Recherches sur les thèâtres de France, depuis l'année onze cens soixante-un, jusques à présent. 3 parts in 1 vol.

With engr. title-vignette by Lepicié after Boucher, 9 engr. head-pieces and 4 tail-pieces by Joullain after Blondel, several figured engr. initials, 2 folding tables. 6 unn. leaves, 166 pp.; half-title, 334 pp.; half-title, 321, (1) pp. Large 4to (220 x 290 mm). Contemp. calf, spine with label richly gilt, with crowned arms in lowest compartment, gilt outer and inner dentelles (corners somewhat bumped, edges and spine ends somewhat rubbed). Paris, Prault père, 1735. First edition. Large paper copy of the quarto issue of this comprehensive history of French theatre, arranged in chronological order. The work starts with Provençal poets, leading up to 1552; the following section is entitled "Théatre françois depuis 1552. jusqu'en 1735", divided in four periods; the third section deals with Ballets and Mascarades, the Théatre de l'Opéra, the Théatre Italien, and the Opéra comique ou Théatre de la Foire. De Beauchamps (1689-1761) wrote a number of plays, mostly on themes from classical antiquity. His "Recherches", the first critical history of French theatre, are indeed the work of an author deeply interested in the subject, they include biographical details about poets and playwrights as well as famous actors, manuscript sources, performances and publications, etc., and have useful indices of authors and titles mentioned. - Small wormtrack in lower margin of the first few pages. - Cioranescu 31385 (under Godard); Quérard, La France littéraire, I, 235; Brunet (Table) 16187; Hoefer IV, 908 ("Beauchamps ne s'est pas borné à compiler les titres des pièces de théatre, il y a joint des particularités sur la vie des comédiens français"). LITERATURE: FRENCH ; THEATRE ;