1662 Rare French Vellum Book - The Golden Fleece - La Toison d'Or by Corneille.

(Description)

Author: Pierre Corneille.
Title: La Toison d'Or, Tragédie
Publisher: A Paris, Suivant la Copie imprimée, 1662
Language: Text in French
Size: 5 " X 3 "
Pages: 85 pages.
Binding: Very good contemporary reused vellum binding with manuscript writing visible on both covers (hinges intact, overall slightly worn and scuffed, as shown) under a removable protective mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight, and clean, rare light toning - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with a detailed engraving on the frontispiece depicting a scene from the play.

Estimate: (Scarce with no or few other copies available for sale worldwide).

The book: This is an important edition of Corneille's famous play La Toison d'Or (The Golden Fleece), which was first performed in 1660. The play is based on the classical myth of Jason and the Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece. It was performed in honor of the marriage of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Spain, celebrating French monarchy and military strength.

The author: Pierre Corneille (1606-1684) was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. He is often regarded as the founder of French tragedy, and his works have remained central to French theater. La Toison d'Or is one of his historical dramas, written in an elaborate and formal style.