Ruy Blas with Introduction and Explanatory Notes (Original French)

First edition thus; no additional printings stated. Fine coated navy cloth boards, gilt cover, spine titles, moderate cover, edge wear. Frontispiece plate of Victor Hugo. Pages good, some lt. pencilling. Part of Heath's Modern Language Series. Hugo's 'Ruy Blas' play in original French w/a twenty-three page introduction and notes in English. The first play presented at the Théâtre de la Renaissance opening on November 8, 1838 and considered by many to be Hugo’s best drama. Set in Madrid; the time 1699, during the reign of Charles II. Ruy Blas, an indentured commoner (and a poet), dares to love the Queen. The play is a thinly veiled cry for political reform. 230 pages. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall.