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| Almanach Parisien | |
|---|---|
| Title | Almanach Parisien |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Almanac |
| Publisher | various |
| Firstdate | 17th century |
| Finaldate | 20th century |
Almanach Parisien is a historically significant French almanac that served as a directory, calendar, and social guide for inhabitants and visitors of Paris from the early modern period into the modern era. It intersected with the social life of figures associated with Louis XIV, Napoleon I, Guillaume Apollinaire, Marquis de Sade, and institutions such as the Académie Française and the Comédie-Française. The title influenced and reflected networks spanning Versailles, Montmartre, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and international connections with London, Vienna, and New York City.
The almanac emerged in the milieu of early print culture during the reign of Louis XIII and the Regency of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, appearing alongside publications like the Mercure Galant and directories tied to the Palais-Royal and Hôtel de Ville. Throughout the Ancien Régime it documented court ceremonial linked to Louis XIV and bureaucratic offices such as the Chambre des Comptes and the Parlement of Paris. During the French Revolution and the Thermidorian Reaction the almanac negotiated censorship from bodies such as the Committee of Public Safety and reflected the reorganization following the Constitution of Year III. Under Napoleon I and the Consulate, entries adapted to mention posts within the Prefecture of Police and the Legion of Honour. In the July Monarchy, the almanac indexed figures connected to Louis-Philippe and the Chamber of Deputies, then during the Second Empire it reflected appointments under Napoleon III and municipal changes tied to Baron Haussmann. The publication continued to evolve through the Third Republic, touching on the careers of persons linked to events like the Dreyfus Affair and cultural movements in Belle Époque Paris.
Editions appeared in various formats produced by Parisian printers and booksellers associated with addresses near Rue de Richelieu and Boulevard Saint-Germain. Typical issues were pocket-sized, printed with typographic ornaments reminiscent of work by firms like Didot and distributed through outlets such as the Société des Gens de Lettres and bookshops in the Quartier Latin. The imprint occasionally listed municipal printers tied to the Conseil municipal de Paris and commercial houses that also produced publications for institutions like the Opéra Garnier and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Over time typography and illustration reflected advances exemplified by printers connected to Gutenberg’s legacy and later mechanics used by presses in Montparnasse.
The almanac combined calendars tied to Easter computations, tables used by astronomers in the tradition of Jean-Baptiste Morin, and practical information for travelers to Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon. It listed diplomatic missions such as embassies to London and Rome, municipal services near the Place de la Concorde and the Pantheon (Paris), and directories of clubs including the Cercle de l'Union interalliée and salons associated with figures like Madame de Staël and George Sand. Cultural listings covered performances at the Théâtre de l'Odéon, Comédie-Française, and concerts at the Salle Pleyel, while social registers noted addresses in neighborhoods like Le Marais and establishments such as the Café de la Paix and La Coupole. Practical sections described postal routes run by the Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones system and listed medical practitioners with affiliations to hospitals like Hôtel-Dieu de Paris and Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital.
Editors and contributors included clerks and bibliophiles linked to the Bibliothèque Mazarine and journalists associated with papers such as Le Figaro and Le Monde in later periods. Occasional entries were provided by municipal officials from the Préfecture de la Seine and scholars affiliated with universities such as the Sorbonne and the Collège de France. Literary figures appearing in annotations or prefatory essays ranged from Victor Hugo advocates to commentators connected with Émile Zola and critics publishing in periodicals like La Revue Blanche. Printers and engravers who worked on the almanac had connections to ateliers patronized by collectors like Théophile Gautier and bibliographers in the tradition of Gaspard Michel.
Contemporaries used the almanac as a daily reference in the way that travelers and residents used guides by Baedeker and directories like the Bottin Mondain. It was cited by historians writing about the July Revolution, chroniclers of the Paris Commune, and biographers of figures involved in salons of Madame Récamier or the artistic circles of Père Lachaise Cemetery. Scholars of urbanism reference its lists when reconstructing the transformations by Baron Haussmann and municipal reforms enacted during administrations of figures such as Jacques Chirac later in municipal history. The almanac's role in social mobility and patronage networks is noted in studies of aristocratic households tied to families like the Rothschild family, industrialists such as Armand Peugeot, and financiers associated with the Banque de France.
Collectors prize early imprints for their bindings and engraved plates, often held in institutional collections at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the British Library, and university libraries at Harvard University and the University of Oxford. Auction records show interest among collectors of ephemera alongside lots featuring material related to the Salon des Refusés and printed ephemera from Exposition Universelle (1889). Critical editions and facsimiles have been produced for researchers of urban history, bibliographers consulting catalogs such as those compiled by the Société des Bibliophiles and curators at museums like the Musée Carnavalet.
Category:Publications about Paris