1709 RARE UNPERFORMED DRAMATIC OPERA Plays THEATRE Drama 1ST EDITION

Description: [Plays, Theatre] ~ [OPERA]. A GENTLEMAN OF QUALITY Alarbas. A Dramatick opera. London. Printed by M. J. for J. Morphew, 1709. Quarto. [6], 51pp, [1]. Without halftitle. Later halfvellum, marbled boards, contrasting black calf letteringpiece. A trifle rubbed. Bookseller's ticket of T. Connolly of Dublin to FEP, three horizontal closed tears to title page, naive paper repair to verso, occasional spotting/dampstaining. The sole edition of an anonymous serious opera in verse. Although Alarbas seemingly never reached the stage, the printed text calls for a great deal of music, and this, combined with numerous directions for the use of machine effects, make it a prime example of English dramatic opera of first decade of the eighteenthcentury a form soon to become unfashionable. In the preface, the author laments that his work 'being some time since drawn according to the Model of English Dramatick Opera's, any Person that is the least acquainted with the late Performances, will easily account for its appearing in this manner before it had pass'd the Stage, if they will be pleas'd to observe, that the Nature of the Play will not admit of its Representation at either House: The OperaTheatre being wholly taken up with Italian Airs, and the other totally excluding the Musical Part'. Uncommon outside of North America; ESTC records copies at only three locations in the British Isles (BL, NLS, and Oxford). ESTC T88563. ~ About Antiquates We’re based in the heart of the Dorset countryside, with an antiquarian bookshop in Wareham, housed within a beautiful Grade II Listed Georgian Building, we also travel far and wide to buy, sell and advise on rare books. We offer a wealth of antiquarian books, specialising in early and hand-press printing - but not excluding all others! Our bias is towards the unusual, the interesting and the important - and we try to offer our customers a varied and frequently changing selection, along with advice on library development and special purchases. We are proud and active members of the ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers Association), ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers) and the PBFA (Provincial Book Fairs Association) - professional bodies for the antiquarian book trade, abiding by their codes of practice and exhibiting at several large national and regional book fairs each year. Viewings of all books in our stock are possible by appointment at our Wareham bookshop, the details for which are displayed in the 'Business seller Information' section below. Purchase and Payment We aim to make your purchase as straightforward and pleasurable as possible. Payment can be made by various methods: From customers in the UK we accept: Paypal Bank Transfers (in GBP £ Sterling) Cheques (in GBP £ Sterling) For customers from the rest of the world we accept: Paypal Bank Transfers (in GBP £ Sterling) Postage and Packing As experienced and professional booksellers we have shipped books to many countries, and will be happy to quote costs for destinations and/or services other than those currently specified for this heavy book. All books are expertly wrapped, dispatched via national and international postal or courier services, and fully insured from our door to yours. Please be aware that antiquarian books can be imported to many destinations without restriction or extra duties (for example, the entire European Union), but that some destinations do charge import duties and/or sales tax on imported items. As per eBay terms, buyers are liable to pay these costs on receipt. Please see Postage and Payments section

Price: 450 GBP

Location: Corfe Castle

End Time: 2025-01-08T15:59:19.000Z

Shipping Cost: 22.89 GBP