Caprices d'un Bibliophile

Octave UzanneProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 198K words
Chapters: 20

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Caprices d'un Bibliophile by Octave UzanneAuthor: Uzanne, Octave, 1851-1931,Language: French, Class: Z: Bibliography, Library science, Release Date: Sep 27, 2012

Editor's review

This is a French essay collection by Octave Uzanne, a celebrated late-nineteenth-century French bibliophile and book lover; the title may be rendered literally as Caprices of a Bibliophile. The book ranges over marginal topics of book collecting, reading tastes, and literary life in a light, mildly sardonic tone, discussing rare books, bindings, and bookstalls as well as the quirks and obsessions of collectors. Its value lies not in systematic argument but in atmosphere: it lets readers see how book lovers of an earlier age made hunting, handling, and comparing editions a daily pleasure. For contemporary readers used to e-reading, such writing offers a counterpoint, reminding us that books are not only carriers of information but objects, quirks, and social currency. Best dipped into on a quiet afternoon, not necessarily read straight through; savor the rhythm and humor of the French essay one piece at a time. Note that the book is in the original French, and language is the first barrier to entry.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with French reading ability and an interest in nineteenth-century French literary essays
Book collectors who want to know the tastes and quirks of old European book lovers
Beginners studying book history, reading culture, or bibliography
Casual readers who enjoy short essays and dipping in at random

Not a good fit for

Readers who cannot read the French original and do not wish to use a dictionary
Readers expecting systematic book-history theory or scholarly argument
Readers who prefer continuous plot and strong narrative fiction

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents, begin with pieces on collecting, bindings, and bookstalls, then return to the rest.
Keep a dictionary handy for unfamiliar words; do not insist on understanding every allusion at once.
Pause after every two or three pieces and note your own book-related habits for comparison.
For research purposes, consult background material on French publishing in the author's time.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a collection of essays?

According to the cataloging, the book is classed under bibliography and library science; the author, Uzanne, was a bibliophile, and the work is a French essay collection about books and the pleasures of collecting, not a novel with a continuous plot. Read each piece on its own; do not look for a main storyline.

Can I read this book without knowing French?

The original is in French, and reading it directly requires some French. Without French, you can work through it with a dictionary passage by passage, or first learn about nineteenth-century French book-collecting culture and then try; if you want light reading, consider a related book in translation instead.

Which edition of the e-book is this?

According to the data, the book was released by Project Gutenberg, is marked as French, is classed under bibliography and library science, and had an e-book release date of September 27, 2012. It is a public-domain electronic text, suitable for searching and excerpting on e-readers, though formatting and notes vary by edition.

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About the author

Octave Uzanne Author · French · 1851–1931

Octave Uzanne (1851–1931) was a French writer, journalist and bibliophile, born in Auxerre and died in Saint-Cloud. Active in French book culture in the late nineteenth century, he founded several periodicals for book collectors, using them to gather fellow enthusiasts and discuss editions and collecting tastes. His writings centred on books, collecting and the objects of everyday life: Caprices d'un Bibliophile offers essays on the whims and reveries of book lovers, The Sunshade, the Glove, the Muff turns to fashion accessories and traces their forms and social meanings, while Le calendrier de Vénus touches on calendars and gallant themes. His prose combines scholarship with informal reflection and draws cultural observations from small objects; he was a representative figure of French bibliophilic culture. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the full range of his work await further verification.