MM. DINAUX. Richard Darlington. Drama in three... Lot 7

MM. DINAUX. Richard Darlington. Drama in three acts and prose, preceded by La maison du Docteur, prologue. Paris, J. N. Barba, 1832. In-8, long-grained fawn morocco, gilt fillet on covers, smooth spine richly decorated with gilt scrolls and roulettes, gilt date at foot, printed covers and spine preserved, untrimmed (Binding by Stroobants). [2] ff. 132 pp. First edition. Dinaux is the collective pseudonym of Messrs. J.-F. Beudin and P.-P. Goubaux. Although his name does not appear on the title, Alexandre Dumas collaborated on this play and received a third of the royalties. The play premiered at the Porte-Saint-Martin theater on December 10, 1831, with Frédérick Lemaître and Alexandrine Noblet. Pressed for money, Dumas agreed to collaborate on a play that Beudin and Goubaux were unable to complete. Its actual construction is clearly almost entirely in Dumas' hand. But, not wishing to see his name attached to a collective work - and a melodrama at that - he demanded that his name should not appear. This is the story of an unbridled political ambition. In a corrupt society, any means is fair game: lies, money, kidnapping, even murder. The play is set in England, but Dumas, in describing how Darlington, a member of the House of Commons, is about to betray the people who elected him, is no doubt thinking of other betrayals that had occurred two years earlier in France. The play was a triumph, with over 70 performances in 1831 and 1832. It also marked the beginning of Dumas' theatrical collaborations. Vicaire III, 339-340; Talvart, 12; Munro, 23. Slight rubbing to spines and corners, repairs to cover. A first attempt and a masterstroke in melodrama. A fine copy.