The French Book Trade in Enlightenment Europe I: Selling Enlightenment by Mark Curran (review)

Curran's book offers an interesting and innovative perspective on the eighteenth-century book trade. It is the first of two volumes (the second by Simon Burrows) exploring the topic through data generated by the digital humanities French Book Trade in Enlightenment Europe (FBTEE) project. This project compiled information on virtually all transactions of the Société typographique de Neuchâtel (STN) for the duration of the company's existence (1769–94). The material available in the database includes transaction dates, debtors and creditors, actions and how they were payable, quantity and quality of merchandise, and per-item and total-transaction costs (36). Curran's strategy is to employ this data as the foundation for exploring the evolution of the STN, from its inception to its demise, in order to better understand "the flows of the eighteenth-century French-language book trade" (9). Methodologically, Curran adopts a funnelling-outward approach, starting with the history of STN's creation and rise, and moving progressively in subsequent chapters to the context of the Swiss book trade, then to international markets, unstable economic conditions affecting those markets, and finally the overall characteristics of the eighteenth-century book trade. Embedded in this outward-funnel narrative are sub-chapters that either elaborate on the methodology used in establishing the database, or offer case studies of specific texts sold by STN, in order to illustrate what we can learn from the typical and the atypical in STN's offerings. Importantly, Curran underscores both the strengths and limitations of his own data and methodology, outlining what he believes the data can legitimately show, while carefully avoiding overstatement of the conclusions that might be drawn from it. For example Curran notes that "the FBTEE data set contains systematic biases and significant blind spots" (136) and that the data "is too patchy [...] and insubstantial to be straightforwardly marshalled in support of broad conclusions about regional bestsellers or comparative reading tastes" across Europe (136). He also states, however, that the data do lead to conclusions about the limited duration of an author's or work's popularity, the variability of book offerings across Europe, and the ability of "state actors and private individuals" to influence public Enlightement debates (137). Stylistically, Curran's prose is clean and clear. He successfully avoids the danger of data-dumping, and instead narrates data-supported events in a colorful and engaging manner. From William Coxe's contemporary first impressions of Neuchâtel (15–16), to the tale of David Mercier's lame horse (83), to the grimly humorous "Théodore Rilliet de Saussure had it coming" (114), Curran entertains as he informs. While accessible to any educated reader, the content is clearly aimed at a focused, scholarly audience. Curran's work will be of interest to any eighteenth-century specialist and is essential reading for scholars of the Enlightenment book trade.