Vicaire, Carteret, Clouzot: the bibliographers of rare books

The Vicaire, Carteret, and Clouzot bibliographic guides and price records remain the foundation for any serious appraisal of a 19th-century book. Compiled by booksellers and bibliophiles between 1860 and 1980, these works describe original editions, states, printing peculiarities, and defects to watch for. A bookseller who claims to appraise a Romantic-era work without Carteret at hand is not appraising: they are guessing.

Why use bibliographic guides rather than a database

An antiquarian book is not an interchangeable consumer item. Two copies of the same edition can vary in value from one to ten times depending on the print run, paper quality, condition of illustrations, or the presence—or absence—of a half-title. Online databases (Livre-Rare-Book, AbeBooks, Bibliorare) display asking prices, never critical descriptions. To determine whether the copy in hand is complete, conforming, and of which impression, you need a printed reference compiled by a specialist who has handled hundreds of copies.

This is precisely what major French bibliographies have produced since Brunet. They describe the ideal copy, highlight pitfalls, list expected illustrations, and enable buyer and seller to speak the same language. For a comprehensive appraisal method, these works are the first tool to consult before comparing prices.

Brunet, the encyclopedic forerunner (1860–1865)

Before Vicaire or Carteret, Jacques-Charles Brunet must be cited. His Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres, in its fifth and final edition published by Firmin Didot frères between 1860 and 1865, comprises six volumes. The sixth is a systematic index classifying works by subject. Three supplementary volumes, authored by Pierre Deschamps and Pierre Gustave Brunet, extend the set around 1878–1880.

Brunet remains the standard reference for everything published before 1800: incunabula, 16th- to 18th-century editions, Greek and Latin classics, and illustrated works from the Ancien Régime. His notes on commercial and scholarly value still hold true for many titles today. If you inherit a collection of incunabula or early printed books, Brunet is the first volume to open. The six volumes are fully digitised on Gallica (BnF).

Vicaire, the cornerstone of the 19th century (1894–1920)

Georges Vicaire publishes his Manuel de l'amateur de livres du XIXe siècle, 1801-1893 in Paris, by Rouquette, between 1894 and 1920. Eight volumes, over 4,600 pages, the eighth containing the general index. The work is praised by the academies of the time, and all antiquarian booksellers have consulted it since: it is the crowning achievement of a descriptive work of rare precision.

Vicaire covers original editions, illustrated periodicals, Romantic works, critical reprints of ancient texts, private libraries, and publications by bibliophilic societies. Where Brunet generalises, Vicaire delves into detail: pagination, number of engravings, paper, print run. A first printing by Hugo, Balzac or Flaubert can be verified line by line with Vicaire at hand. My opinion: if you were to keep only one reference work for 19th-century Romanticism and prose, this would be it, rather than Carteret.

Carteret, the bible of Romantic and illustrated books (1924-1928)

Léopold Carteret, a bookseller in Paris, publishes at his own expense his Trésor du bibliophile romantique et moderne, 1801-1875 between 1924 and 1928, in four volumes. Volumes I and II cover original editions. Volume III is entirely devoted to illustrated books of the 19th century. Volume IV contains the general tables and index of illustrators and engravers.

A revised, corrected and expanded edition was published in the 1970s (L. Carteret / Éditions du Vexin Français), also in four volumes, in a limited print run. It is this edition that is most commonly encountered in bookshops today. Carteret has the eye of a dealer: he notes states, distinctive typographical errors, and sought-after publisher’s bindings. For a collection of original editions by Victor Hugo, Balzac or Baudelaire, Carteret is indispensable. The same applies to Hetzel’s publisher’s bindings for Jules Verne, whose plate and edge variants he describes in the illustrated volume.

Clouzot, the compact guide that fits in your bag (1953)

Marcel Clouzot, an antiquarian bookseller, publishes in Paris in 1953 his Guide du bibliophile français : bibliographie pratique des œuvres littéraires françaises, 1800-1880. A pocket-sized volume, printed by Firmin-Didot at Le Mesnil. A small book with great utility. Where Carteret overwhelms with its bulk, Clouzot fits in a salon bag. It has been reprinted several times up to the 1990s.

Clouzot covers exactly the Romantic period in the broad sense: original editions, partially original editions, first in-12° editions, illustrated editions, collected editions. The descriptions are concise but sufficient to quickly authenticate an item at a public sale or on a salon table. The preface contains valuable considerations on building a bibliophile’s library. It is the quintessential field tool, the one you slip into your bag before heading out to browse.

Talvart and Place, the bibliography of modern authors (1928-1976)

Hector Talvart, a bibliographer from La Rochelle, initially launched La Fiche bibliographique française alone in the 1920s. He later joined Joseph Place to establish the Bibliographie des auteurs modernes de langue française, published by Éditions de la Chronique des Lettres françaises from 1928 onwards. The work covers the period 1801–1927 and was later extended into the 1970s under the direction of Georges Place. In total, around twenty volumes published over nearly fifty years.

Talvart-Place complements Vicaire and Carteret where they stop: Apollinaire, Gide, Proust, Colette, Mauriac, Aragon, Breton, Céline. Each author receives a biographical note, a complete list of works, the publisher, format, reference prices, and details on limited editions. For collecting Proust or the Surrealists, this is an essential tool—and it is rare to find it complete on the market.

Morgand and Fatout Bulletin, the retrospective guide to the Parisian market

Damascene Morgand and Charles Fatout founded their bookshop in Paris in the second half of the 19th century. Their Bulletin was published between 1876 and the late 1890s. Morgand continued alone after Fatout’s death. In total, around ten volumes list tens of thousands of entries with prices. It is one of the most important price records for old Parisian books from the late 19th century.

The interest today is not in pricing—the 1880 prices say nothing about 2026 values—but in bibliographical research. Morgand describes specific copies, including provenance, binding, and special features. It serves as a reference point to verify whether a particular copy was sold at auction in the 19th century and how it was described. The Bulletin is digitised and freely accessible on Gallica.

Comparative table of major price guides

How to use a price guide to appraise a book

1. Identify the period: before 1800, Brunet. Romantic and 19th-century works, Vicaire and Carteret. Modern authors, Talvart-Place.
2. Locate the entry: alphabetical search by author, then title. For Vicaire and Talvart-Place, the index in the final volumes is essential.
3. Compare point by point: pagination, half-title, justification of the print run, number and condition of illustrations, paper, binding.
4. Check states and print runs: Carteret notes typographical errors that distinguish a first printing from a later impression. A single detail can multiply the value by five.
5. Cross-reference with the current market: the price guide provides a descriptive benchmark; the actual price is verified through recent public sales and catalogues from established booksellers.

Limitations and digital supplements

These price guides are between seventy and one hundred and sixty years old. The prices they list have no practical use today. The bibliographic value remains valid, but monetary value fluctuates with taste, proven rarity, and the appearance of copies in public sales. To track current prices, these must be cross-referenced with digital resources: Gallica (BnF), Internet Archive, Livre-Rare-Book, and the results of Drouot auctions for French bids.

Another limitation: these works are French. For English or German editions, consult Anglo-American bibliographies (Pforzheimer, Sadleir, Tinker) or German ones (Hayn-Gotendorf). However, for the French market, which represents the bulk of antiquarian books in France and the Francophone world, Vicaire and Carteret remain the standard references a century after their publication. For help interpreting catalogue abbreviations, these guides also serve as essential dictionaries.