MOLIERE Jean-Baptiste Poquelin dit Le Divertissement de Chambord meslé de comédie, de musique, & d’entrée de ballet.

Tchemerzine-Scheler, IV, 811:c; Guibert, 518:3; Lacroix, 200 (erroneous pagination); Brunet, III, 1806; not in Malkin.

The chronology of the edition of Divertissement de Chambord is not clear. Tchemerzine gives one printed by Hotot in Blois in 1669, followed by one printed by Ballard.

Of the edition given in Paris by Ballard we know of two printings, one with the erroneous date of 1659 and the other with the date of 1670, as is the case here. Guibert speculates that the edition given by Hotot was merely a back-up print run, made for court spectators travelling to Blois. Ballard, the official printer of plays for the king’s spectacles, had probably prepared an insufficient number of copies for the Divertissement and had to make another print run.

‘This hastily made printing would explain the error in the vintage appearing on the title of the Ballard edition, 1659 instead of 1669’ (Guibert).

Scheler describes the edition with the date 1670 as the ‘Second edition given by Ballard. But it may also be the first, for which the date on the title will have been rectified during the printing’.

Last leaf laid-on with old tear without lack of text.