Rare Book Monthly

Articles - February - 2021 Issue

Thouvenin Jeune, Younger is no Better

So close and yet so far! was my cry of disillusion when I read “Jeune” after “Thouvenin—” on the binding of a book I had just received from Germany. Well, I was still very pleased with my purchase, as the bookseller hadn’t even mentioned that it came in a signed binding! Nor did he take it into consideration as far as the price is concerned. So, all right—this is not a Thouvenin’s binding but a Thouvenin Jeune’s—less valuable, then; but far less common too.

 

Thouvenin! Joseph Thouvenin the Older, the great, the famous student of Bozérian the Younger,” Henri Béraldi writes in La Reliure du XIXe siècle (Paris, 1895). “Thouvenin! One of the most famous names in bookbinding. For his contemporaries, he was a kind of half-God, even a God!” All book lovers know of Thouvenin—his bindings will make a book price skyrocket, and some people buy “a Thouvenin” like others buy “a Voltaire”. This renowned man owes a lot to Charles Nodier (1780-1844), a writer and a publisher who, “encouraged and directed the restorers of the art of binding like Bradel, Niedrée or Bouzonnet and the great Thouvenin, who, as he was dying from a chest pain, sprung a last time from his bed to inspect the bindings ordered by Nodier,” Techner writes in Bulletin du Bibliophile. Among many other things, Nodier and Thouvenin made “fanfare” bindings fashionable again. Reading this name on a book is always an exciting moment! Especially when you didn’t expect it. My book is a 1795 edition of Madame Deshoulières’ poems, and I was stricken at once by the overall quality of the binding. And the pictures the bookseller had provided me with didn’t give it justice—so, I took a closer look at it until I eventually found the name written in very small letters between two golden lines. I was overwhelmed with joy for a second, and then my eyes kept on reading, “Jeune”. Poor me! There were more than one Thouvenin.

 

The catalogue published by Société de la reliure originale in 1953 reads: “Several members of the family worked in Paris as book binders: Joseph Thouvenin the Older, from 1813 to 1834; Joseph Thouvenin jeune (the Younger), brother of the latter, from 1822 to 1844; then a third brother, François Thouvenin, who died in 1832, also worked as a book binder, but we know of no work of his*.” Many things have been written about Thouvenin the Older—we know that his shop received 3,000 orders every year, for instance. But there’s hardly any information available on Thouvenin Jeune, and even the author of La Reliure romantique (Blaizot, 1987), Roger Devauchelle, doesn’t tell much about him. In 2009 a French bibliophilist named Hugues Ouvrard wrote a short article about Thouvenin Jeune on his Blog du bibliophile. It is entitled The Other Thouvenin. According to him, Joseph Thouvenin’s shop was located at 34 Rue Mazarine, in Paris—Béraldi gives another address, 2 rue de la Parcheminerie. Ouvrard writes: “At the exhibition of the industrial products from the Seine region, in 1823, he (Thouvenin Jeune) displayed ‘several bindings in the same vein as his brother’s’, but ‘the particular care he put in his work attracted the attention of the jury.’ And he obtained an honourable mention (whereas his brother got the silver medal).”

 

* One has been identified, since. It is a copy of The Iliad (Paris, 1830).

 

Thouvenin Jeune’s bindings are very nice and neat; they (almost) match the quality of his brother’s. Ouvrard notes that Thouvenin Jeune used the same gilding irons as his brother on a few bindings. “Was the Older lending him his material, or would the Younger call upon his brother for the gilding?” he wonders. This is just another question that remains without answer.

 

Thouvenin Jeune’s bindings,” a bookseller wrote on the Internet, “are as nice as Thouvenin’s, but they are rarer!” You can tell you deal with top quality stuff at first sight, indeed. A few of his bindings are currently available on the Internet: Gilbert’s Works bound in a full gorgeous morocco (€600), Imitiation of Jesus Christ (1823), in full red morocco (€50, but it is in poor condition) or a copy of Salluste (1744) in full blue morocco (€550). But they are few. Ouvrard confirms: “(His signature) only appears on one of the 574 books listed on the catalogue of the Descamps-Scive sale (second part, 1925) dedicated to romantic books. In the same catalogue, we find 32 bindings signed by Vogal, 35 signed by Thouvenin (the Older) and 37 by Simier.” They might be even rarer than that: “Thouvenin the Older’s brother, Thouvenin Jeune, had a son, who was also a bookbinder,” Béraldi states. “He was located Rue Godot-de-Mauroi (Paris), and he also signed his bindings Thouvenin Jeune.” Some of the rare known bindings of Thouvenin Jeune might actually come from his son then!

 

We know that Thouvenin Jeune died in 1844, then years after his brother. “In 1832,” Ouvrard states, “he registered a patent of invention for the use of binding processes applied to frames.” But that didn’t lead him very far, apparently. There’s a French saying that says nothing grows in the shadow of big oaks—and Thouvenin the Older was a gigantic one! Notwithstanding the quality of his bindings, this Joseph Thouvenin will forever be but the Younger.

