Troyes/Rouen and the Bibliothèque bleue: Competition or partnership?
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The author explores the early days and presence of the Bibliothèque bleue in Troyes and Rouen, as well as its differences in the two cities. Comparing printers’ catalogs allows us to establish similarities and differences in the production of eighteenth-century chapbooks. These catalogs suggest that, despite being competitors, commercial agreements may have existed between counterparts from the two cities. But several anonymous or “fanciful” addresses leave room for speculation. Such a partnership between printer-booksellers was confirmed in the nineteenth century, with the last representatives of the “éditions bleues” in both towns. More generally, it seems that publishers in Rouen and Troyes shared their areas of influence and distribution. But, looking beyond genuine agreements, we cannot exclude the fact that sometimes the competition was unfair.
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