le Roi s'amuse" remains a text studied for its boldness and influence. It inspired Verdi to write his opera Rigoletto (1851), which popularised the story throughout the world. A superb copy, with wide margins in perfect condition.
See original version (French)
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About the sale Prestige sale - Antiquarian and collectible books
Auction location
Auction time 06/15/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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