Constant Taillard - Oraison Funèbre de Napoléon - 1821

Bruxelles: Arnold Lacrosse, 1821, original paper wraps, 21 x 13.5 cm, 7 pages of printed text; condition Very Good with some discoloration to wraps, no tears, complete with all pages present and attached.

This laudatory oration was composed "by an old soldier" (Constant Taillard), soon after the death of Napoleon on May 5th, 1821. Shortly thereafter, Taillard's eulogy was printed in both Brussels and Paris. While the exact publication dates remain elusive, this Brussels edition likely predates or was produced concurrently with the Paris version. As a center for distributing popular or forbidden literature, Brussels frequently released French works ahead of Paris, where stricter censorship existed - a crucial factor given the sensitive political climate surrounding the former Emperor's death.

There are multiple copies of the Paris edition in various institutions, but this Brussels edition is extraordinarily rare, with no other example being found on the internet, in auction records, or listed in WorldCat.