Les XX also revived interest in livres anciens that had become a novelty since other bibliophiles had abandoned them. Continuing Uzanne’s mission in the legitimization of contemporary illustrated books were Les Cent Bibliophiles and Les XX, groups that also marked more avant-garde directions for subject matter and design. Reviews such as the short-lived Le Livre Moderne, and the longer-running L’Art et l’Idée, helped shift collecting towards what Uzanne felt was a more selective group, particularly the 160 people he deemed “cardinals’ in the Société des Bibliophiles Contemporains, Académie des Beaux Livres. The degeneration into “social circles” is illustrated by souvenir menus designed by Louis Morin and Jules Chéret, as well as the cheap imitation bookbindings of Georges Trautz (whom Uzanne particularly detested). The Société des Bibliophiles François under Baron Picon is presented as the “Old Guard” described by Uzanne as “crazy shrunken book lovers” and a newer type of bibliophilia promoted by Les Amis des Livres was also dismissed by Uzanne as too commercial and tied to a more widespread collecting practice, bibelotage. Her approach is thematic in its examination of the effects of changing print technologies and shifting audiences for what were considered “luxury” book editions, as well as the rise of bibliophilic societies, reviews and small presses, and the promotion of books as art at competitive international exhibits. Working from the letters of his contemporaries including correspondence ranging from Félicien Rops to Edmond de Goncourt, Silverman tries to reconstruct Uzanne’s contribution to the period while also examining his obsession with books. Unfortunately there is precious little biographical material on Uzanne, who seems not to have descendents to consult. Silverman, professor in Department of French and Francophone Studies and the Jewish Studies Program at The Pennsylvania State University, focuses most of her new book around the somewhat enigmatic figure of Octave Uzanne, a prolific publisher and promoter of book collecting. This is an area that is much less well known than other aspects of nineteenth century print culture such as illustrated journals, the history of caricatures and collectible prints. Willa Silverman investigates the behind-the-scenes activity that resulted in the production and collection of luxury books. With the removal of the requirement to deposit an exemplaire, printed matter became even more ephemeral after 1881. For researchers of this period, the changed structure vis-à-vis print culture is a mixed blessing, for the very laws that restricted publications also resulted in the archival goldmines that are still present in Paris. Laws that amounted to censorship of the press, which waxed and waned depending on the whims of those in power from Charles X to Napoleon to Louis-Philippe, were finally revoked under Louis Napoleon’s Second Empire. The social and political context leading up to the Third Republic included three revolutions and multiple changes of leadership. Print culture in France is tied as much to social issues as it is to politics-with an increase in the reading public (fostered by “reading rooms” in addition to less formal sharing of printed materials) as well as the rise of the bourgeoisie, and the development of specific “middle class” novels and illustrated journals. The latter part of the nineteenth century in France witnessed an unprecedented explosion of all variety of printed materials. The New Bibliopolis: French Book Collectors and the Culture of Print, 1880-1914 Toronto/Buffalo/London: University of Toronto Press, 2008ģ12pp b/w illustrations selected bibliography
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |