A Literary Tour de France

The World of Books on the Eve of the French Revolution

Nonfiction, History, France, European General
Cover of the book A Literary Tour de France by Robert Darnton, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert Darnton ISBN: 9780190678005
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: January 1, 2018
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Robert Darnton
ISBN: 9780190678005
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: January 1, 2018
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

The publishing industry in France in the years before the Revolution was a lively and sometimes rough-and-tumble affair, as publishers and printers scrambled to deal with (and if possible evade) shifting censorship laws and tax regulations, in order to cater to a reading public's appetite for books of all kinds, from the famous Encyclopédie, repository of reason and knowledge, to scandal-mongering libel and pornography. Historian and librarian Robert Darnton uses his exclusive access to a trove of documents-letters and documents from authors, publishers, printers, paper millers, type founders, ink manufacturers, smugglers, wagon drivers, warehousemen, and accountants-involving a publishing house in the Swiss town of Neuchatel to bring this world to life. Like other places on the periphery of France, Switzerland was a hotbed of piracy, carefully monitoring the demand for certain kinds of books and finding ways of fulfilling it. Focusing in particular on the diary of Jean-François Favarger, a traveling sales rep for a Swiss firm whose 1778 voyage, on horseback and on foot, around France to visit bookstores and renew accounts forms the spine of this story, Darnton reveals not only how the industry worked and which titles were in greatest demand, but the human scale of its operations. A Literary Tour de France is literally that. Darnton captures the hustle, picaresque comedy, and occasional risk of Favarger's travels in the service of books, and in the process offers an engaging, immersive, and unforgettable narrative of book culture at a critical moment in France's history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The publishing industry in France in the years before the Revolution was a lively and sometimes rough-and-tumble affair, as publishers and printers scrambled to deal with (and if possible evade) shifting censorship laws and tax regulations, in order to cater to a reading public's appetite for books of all kinds, from the famous Encyclopédie, repository of reason and knowledge, to scandal-mongering libel and pornography. Historian and librarian Robert Darnton uses his exclusive access to a trove of documents-letters and documents from authors, publishers, printers, paper millers, type founders, ink manufacturers, smugglers, wagon drivers, warehousemen, and accountants-involving a publishing house in the Swiss town of Neuchatel to bring this world to life. Like other places on the periphery of France, Switzerland was a hotbed of piracy, carefully monitoring the demand for certain kinds of books and finding ways of fulfilling it. Focusing in particular on the diary of Jean-François Favarger, a traveling sales rep for a Swiss firm whose 1778 voyage, on horseback and on foot, around France to visit bookstores and renew accounts forms the spine of this story, Darnton reveals not only how the industry worked and which titles were in greatest demand, but the human scale of its operations. A Literary Tour de France is literally that. Darnton captures the hustle, picaresque comedy, and occasional risk of Favarger's travels in the service of books, and in the process offers an engaging, immersive, and unforgettable narrative of book culture at a critical moment in France's history.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Echoes of Life by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book New Generations of Catholic Sisters by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book Political Science Research in the Middle East and North Africa by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book America's God by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book Ancestors and Relatives by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book A New Introduction to American Constitutionalism by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book When Children Don't Sleep Well by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book In the Shade of the Golden Palace by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book The Amphibians and Reptiles of New York State by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Latin American Political Economy by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book Families and Faith by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book Great Expectations by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book The Happy Lawyer by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book The Ten Lost Tribes by Robert Darnton
Cover of the book Economy and Consumption: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Robert Darnton
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy