FRENCH INTERNATIONAL BOOKSELLERS, SUPPLIERS TO LIBRARIES, A ` LA FIN DU VINGTIE ` ME SIE ` CLE PETER BRISCOE Assistant University Librarian for Collection Development University of California, Riverside Box 5900 Riverside, CA 92517 E-mail: peter.briscoe@ucr.edu Abstract—This article is a 1998 field report from Paris on the major French inter- national booksellers who supply libraries throughout the world, in particular the firms of Aux Amateurs de Livres, Library Service Association, and Jean Touzot. Data were gathered by means of interviews, a questionnaire, and direct observation. The article describes the histories of the firms and their $10 million market, organization, services, operations, and outlook. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd Keywords—French booksellers; French-language acquisitions INTRODUCTION France’s ancient and individualistic booktrade is rapidly modernizing, but it still prides itself on a depth of knowledge, an attention to detail, and a love of the book, which are fading in the Anglo-American trades. These values constitute another instance of “l’exception franc ¸aise,” a sharp sense of cultural difference. No one who rides the Paris metro can doubt that the French remain serious book readers. And if they are not reading a book, they are apt to be absorbed in Le Monde! It is this discriminating clientele first and foremost, followed apace by the librarians of the world, who keep French publishing and bookselling operating at a high standard. During the spring and summer of 1998, I had the opportunity to interview the principal French international booksellers to libraries, as well as observing their business operations in Paris. I also visited governmental agencies that support the booktrade, such as the Syndicat national de l’e ´dition and the Direction du livre et de la lecture. A literature review at the Bibliothe `que nationale de France completed the study. The purpose of this article was to present a tableau of these interesting and cultivated booksellers who are so important to librarians. Emphasis has been placed on a composite picture, not a comparative evaluation, because these firms are all outstanding in their own way. Pergamon Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 401–410, 1999 Copyright © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 1464-9055/99 $–see front matter PII: S1464-9055(99)00089-5 401