Molière, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin dit

Signed limited-edition copy of the Arion Press' edition of Moliere's Tartuffe.

• Moliere [Jean-Baptiste Poquelin] (French).
• Translated by poet laureate Richard Wilbur (American).
• Illustrated by William Hamilton (American).
• San Francisco: Arion Press, 2004.
• 120 pages.
• Folio.
• Numbered limitation of 300 copies, with this being an unknown number because the book remains unopened in the publisher’s original packaging.
• Signed by Richard Wilbur and William Hamilton.
• Bound in full cloth over boards, the fabric of a burgundy moiré satin, stamped in gold with titling on the spine and front cover, and with the original prospectus.

From the publisher: “Molière was born and died in Paris (1622–1673). He began as an actor and by 1658 he was presenting plays at the Louvre in its rental theater. In 1664, he staged Tartuffe as a royal divertisement at Versailles, causing a scandal for it being perceived as criticism of the upper classes and anti-clerical. The king supported Molière but performances were suspended. The play was revived in 1667 under the title Panulphe, ou L'imposteur, but was banned by the clergy...Richard Wilbur's rhymed verse translation of Tartuffe is a treat to read, and his translations, especially of the plays of Molière, have brought him great acclaim. The cartoonist, humor writer and playwright William Hamilton, is well-known for his drawings in The New Yorker. His liquid line and quick capturing of character and expression provide the perfect foil for the play.”

The type is 16-point Van Dijck composed in Monotype for the text with larger sizes handset for display and an ornamental type, Fontanesi, for the title, an initial letter and act numbers, and photopolymer plates were used for the illustrations. The paper is Arches, a French mold-made sheet. The names of characters are separated from the dialogue by a curving rule. The rule, running heads, folios, the decorative type and speeches repeated in larger type beneath the illustrations are printed in burgundy ink.

About the Arion Press: Since its inception in 1974, the Arion Press has published 118 deluxe limited editions that are breathtaking in their scope and artistry. Combining notable literature illustrated with original artwork from prominent artists, Andrew Hoyem and his team at the Arion Press have carried on the tradition of the livre d’artiste in spectacular fashion. Michael Kimmelman of The New York Times put it best when he wrote, "The Arion Press produces some of the most beautiful limited-edition, hand-printed books in the world."