French Pamphlet collection
Collection
0004-LIT-RARE
This collection documents significant events and periods in French history throughout the 17th-20th centuries. It contains approximately 9,600 pamphlets pertaining to public figures, political events, foreign relations, religion, and conflict. The pamphlets are an invaluable resource for the insight they provide into their contemporary conversations, social climates, and ways of thought.
Most of the materials in this collection are written in French. Some pamphlets are written in Latin.
This collection is open for research.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
9600 Items
The French Pamphlet collection contains material dating from 1606 to 1966 that covers many crucial events and periods in French history. The largest part of the collection, Series I, is made up of over 5,700 pamphlets. Series I is sorted by subject, and includes government publications from the first ten years of the French Revolution, over 1,700 decrees and laws published from 1789 to 1795, and documents France's involvement with the Middle East, centering on the conflict with the Ottoman Empire, 1900-1924, among other topics of interest. Series II is made up of approximately 3,800 pamphlets. Beginning in 1788 with Louis XVI’s call for a national discussion of the Estates General’s agenda, pamphlets became a major form of expression during a period of uninhibited debate in France. Pamphlets and other printed ephemera also became more common on the eve of the Revolution when the old system of royal regulation of printing and bookselling collapsed. In addition to the Revolutionary era, major strengths in the collection include pamphlets produced during the Fronde (1649-1652). The pamphlets in Series II document these important periods of transition.
The inventory for this collection is being revised. Please contact us for access to more detailed information about the material.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives