Um serão nas laranjeiras. Comédia em tres actos.

Lisbon, Portugal-Brasil Limitada, Sociedade Editora; and Rio de Janeiro: Companhia Editora Americana / Livraria Francisco Alves, [1920].. 8°, contemporary tan sheep over marbled boards (some wear), spine with raised bands in five compartments, decorated in blind, crimson morocco lettering piece, gilt letter, decorated endleaves, top edge rouged, other edges uncut, original illustrated wrappers bound in. In very good condition. Author's signed six-line presentation inscription in ink on half title: "Ao meu primeiro amigo // Alberto [illeg.] //com um grande abraço [illeg.] // [illeg.], do seu admirador // amigo // Júlio Dantas". 273 pp., (1 l. advt.). *** Third edition, including the preface to the second edition. First published in 1904; a second edition appeared in 1915; a fourth, undated, may have been published in 1923, though what is apparently the same edition seems to have been catalogued as having been published as late as 1940. It was translated into Spanish, Italian and German. A note on the half title states that this play was first performed at the Teatro D. Maria II on 24 December 1903, and subsequently included in that theater's permanent repertory. The action is set in Portugal in 1848, and proved controversial in 1903 for its portrayal of certain easily identified persons, whose descendants continued to occupy important positions in politics and society.Dantas (1876-1962) is one of the best known early twentieth-century Portuguese writers. His major work, Ceia do cardeaes, went through 48 editions from 1902 to 1962, with translations into French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, English, German, Swedish, Danish and Japanese. Its influence may also be judged by the fact that Campos Ferreira Lima lists no fewer than 49 parodies. Trained as an army surgeon, Dantas later became Inspector das Bibliotecas Eruditas e Arquivos (1912) and president of the Academia das Ciências (1921).*** Fonseca, Aditamentos p. 260-1. Saraiva & Lopes, História da literatura portuguesa (1976) pp. 1045-46. Bell, Portuguese Literature p. 313: "the most conspicuous among slightly younger dramatists … gifted with wit, lightness of touch, an excellent style, and a sense of atmosphere." Porbase locates other editions, but not this one. Jisc lists the first and fourth editions. KVK (51 databases searched) locates a copy at the Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg.