ROYAL SPECTACLES – PATRAT, Joseph (1732-1801). L'anglais ou le fou raisonnable, comédie en un acte et en prose, représenté àla muette devant la famille royale, le 10 septembre 1781.Paris: Chez la veuve Ballard & fils, 1781.

Play by the popular French playwright first performed before Louis XVI and his family, in a copy bound for Louis XVIII.Joseph Patrat (or Patras), the son of a theatre grip, began his career as an actor at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Author of 40 plays, Patrat was also part of the company of Mademoiselle Montansier before establishing himself in Paris and writing several pieces for the Comédie-Française, the Théâtre des Variétés-Amusantes, the Théâtre Montansier, the Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique, and above all for the Comédie-Italienne, the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, the Théâtre Feydeau, and the Odéon. Cioranescu 49214.

Octavo (189 x 119mm). Woodcut vignettes, head- and tailpieces. Contemporary French red morocco gilt, brown morocco titling piece, all edges gilt, silk ribbon bookmark, with the arms of Louis XVIII on covers (lightly rubbed). Provenance: Louis-Stanislas-Xavier, Comte de Provence, later Louis XVIII, King of France (1755-1824; binding) – Comte Henry Greffulhe (1848-1932; bookplate) – Unidentified 19th century bookplate.