A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume One | Page 2

Trinité, Comte de la Fresnaye. Guibray
Church. Supposed head of William the Conqueror. M. Langevin,
Historian of Falaise. Printing Offices_
LETTER XXI.
_Journey to Paris. Dreux. Houdan. Versailles. Entrance into Paris_

LIST OF PLATES.
VOL. I.
Portrait of the Author Fille de Chambre, Caen Portrait of the Abbé de la
Rue
VOL. II.
Anne of Brittany Medal of Louis XII Pisani Denon Comte de Brienne
Stone Pulpit, Strasbourg Cathedral
VOL. III.
Fille de Chambre, Manheim Monastery of Saints Ulric and Afra Prater,
Vienna

LIST OF AUTOGRAPHS. Vol. Page.
Artaria, Dom. Manheim iii. 470 Barbier, Antoine Alexandre; Paris ii.
204 Bartsch, Adam de; Vienna iii. 394 Beyschlag, Recteur; Augsbourg
iii. 104 Brial, Dom; Paris ii. 254 Brunet, Libraire; Paris ii. 235 Bure,
De, Freres; Paris ii. 220 Chateaugiron, Marquis de; Paris i. xxxviii
Dannecker; Stuttgart iii. 54 Denon; Paris ii. 293 Gaertner, Corbinian;
Salzburg iii. 201 Gail; Paris ii. 259 Hartenschneider, Udalricus;
Chremsminster Monastery iii. 229 Henri II. ii. 151 Hess, C.E.; Munich
iii. 165 Lamouroux; Caen i. 137 Lançon, Durand de; Paris i. xxxviii
Langevin; Falaise i. 341 Langlès, L.; Paris ii. 268 Larenaudiere, De;
Vire i. 309 Lebret, F.C.; Stuttgart iii. 56 May, Jean Gottlob; Augsbourg
iii. 104 Millin, A.L.; Paris ii. 264 Pallas, Joachim; Mölk Monastery iii.
254 Peignot, Gabriel; Dijon i. xxvii Poitiers, Diane de ii. 151 Renouard,
Ant. Aug.; Paris ii. 227 Schlichtegroll, Frederic; Munich iii. 161
Schweighæuser, Fils; Strasbourg ii. 426 Van Praet; Paris ii. 278
Veesenmeyer, G.; Ulm iii. 71 Willemin; Paris ii. 320 Young,.T.;
Vienna iii. 390

PREFACE.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
If I had chosen to introduce myself to the greatest possible advantage to
the reader, in this Preface to a Second Edition of the "_Bibliographical,
Antiquarian, and Picturesque Tour_," I could not have done better than
have borrowed the language of those Foreigners, who, by a translation
of the Work (however occasionally vituperative their criticisms) have,
in fact, conferred an honour upon its Author. In the midst of censure,
sometimes dictated by spite, and sometimes sharpened by acrimony of
feeling, it were in my power to select passages of commendation,
which would not less surprise the Reader than they have done myself:
while the history of this performance may be said to exhibit the
singular phenomenon, of a traveller, usually lauding the countries
through which he passes, receiving in return the reluctant approbation

of those whose institutions, manners, and customs, have been praised
by him. It is admitted, by the most sedulous and systematic of my
opponents--M. CRAPELET--that "considering the quantity and quality
of the ornaments and engravings of this Tour, one is surprised that its
cost is so moderate."[1]
"Few books (says the Bibliographer of Dijon) have been executed with
greater luxury. It is said that the expenses of printing and engraving
amounted to 6000 l.--to nearly 140,000 franks of our money. It must be
admitted that England is the only country in which such an undertaking
could be carried into effect. Who in France would dare to risk such a
sum--especially for three, volumes in octavo? He would be ruined, if he
did."[2] I quote these passages simply to shew under what
extraordinary obliquity of feeling those gentlemen must have set down
to the task of translation and abuse--of THAT VERY WORK, which is
here admitted to contain such splendid representations of the
"bibliographical, antiquarian, and picturesque" beauties of their
country.
A brief account of this foreign travail may be acceptable to the curious
in literary history. MONS. LICQUET, the successor of M. Gourdin, as
Chief Librarian to the Public Library at Rouen, led the way in the work
of warfare. He translated the ninth Letter relating to that Public Library;
of which translation especial mention is made at p. 99, post. This
version was printed in 1821, for private, distribution; and only 100
copies were struck off. M. Crapelet, in whose office it was printed, felt
the embers of discontent rekindled in his bosom as it passed through his
press; and in the following year HE also stepped forward to discharge
an arrow at the Traveller. Like his predecessor, he printed but a limited
number; and as I have more particularly remarked upon the spirit of
that version by way of "Introduction" to the original letter, in vol. ii.
209, &c. I shall not waste the time of the Reader by any notice of it in
the present place. These two partial translators united their forces,
about two years afterwards, and published the whole of the Tour, as it
related to FRANCE, in four octavo volumes, in 1825. The ordinary
copies were sold for 48 francs, the large paper for 112 francs per copy.
The wood-cuts only were republished by them. Of this conjoint, and

more enlarged production, presently.
Encouraged by the examples of Messrs. Licquet and