1908 Rare Symbolist Theatre - Pelleas and Melisande by Maurice Maeterlinck

Author: Maurice Maeterlinck.
Title: Pelléas and Mélisande. Translated by Erving Winslow. With an introduction by Montrose J. Moses.
Publisher: New York, Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, 1908. 
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8.5 x 6 inches.
Pages: 135 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good publisher’s original decorative green cloth binding, the upper cover stamped in gilt and cream with an elegant Art Nouveau design surrounding a photographic portrait panel (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. Upper edge gilt. 
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing - as shown, exlibris of a previous owner on the first endpaper - as shown).  
Illustrations: Illustrated with several photographic plates depicting scenes and actors from theatrical productions of Pelléas and Mélisande, including the celebrated image of Mélisande with her extraordinary flowing hair. The text pages are richly ornamented throughout with elaborate Art Nouveau green decorative borders, giving the volume a particularly refined visual presentation. Complete.

Estimate: (USD $150–200).

The book: Maurice Maeterlinck’s Pelléas and Mélisande is one of the most celebrated works of the Symbolist theatre. First published in 1892, the play tells the mysterious and tragic story of the enigmatic Mélisande and the doomed love that unfolds within the shadowed kingdom of Allemonde. Its atmosphere of quiet tension, poetic symbolism, and psychological depth marked a striking departure from the realism dominant in late nineteenth-century drama.

The play gained international recognition when it inspired Claude Debussy’s celebrated opera of the same name, first performed in 1902. English-language editions such as this elegant 1908 Crowell printing helped bring Maeterlinck’s haunting drama to a wider audience.

This beautifully produced volume reflects the artistic tastes of the Art Nouveau period. The decorative green typographic borders, refined page layout, and evocative photographic plates drawn from theatrical interpretations together create a visually striking book that captures both the literary and theatrical legacy of Maeterlinck’s masterpiece.

The author: Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949) was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist closely associated with the Symbolist movement. His works explore themes of destiny, mystery, and the unseen forces shaping human life. In 1911 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in recognition of the poetic imagination and philosophical depth of his dramatic and literary works.