Almanacs and old directories: Gotha, Bottin mondain, Vermot

The theme in brief

The almanac, originally a calendar with predictions and advice, became under the Ancien Régime a directory of the State: the Almanach royal listed each year the royal court, administrations, and bodies. The Almanach de Gotha, published in Germany by the Perthes firm, records the sovereign families and European high nobility, with a diplomatic and statistical section. In the 19th century, Sébastien Bottin’s Annuaire du commerce, taken over by Didot, became the “Bottin”; the Bottin mondain was its counterpart for society. Popular almanacs (Almanach Vermot, Almanach Hachette, Messager boiteux of Berne and Vevey) mixed calendar, fairs, humour, and practical advice, while 18th-century pocket almanacs, often bound in morocco, were small, finely crafted objects.

What we have in stock

Our stock includes several dozen almanacs, directories, and calendars: volumes of the Gotha, society directories, administrative and military directories, royal and imperial almanacs, pocket almanacs, regional and religious almanacs, various years of Vermot and Hachette, directories of societies and professions. The grid above lists titles containing the words Almanach, Annuaire, Calendrier, Gotha, Bottin, Vermot, Messager boiteux, or Étrennes. Specific years sell quickly: if you are looking for a particular year, please contact us.

How to identify a fine copy

An almanac is first judged by its completeness: calendar, lists, engravings or plates, original advertisements. Small 18th-century almanacs are valued for their bindings (morocco, mother-of-pearl, embroidery), their slipcases, and the presence of the calendar and figures. For the Gotha and Bottins, publisher’s bindings in percaline and the condition of the spine are key; early volumes and wartime years are rarer. Popular almanacs, printed on cheap paper, are often worn: a copy with intact corners and a clean illustrated cover is preferable.

Buying and conservation advice

Choosing an almanac often means choosing a year: that of a birth, a wedding, or a family event. Genealogists search for Gotha and Bottin directories to trace a family, historians consult administrative almanacs for lists of officials and officers. Store these volumes upright, away from light; small formats should be kept in a box to prevent loss or damage. Our cards indicate the year, publisher, binding, and any missing parts.

To explore further

Almanacs are classified in the Insolites et inclassables section; noble directories and court lists join the Histoire section, while culinary, hunting, or gardening almanacs are found in the Art de vivre section. Old journals and magazines and old dictionaries belong to the same family of reference books; republican-era almanacs are included in our Révolution française dossier. To gift an almanac from a birth year, see Offrir un livre ancien.