Bibliographie du dix-neuvième siècle, Année 2003, and: Bibliographie du dix-neuvième siècle, Année 2004 (review)

Now in its seventh year of publication, the new series of the Bibliographie du dix-neuvième siècle has employed images of the 1889 Exposition Universelle for its cover illustrations for the third consecutive year. The idea to use these images from L'Illustration, such as the Dôme central, the Galerie des industries diverses or the Palais des Beaux-Arts originated with the creator of the Bibliographie, Claude Duchet. These illustrations serve, as Philippe Régnier explains in his presentation to the 2004 volume, to call attention to the fact that the bibliography is not just an annual collection of subject matter related to this great century, but an exposition: "un lieu de rencontre entre exposants et visiteurs de tous pays, un échantillonnage aussi exhaustif que possible des marchandises les plus courantes et les plus rares de la librairie dix-neuviémistes, une construction provisoire destinée à fixer pour l'avenir les représentations à travers lesquelles, au jour d'aujour d'hui, ce siècle-là se fait encore jour" (7).

These two annual interdisplinary and international research volumes are devoted to expositions of four major areas of research: Lettres, Arts, Sciences, Histoire. In a sense, it is "la littérature" that serves as the Dôme central for these expositions since it is like a "carrefour de tous les savoirs, en position . . . centrale" allowing for the "rencontre entre les arts et les lettres, entre les sciences de l'homme et les sciences de la nature, entre le social et le politique, entre le culturel et l'économique ou le technique (2003: 7). As in previous editions, these bibliographies are organized into four major groupings: "l'édition, le geste philologique (E); l'ouvrage personnel (O); la part prise à un ouvrage collectif (C); revues et publications périodiques (R)." Each volume also includes as usual three different types of indexes: an Index auteurs et personnes du XIX^e siècle, an Index thématique, and an Index critique listing the names of all who have contributed in some way to the bibliographical references documented in these publications.

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As the editors point out with justifiable pride, this is the only bibliography devoted to a single century (from 1800 to 1914), with the added originality of being a truly interdisciplinary, and in every sense, a reference work that is open to all appropriate research regardless of the country of origin. Consequently, it includes not only French literature and history, but also foreign literatures and national histories, art, philosophy, religion and ideologies, sciences and techniques, ethnology, etc. In short, the aim of the team of editors has been to make this a truly universal reference tool that will serve researchers in locating information on the voluminous bibliographical sources related to their special interests.

For 2003, there are 270 editions, 679 works, 268 collective works and 256 periodical publications that have been noted and annotated. For 2004, 290 editions, 699 works, 256 collective works and 369 periodical publications are cited.

Publications determined to be of special significance or especially worthy of note are indicated with a marginal, vertical dash. Given the obvious impossibility of providing the reader with an adequate idea of the richness of these two collections, this marginal marker at least provides an effective, if limited, means of aiding in the identification of a number of remarkable publications in different areas. This may be one way to guide the reader through the special exhibitions identified in this manner.

For example, seventeen entries listed as Édition de textes are so indicated in the 2003 volume. Of these, two relate to German authors, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Heinrich Heine, one to the Italian...