The New Bibliopolis: French Book Collectors and the Culture of Print: 1880–1914 by Willa Z. Silverman (review)

Enlightenment. The author claims that the liberté, égalité, and fraternité promoted by the French Revolution was constrained by economic considerations and limited to citizens of France, whereas the Radical Enlightenment extended emancipation universally, based on human rights and natural law. Toussaint Louverture and his assistants wrote these principles into the Constitution of Haiti. The final fifty pages of the book examine the shortcomings of the revolution. Because Haiti was the first black independent republic in the Atlantic world, it inevitably drew opposition from regions where slavery existed. In order to inhibit the spread of the revolutionary spirit, these countries refused to grant diplomatic recognition to Haiti, whose economic viability was further weakened by embargos . Because Toussaint believed that a strong economy was the only way to maintain independence in order to resist these external pressures, he saw the continuation of the agricultural plantocracy as the only possible means to this end. Thus, he ordered the freed slaves to continue their labor in the sugar cane fields, reaffirming their freedom and promising they would be paid. However, the masses of emancipated slaves (for whom freedom was the gateway to selfsufficiency ) revolted against the desire of Toussaint and the black and mulatto élite and demanded that the plantations be divided into parcels for subsistence farming. The disagreement between these major players is well depicted in the novel, Le Bon Dieu se cache dans un nuage, by Nicole Maymat (Seuil, 2007). Although the book gives very little background on the author, stating only that he is a Senior Lecturer in French at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and listing a previous work, Nesbitt’s interests range from political philosophy to music to Francophone Caribbean and African studies. Messiah College (PA) Lois Beck SILVERMAN, WILLA Z. The New Bibliopolis: French Book Collectors and the Culture of Print: 1880–1914. Toronto: UP of Toronto, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8020-9211-3. Pp. 312. $75.00. This study of books in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in France is part of a series, Studies in Book and Print. It explores the art of printing, binding, illustrating, and collecting of books during this period. Bookstores almost tripled, and the reading public grew enormously. Since it was a time when new technologies appeared rapidly, it led to many controversial theories about books. It also led to new possibilities in their production. The livre de luxe found competition in the more popular book market. Silverman explores these cultural manifestations in great detail and studies their significance. Silverman considers Octave Uzanne (1851–1931) as the “high priest of fin-desi ècle bibliophilia.” (14) He was a prolific writer, publisher, and journalist. He appreciated the livre de luxe, but at the same time saw enormous opportunities through new technology. While he deplored “Americanization” and industrialization , he showed great interest in grillotage, graphic arts, and the possibilities of photography. He also admired the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century book arts. Silverman thus labels him a “reactionary modernist.” He and his followers also passionately collected deluxe editions. This manifests not only a love for books, but also the social aspirations of the upper bourgeoisie. Uzanne was also interested in luxury bindings. He did not see technology as Reviews 179 offering many new techniques in this regard. He admired Charles Meunier and Marius Michel for their innovative designs, often based on older methods. Uzanne however saw the possibilities of industrial development in typography. He also helped to foster a revival of the woodcut, and felt that photography could play a role in the woodcut to depict Parisian cityscapes. During this time bibliophiles formed associations of book collectors. The most important was the Société des Bibliophiles François, who deliberately chose the Old French adjective to describe their admiration for the past. Baron Pichon founded the Society in 1821 and remained its president for sixty years. At the same time, the Amis des Livres, people of average wealth, collected industrially produced but attractive luxury books. These groups often met at lavish dinners, and even their menus became collectors’ items. Finally, Uzanne himself founded the Société des Bibliophiles Contemporains, to emphasize the necessity of originality through technology. Avant-garde literary and artistic reviews...