GOLDSMITH, Oliver. She Stoops to Conquer: or, The Mistakes of a Night. A Comedy. As it is acted at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden

London: Printed for F. Newbery, in St. Paul’s Church-Yard, 1773 . Variant of the first edition. Octavo. pp. [vi], 114. Finely bound by Riviere & Son in dark green morocco, covers with triple gilt fillet borders, inner dentelles richly gilt, all edges gilt; spine with raised bands, compartments elaborately tooled in gilt. Spine professionally rebacked, preserving the original backstrip. Marbled endpapers. A very handsome copy in modern brown cloth slipcase. With armorial bookplate (Blairhame) to front pastedown.
A particularly attractive copy of the first edition of Goldsmith’s most celebrated play, one of the great comedies of the English stage. First performed at Covent Garden in March 1773, She Stoops to Conquer revived the tradition of laughing comedy at a time when sentimental drama predominated, and has remained continuously in performance ever since. The present example is distinguished by its refined Riviere binding, restrained yet elegant, enhancing an already desirable 18th-century dramatic first edition.
Goldsmith’s play marked a decisive turning point in 18th-century theatre, rejecting the moralising tone of sentimental comedy in favour of wit, farce, and social observation. Its enduring appeal lies in its theatrical vitality and memorable characters, notably Tony Lumpkin. Copies of the first edition are increasingly rare in commerce, particularly in fine later bindings.
Provenance: Natalie (Knowlton) Blair (1883-1951), American bibliophile of a distinguished collecting milieu, associated with refined private libraries of the early 20th century. Her books are characteristically well-chosen, often in fine bindings or notable editions. Surviving volumes from her library are comparatively scarce in commerce. A pleasing and desirable ownership association.
She is recognized today as, "the earliest woman collector of Americana of the first rank" (Wendy Moonan), "unsurpassed in connoisseurship by any of the better-known collectors of her generation." (Christies).