Books and prints became a major resource of cultural exchange in XVIth century Europe.
At that time Paris and London were among the most important centers of printing and were inevitably involved in book and print trading and exchange. One example of a successful career made between two European capitals was examined by Marianne Grivel in her article on Gilles Godet – a French engraver and editor working in London. There are many other examples of that kind. The testament of a London bookseller Nicolas Fichard who died in Paris in 1554 in the house of an editor and bookseller Oudin Petit shows that he was in constant connection with the French book market.
The interest of London editors in Parisian printing presses is revealed by a contract made in 1564 between Fleury Prevost and Richard Tottel for the print of a book of laws of England. Thomas Vatroullier was a French huguenot refugee who moved to London but his connection with France was never lost. The first book he has published was decorated by the copies of plates by French painter Baptiste Pellerin for the Parisian music printers Robert Ballard and Adrien Le Roy. The plates of Le Roy and Ballard were very close to those used by Gilles Godet as frames for his popular prints. Vatroullier knew Godet as well as some other Parisian book traders and we can see that a social milieux formed by booksellers, printers and editors wasn’t limited by international frontiers.
They were all collaborating in different ways: trade, duplication of editions and their decoration, association in book production etc. Personal or common acquaintances as well as origins helped to establish this network. The detailed examination of their collaboration as well as depiction of the complexity of this network is the aim of my communication.
This paper is part of a ‘Moveable Types Conference‘ special issue.