Les Veillées du Tasse, avec le texte Italien en regard; précédées des Mémoires historique et de Recherches littéraires sur sa vie. Traduites par M. B. Barère, membre de plusieurs académies. Édition ornée de quatre gravures

Small 8vo. pp. [v] (2 first blank), [4], vi-xcij, 231, [3] (blank). Signatures: [a]7 b4 c8 d4 e8 f4 g8 h4 18 24 38 44 58 64 78 84 98 104 118 124 138 144 158 164 178 184 196 202. Morocco. Gilt spine. Yellow lettering panel. Contains illustrations. Printer's device on title page. Plate facing p. 77 signed: "Traduits du dessin de S. Myris par R. Delvaux." Plate facing p. 95 signed: "S. Myris del., A. B. St. Aubin f." Plate facing p. 143 signed: "S. Myris del., P. Baquoy Sculp." Plate facing p. 215 signed: "Traduits du dessin de S. Myris par R. Delvaux."

A translation of a forgery of 30 proto-Romantic ‘veglie’ or night thoughts attributed to the imprisoned poet Tasso but actually written by Giuseppe Compagnoni (1754-1833), the Milanese political journalist, poet, and editor of Gerusalemme liberata. The success of this appealing imposture was phenomenal in its time, and a great controversy over its authenticity was laid to rest only in 1927 when Compagnoni’s memoirs, admitting his fabrication, appeared in print. This bilingual edition is in French, with Italian text facing French translation for the Veillées. For the first (1799-1800) French-Italian edition, translated by Compagnoni’s friend Jean François Mimaut, see Bib# 4658548/Fr#1439 in this collection.

Click here to view the Johns Hopkins University catalog record.