The Tribulations of the Bookseller: Case study

1) Context
Where and when does this case study take place? What period does it cover?
What is Montpellier like?
What was the bookselling business undergoing at the time?
What did the normal bookselling trade in small towns consist of?
What was this city’s clientele like?

 2) Author
Who was Voltaire? What had he published or contributed to?
What does he advocate?
How old was he when he wrote the books?
How does he stay in control of his books? What are his practices? Why?
Is he trying to profit economically?

3) The Books
What is Voltaire’s Questions sur l’Encyclopédie about?
Who were the given authors?
How was it organized?
How many volumes? When were they printed?
Why were these books important and desirable?

4) Publishers
Why was the book published outside of France?
How many publishers did Voltaire use?

5) Bookseller
What did Rigaud stock?
What were Rigaud’s normal business practices?
What kind of stock did he offer?
How did he know what to order?
How did he choose his suppliers?
How big were his orders?
How did he deviate from his usual practices in ordering Voltaire’s books?
Did he like Voltaire? Why?
What were his complaints?

6) Transporters
(Agents, Shippers/Smugglers/Waggoners)
How were the books traveling? Why was it dangerous?
What routes were available? What closed them?
What caused delays? Expenses?
Discuss smuggling as it worked then?

7) Distribution and Sales
Regional offices
Book dealers and Warehousemen

8) Politics and Legal Sanctions
Censors, police, and inspectors
Why was the book being printed outside of France?
What bothered the Monarchy and church?
Why were tariffs on books imposed?

9) Readers
What do they demand?
Who are they? Who reads Voltaire?
What are their complaints?

10) Intellectual influences and Publicity
How did one know what to read?
Why was Voltaire’s set of books desirable?
What can we surmise about the readership of the times?