Cyrano de Bergerac. By Edmond Rostand. Illustrated by Pierre Brissaud. Collector’s Edition. Easton Press. Norwalk, 1984.

Edmond Rostand was a French playwright who published Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897. It remains his most well-known play. The work recounts in five acts the life and exploits of its titular character, a French soldier who is brave and cunning but self-conscious about his especially large nose. The original French script is in rhyming couplets. Later translations vary in terms of their fidelity to the verse, but regardless of the version, the play’s humor, adventure, and characterization continue to have a lasting impact on readers and audiences today. For any collector of classic dramas, it is an essential volume.

This collector’s edition is in near-fine condition. In the original leather, elaborately gilt stamped, near-fine with only rubbing to bottom edge. Raised bands. Gilt spine label. Text block near-fine, only bookplate residue to front pastedown. Gilt edges. Silk moire endpapers and bookmark sewn in.

A near-fine collector’s copy of Cyrano de Bergerac.