La Bibliophilie in France - Part 2 of 3 & The ILAB Breslauer Prize For Bibliography

De l’argile au nuage: une archéologie des catalogues
(IIe millénaire av. J.-C. – XXIe siècle)
by Frédéric Barbier, Thierry Dubois & Yann Sordet

Published by Bibliothèque Mazarine, Bibliothèque de Genève, Éditions des Cendres, Paris in 2015

Published on the occasion of an exhibition held at the Mazarine Library, Paris, and at the Library of Geneva in 2015, this lavishly printed and illustrated book, which gathers the contributions of 40 different scholars, investigates the history of the “catalogue” in its broader meaning (printed and manuscript catalogues, inventories, lists, labeling, etc.), from the clay tablets to the modern “cloud” systems, from the Carolingian inventories to the Renaissance bibliographical encyclopedias, from the sale catalogues to the catalogues of the great libraries. Moreover, the volume deals with the ancient and still current issue of collecting and organizing data, studying its evolution also on the basis of the material supports used throughout human history, such as the clay tablet, the volume, the codex, the printed book, the card, and, more recently, the screen.

Yann Sordet, Director of Paris' Bibliothèque Mazarine and co-author of this publication, is also member of the jury of the 17th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography. More info can be found here.

The book can be purchased from the publishers here: >> Bibliothèque Mazarine

Gravures de la Rue Montorgueil
by Séverine Lepape

Published by BnF Éditions, Paris in 2016

From the 1550s, families of print publishers settled in Paris in Rue Montorgueil, near the Les Halles market, offering to the public a various and vast production of prints. The present catalogue sheds a new light on the activity of these publishers, almost unknown so far, which lasted until the 1640's. The catalogue examines over 650 prints, arranged by alphabetical order of publishers, mainly coming from the collections ofthe Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

The publication can be purchased from the publishers here:
>> Editions de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France

L’amorevolezza verso le cose Italiche. Le livre italien à Paris au XVIe siècle
by Jean Balsamo

Published by Droz in Geneva in 2015

Between 1535 and 1610, the Parisian typographers-booksellers published about 100 books in the Italian language. These works were mainly the production of Italians living at the royal court or of Italianizing French authors. Since Francis I, the French court gave much importance to the Italian literature and tongue. Balsamo for the first time has surveyed and described in details this production, identifying 109 editions. Very rich and useful the final indexes.

The publication was awarded the Prix Monseigneur Marcel 2016 & Prix de Bibliographie du SLAM 2016, the bibliographical prize of the French antiquarian booksellers' association, le Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (SLAM).

The publication can be purchased from the publishers here: >> Edition Droz

The ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography is sponsored by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers with the generous support of the B.H. Breslauer Foundation.

This prestigious prize in the field of bibliographical studies is awarded every fourth year to the most significant reference work within a selection of scholarly books on bibliography, published in the previous years and submitted to the Prize jury.