THE PROJECT | Bibliophiles

INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL

PROJECT

The history of books and reading are an important and indispensable tool for understanding reality and oneself. Today, people do not always dedicate time to reading, especially to ancient books; the book heritage preserved in libraries is often little known and used by the younger generation. This is where this study and research project was born, social and stimulating to bring young people closer to the discovery of books and stimulate the pleasure of reading, but not only also to make known important professional figures such as the book restorer, the art historian, the paleographer, etc. A project that can help the younger generation choose their own professional path and transform a passion into a job. Libraries and collections of bibliophiles, stories and experiences of experts in the sector are a source of knowledge and enrichment and can help young people in their educational path, expand their linguistic knowledge, learn ancient languages and develop creativity.

Purpose of Bibliophiles
- To stimulate among the youngest an attitude of curiosity and interest towards books;
- To encourage an emotional approach to the book object
- To promote reading

- To promote professional figures linked to the world of books and culture (restorers, art historians, paleographers, etc.)
- To stimulate knowledge of ancient languages
- To make libraries known and loved
- To make the world of collecting known
- To promote cultural activities
- To discover the national and international territory
- To promote ancient books
- To promote modern books
- To promote art and culture
- To promote the pleasure of reading through the discovery of books
- To recommend ancient books

- To know and enhance books, ancient engravings, to know authors, illustrators, librarians, restorers, publishers.

The project merges with the previous study of the Bibliophiles de Paris group, a private dissemination group formed by bibliophiles who had gathered to talk about ancient and modern books. The amateur group of bibliophiles, brought together through social accounts thanks to new technologies, has always paid homage to the activities carried out in the second half of the nineteenth century by Damase Jouaust who in 1869 created a publishing house dedicated to French and foreign classic texts with illustrated works that respect all the criteria of the luxury book, but above all dedicated many of his works to collectors and bibliophiles.

Bibliophiles are people who come together to discuss their books and culture, promote and enhance objects and history through many activities, many collectors buy books and objects not only for themselves, but to enhance them and make them known. This project does not sell books, has no interest in the world of book trade and does not offer any cultural or other paid services. The Bibliophiles project expands internationally, with bibliophiles, historians and professionals from all over the world who promote books and culture.

"[...] 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

Official member

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OCTOBER 31, 2024