Preface
Composed in 1891 in the French language, Salomé was not written for Madame Sarah Bernhardt, but was accepted by her for production at the Palace Theatre, London, in 1892, when a license was refused by the Censor. The play was first performed by the Théâtre de L’Œuvre, Paris, in 1896. Private performances have been given in England by the New Stage Club in 1905, and by the Literary Theatre Club in 1906. The opera of Dr. Richard Strauss was first produced in Dresden in 1905; an incomplete text is used for the score. The dramatic and literary rights are protected in every language. The original and complete French dramatic version, here reprinted, is the literary and dramatic property of Robert Ross. The German dramatic rights are vested with Herr Ludwig Bloch. The operatic rights for every country are the property of Dr. Richard Strauss. The right of English translation is the property of Mr. John Lane. Exclusive of the operatic version, the play is constantly performed in eleven different languages.
| First Published Paris: Librairie de l’Art Indépendant. London: Elkin Matthews and John Lane. | 1893 | |
| First Issued by Methuen and Co. (Limited Editions on Handmade Paper and Japanese Vellum) | February | 1908 |
| First F’cap. 8vo Edition | November | 1909 |
| Second F’cap. 8vo Edition | October | 1910 |
| Third F’cap. 8vo Edition | December | 1911 |
| Fourth F’cap. 8vo Edition | May | 1915 |
| First F’cap. 8vo Edition | 1917 | |
A MON AMI
PIERRE LOUŸS