Voltaire. — Olympie, tragédie nouvelle de M. de Voltaire. Suive de remarques historique.

A Francfort et Leipsick, De l'Imprimerie de Knoch & Esslinger, 1763. 91,XVI pp. Bound in early 19th century marbled calf binding, three gilt frames on covers, spine and cover along the inner edges lavishly gilded, red mor. letterpiece on spine, marbled endpapers. 12mo. - With small 20th century ex libris on first free endpapers.# Bengesco 259; Beuchot 608. - Very charming 1763 copy (this edition preceding the commentaries). Several 1763 editions with different imprints are known to exist. The true first edition is the one printed in 1963 by his regular publishers, the Cramer brothers in Geneva. However, the bibliographic reality surrounding the publication is complex, due to the phenomenon (common at the time) of pirated editions and works published under pseudonyms. The first Parisian edition was published in 1764 by Duchesne, featuring revisions by Voltaire, ahead of the first major public performance in Paris. - - 'Olympie' is a tragedy in five acts by Voltaire. The play revolves around love, rivalry, and tragic revelations set in ancient Greece. The story takes place in Ephesus in 308 BC. At the heart of the drama are the rivals Cassandre and Antigone, who vie for the love of Olympie (Aménais), the daughter of Alexander the Great. - Voltaire completed the first version of Olympie'' in just six days in the autumn of 1761 and revised it for its performance in Paris in 1764. The first book edition was prepared in 1763 by Cosimo Alessandro Collini, Voltaire's former secretary (1751-1756); he based it on a manuscript by Voltaire intended for the performance at the Schwetzingen palace theatre on 30 September 1762.