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RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
OLD, MODERN, RARE
BOOKS AND PRINTS
CHI SIAMO
I libri e la lettura sono strumenti fondamentali per conoscere il mondo e se stessi. Oggi però non sempre si dedica abbastanza tempo alla lettura, soprattutto dei testi antichi. Nel mondo esiste un patrimonio prezioso che spesso i giovani conoscono poco.
Da qui nasce il progetto Bibliophiles - Centro Studi di Bibliofilia: un’iniziativa sociale e culturale pensata per avvicinare le nuove generazioni alla scoperta dei libri e al piacere della lettura. Non solo: il progetto racconta anche il lavoro di figure professionali importanti come i restauratori di libri, gli storici dell’arte, i paleografi e molti altri, offrendo ai ragazzi la possibilità di trasformare una passione in una futura scelta professionale.
Attraverso biblioteche, collezioni private e testimonianze di esperti, vogliamo offrire un percorso di crescita culturale che aiuti a conoscere le lingue antiche, sviluppare la creatività, apprezzare l’arte e scoprire storie che parlano di noi.
Accanto alle attività di divulgazione, Bibliophiles si occupa anche, con un centro di ricerca dedicato, allo studio dei libri antichi, delle tecniche di stampa, delle lingue classiche e della storia della bibliofilia. Un luogo dove studiosi, collezionisti ed esperti collaborano per preservare e valorizzare questo patrimonio unico.
I NOSTRI OBIETTIVI
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Stimolare nei giovani curiosità e interesse verso i libri
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Promuovere la lettura come esperienza personale ed emotiva
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Valorizzare figure professionali legate al libro e alla cultura
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Far conoscere e amare le biblioteche e il mondo del collezionismo
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Promuovere libri antichi e moderni, arte e cultura
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Condividere esperienze, storie e conoscenze tra appassionati
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Sostenere la ricerca e lo studio sui libri antichi e sulla storia della stampa
LA NOSTRA STORIA
Il progetto nasce dall’esperienza del gruppo online Bibliophiles de Paris, una comunità di amatori e collezionisti di libri antichi e moderni. Questo spirito ha radici lontane, ispirate al lavoro di Damase Jouaust, che già nell’Ottocento aveva fondato una casa editrice dedicata ai testi classici illustrati, pensati per i collezionisti e gli amanti dei libri.
Nel 2010 nasce ufficialmente il Centro Studi, che oggi si dedica alla materia della bibliofilia ed è conosciuto semplicemente come Bibliophiles: un centro internazionale di divulgazione culturale che riunisce studiosi, collezionisti e appassionati da tutto il mondo.
ABOUT US
Books and reading are essential tools for understanding both the world and ourselves. Yet today, people do not always dedicate enough time to reading, especially when it comes to ancient texts. Around the world there exists a precious heritage that younger generations often know little about.
This is where the project Bibliophiles – Center for the Study of Bibliophiliawas born: a social and cultural initiative designed to bring younger generations closer to the discovery of books and the pleasure of reading. At the same time, the project also highlights the work of important professional figures such as book restorers, art historians, paleographers, and many others, offering young people the opportunity to transform a passion into a possible professional path.
Through libraries, private collections, and the testimonies of experts, we aim to provide a cultural journey that helps people discover ancient languages, develop creativity, appreciate art, and uncover stories that speak about us all.
Alongside its outreach activities, Bibliophiles also operates a dedicated research centerfocused on the study of ancient books, printing techniques, classical languages, and the history of bibliophilia—a place where scholars, collectors, and experts collaborate to preserve and enhance this unique heritage.
OUR GOALS
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Inspire curiosity and interest in books among young people
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Promote reading as a personal and emotional experience
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Highlight professional roles connected to books and culture
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Foster knowledge and appreciation of libraries and the world of collecting
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Promote both ancient and modern books, art, and culture
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Share experiences, stories, and knowledge among enthusiasts
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Support research and study on ancient books and the history of printing
OUR HISTORY
The project grew out of the online group Bibliophiles de Paris, a community of enthusiasts and collectors of both ancient and modern books. Its spirit has deep roots, inspired by the work of Damase Jouaust, who in the 19th century founded a publishing house dedicated to illustrated classical texts created for collectors and book lovers.
In 2010, the Study Center was officially established. Today, it is dedicated to the field of bibliophilia and is simply known as Bibliophiles: an international cultural center that brings together scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts from all over the world.
"[...] There are bibliophiles and there are bibliomaniacs. To establish a boundary between bibliophilia and bibliomania, I will give an example. The rarest book in the world, in the sense that there are probably no more copies in free circulation on the market, is also the first, namely the Gutenberg Bible. The last copy in circulation was sold in 1987 to Japanese buyers for something like eight billion – at the exchange rate at the time. If a next copy were to emerge, it would not be worth eight billion, but rather eighty, or a thousand.
So every collector has a recurring dream. Finding a ninety-year-old lady who has a book at home that she is trying to sell, without knowing what it is, counting the lines, seeing that there are 42 and discovering that it is a Gutenberg Bible, calculating that the poor woman has only a few years left to live and needs medical care, deciding to save it from the greed of a dishonest bookseller who would probably give her a few thousand euros (and she would already be very happy), offer her one hundred thousand euros with which she would be ecstatic until death, and take home a treasure. After that, what would happen? A bibliomaniac would keep the copy secretly for himself, and woe betide anyone who showed it because just talking about it would mobilize thieves from all over the world, and so he would have to leaf through it alone in the evening, like Scrooge McDuck bathing in his dollars. A bibliophile, on the other hand, would like everyone to see this marvel. So he would write to the mayor of his city, ask him to host it in the main hall of the municipal library, paying with public funds all the enormous costs of insurance and surveillance, and allowing him the privilege of going to see it whenever he wanted, and without having to queue. [...]"
Umberto Eco
RESEARCH CENTER
Organization chart, board of directors, scientific committee and departments - ENTER
