NOVERRE Jean Georges Lettres sur la danse et sur les ballets.

First edition of this important work on dance and ballet.

A dancer and ballet master, Jean Georges de Noverre (1727–1810) left a dual mark on the history of dance in the 18th century, not only through his career – both nationally and internationally – but also through his innovative conception of ballet, set out in this work.

Written in the form of letters, Noverre stands out for having revolutionised dance through the introduction of the ‘ballet d’action’, also known as pantomime ballet. This was an avant-garde conception of dance for its time, blending choreography, theatre and storytelling, with the aim of making ballet a fully-fledged dramatic art form. Noverre sought to break with the traditional, highly codified conception of ballet.

Published simultaneously in Stuttgart and Lyon, some editions feature a title page indicating only Lyon as the place of publication. The work was translated into several languages and reprinted numerous times.

Les lettres sur la danse is an influential 18th-century work that laid the foundations for modern ballet.

The interior is in very fresh condition; there are a few wormholes on the binding, and the lower cap is damaged, though this is a charming copy nonetheless