Rouget, François

Michel Gadoulleau et Jean Février éditeurs de Guillaume Du Bartas - 2020.


83

Among the French poets of the last quarter of the 16th century, Guillaume de Saluste Du Bartas is one whose success has never been refuted. This success is due mainly to two books, Les Œuvres (1574) and La Sepmaine (1578). Investigating the number of old editions not only leads to discovering an increase in the number of editions, but also leads to the question of their locations and differences. The task is made difficult by the existence of editions that are shared between several contemporary publishers, behind which are sometimes hidden distinctive printings. This article addresses the inventory of the editions of La Sepmaine and Les Œuvres which were sold under the brands of Gadoulleau and of Février. It also identifies two new editions of La Sepmaine, printed in 1579, as well as two editions of Les Œuvres dated 1580 and 1581, and locates previously unknown copies that were sold by one or the other of these publishers. The obtained result allows for more accurate measuring of the editorial success of Du Bartas as well as the ability to document the links which aligned him with his first publishers.