The Business of Enlightenment: A Publishing History of the Encyclopédie (1775–1800)

Author: (USA) Robert Darnton
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-12-01
Features: If judged individually, the image of most booksellers is repulsive, typified by Dupleix. The book describes Dupleix as a gambler. He recognized that operating the quarto Encyclopédie was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune, so he bet his entire fortune, selling off shares in many books, real estate, and furniture, and risked great wealth. However, it is the greed of booksellers that drives them to speculate and take risks. While pursuing great interests for themselves, they also made contributions to human civilization. (Huang Minlan) – Evaluation of The Business of Enlightenment by China Book News: The author won the 1979 Leo Gershoy Award from the History Society for this book. Professor Robert Darnton's account of the history of publishing is more vivid and lively than we could expect. The Business of Enlightenment is a major achievement in American academia, a first-class work that has changed our understanding of the history of saving the nation in the recent 20 years. – The New York Review of Books Robert Darnton's stories are highly engaging. He meticulously combs through complex, disorganized, and obscure historical materials, narrating with elegance, precision, and wisdom. He possesses a novelist's eye for detail and offers clear and insightful analysis of the historical significance. – Modern History Robert Darnton's work has achieved remarkable accomplishments: it clarifies the nature of encyclopedic knowledge in the late 18th century and its application to science, traces the history of the most important works of that century, and portrays the real lives of printers, factory owners, publishers, and readers. This is an extraordinary achievement. Darnton's work possesses all the qualities to become a classic. The Encyclopédie has found a historian worthy of its reputation. – Isis This book attempts to dispel the fog surrounding the history of books by providing a detailed account of the life of The Encyclopédie. It is a book about a book: the protagonist seems somewhat mysterious, and it can be reduced to infinitesimally small size, like reflections in one mirror to another. However, if handled well, it can also enhance our understanding of many aspects of early modern history, as is known, the history of books in France is closely related to very broad issues in historical research. How did such a great intellectual movement as the Enlightenment spread in society? What was the intensity and scope of its influence? What forms did the ideas of the philosophes take when materialized in books? How did the material basis and production technology of printed materials relate to its themes and dissemination? How did the book market determine its function? What roles did publishers, booksellers, salesmen, and other cultural media play in the dissemination of knowledge? How did publishing operate like a business? How did it adapt to the economic and political systems of pre-revolutionary Europe? The questions can be endless, because books are connected to an extremely wide range of human activities—from scavenging to delivering the voice of God. They are the products of craftsmen, objects of economic exchange, vessels of ideas, and elements of political and religious conflicts.