La bibliothèque de Thou et ses catalogues

The value of studying old library catalogs is now well established, not only for the works they describe, but also in themselves, as sources for the history of library science. In this respect, the series of catalogs compiled for the library founded by Jacques-Auguste I de Thou at the end of the 16th century, which remained maintained and open to scholars until its sale in 1680, constitutes a remarkable field of study to which this book is devoted. The library was the subject of four catalogs between 1617 and 1679. The first three, in manuscript, are attributed to de Thou himself (1617), to the brothers Pierre and Jacques Dupuy (1645-1648), and to Ismaël Boulliau (1653). The work of Ismaël Boulliau provided the material for the design of the final catalogue, printed for sale by the last librarian, Joseph Quesnel. Its arrangement reflects an innovative approach, concerned with ensuring the quality of the entries and improved access to bibliographic data. Additional sources (correspondence, handwritten notes) shed light on the work and technical choices of successive librarians, as well as the decisive role of Jacques-Auguste II, son of the founder, in perfecting the library catalogue as a new genre of scholarly writing. The final catalogue, entitled Catalogus bibliothecae Thuanae , held up as an example for the perfection of its five-division classification, thus served as a source of inspiration for booksellers in France and throughout Europe