 

Thibault Ehrengardt

 

 

Link to Ouvrard’s article:

bibliophilie.com/un-relieur-joseph-thouvenin-jeune-lautre-thouvenin

Rare Book Monthly

  • Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Roberts (David) & Croly (George). The Holy Land, Syria, Idumae, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia. Lond. 1842 - 1843 [-49]. First Edn. €10,000 to €15,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Incunabula: O'Fihily (Maurice). Duns Scotus Joannes: O'Fihely, Maurice Abp… Venice, 20th November 1497. €8,000 to €12,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: An important file of documents with provenance to G.A. Newsom, manager of the Jacob’s Factory in Dublin, occupied by insurgents during Easter Week 1916. €6,000 to €9,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: WILDE (Oscar), 1854-1900, playwright, aesthete and wit. A lock of Wilde’s Hair, presented by his son to the distinguished Irish actor Mícheál MacLiammóir. €6,000 to €8,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Heaney (Seamus). Bog Poems, London, 1975. Special Limited Edition, No. 33 of 150 Copies, Signed by Author. Illus. by Barrie Cooke. €4,000 to €6,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Binding: Burke, Thomas O.P. (de Burgo). Hibernia Dominicana, Sive Historia Provinciae Hiberniae Ordinis Praedicatorum, ... 1762. First Edition. €4,000 to €6,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: COLLINS, Michael. An important TL, 29 July 1922, addressed to GOVERNMENT on ‘suggested Proclamation warning all concerned that troops have orders to shoot prisoners found sniping, ambushing etc.’. €3,000 to €4,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Scott Fitzgerald (F.) The Great Gatsby, New York (Charles Scribner's Sons) 1925, First Edn. €2,000 to €3,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Yeats (W.B.) The Poems of W.B. Yeats, 2 vols. Lond. (MacMillan & Co.) 1949. Limited Edition, No. 46 of 375 Copies Only, Signed by W.B. Yeats. €1,500 to €2,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Miller (William) Publisher. The Costume of the Russian Empire, Description in English and French, Lg. folio London (S. Gosnell) 1803. First Edn. €1,000 to €1,500.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Miller (William) Publisher. The Costume of Turkey, Illustrated by a Series of Engravings. Lg. folio Lond.(T. Bensley) 1802. First Edn. €800 to €1,200.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Mason (Geo. Henry). The Costume of China, Illustrated with Sixty Engravings. Lg. folio London (for W. Miller) 1800. First Edn. €1,400 to €1,800
  • ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
    November 30-December 2
    abaa.org/vbf
  • Sotheby’s
    Fine Books from a Distinguished Private Library
    28 November 2023
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Captain Thomas Brown | Illustrations of the American ornithology. £80000-120000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: William Hamilton | Campi phlegraei. £40000-60000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Nicola Zabaglia and Domenico Fontana | Castelli, e ponti con alcune ingegnose pratiche. £6000-8000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Bible, German | Nuremberg: Koberger, 1483. £40000-60000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Bible, English | King James version. £8000-12000
  • Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Saint Jerome penitent, woodcut with contemporary hand-colouring and letterpress text beneath, [Augsburg], [Johann Froschauer], [c.1498]. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Elimithar (Elluchasem) "Ibn Butlan". Tacuini sanitatis, first edition, Strasbourg, Johann Schott, 1531. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: [Missale Romanum], Latin, Incipit ordo missalis secundum consuetudinem Curiae Romani, manuscript in Latin, on vellum, 234ff. [c. 1400]. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Foyle copy.- [Shakespeare (William)]. Macbeth. A Tragedy: With all the Alterations, Amendments, Additions, and New Songs. As it is now Acted at the Theatre Royal, for Hen. Herringman, 1687. £5,000 to £7,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Dickens (Charles). A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, first edition, first impression, first issue, Chapman & Hall, 1843. £12,000 to £18,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Lawrence (T.E.) Revolt in the Desert, working draft typescript, 1927. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Hampstead Bindery.- Phillips (Stephen). Marpessa, exquisitely bound by The Hampstead Bindery, almost certainly P.A. Savoldelli, 1900. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Matisse (Henri).- Joyce (James). Ulysses, one of 1500 copies, this one of 250 signed by the author and artist, New York, The Limited Editions Club, 1935. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Burroughs (Edgar Rice). Tarzan at the Earth's Core, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author to his son, New York, 1930. £5,000 to £7,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Fitzgerald (F. Scott). Tender is the Night, first edition, first printing, signed by the author, New York, 1934. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Fleming (Ian).- Hooks (Mitchell) and David Chasman. Dr. No, British film poster, Stafford & Co Ltd, [1962]. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: America.- California.- Palou (Francisco). Relacion Historica de la Vida Y Apostolicas Tareas delVenerable Padre Fray Junipero Serra..., first edition, second issue, 1787. £6,000 to £8,000.
  • Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 7, 2023
    Swann, Dec. 7: Samuel Augustus Mitchell, A New Map of Texas, Oregon and California with the Regions Adjoining, Philadelphia, 1846. $3,500 to $5,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: 17th–19th-century case maps of various locations. $1,500 to $2,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Andreas Cellarius, Haemisphaerium Stellatum Boreale Cum Subiecto Haemisphaerio Terrestri, celestial chart, Amsterdam, 1708. $2,500 to $3,500.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 7, 2023
    Swann, Dec. 7: Vincenzo Coronelli, Set of engraved gores for Coronelli’s monumental 42-inch terrestrial globe, Venice, circa 1688–97. $18,000 to $22,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer, group of four navigational charts, Antwerp, 1580s. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Thomas Bros, Block Book of Berkeley, Oakland, 1920s. $800 to $1,200.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 7, 2023
    Swann, Dec. 7: John Nieuhoff & John Ogilby, An Embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, map of China, plan of Canton, London, 1673. $1,200 to $1,800.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Frederick Sander, Reichenbachia, St. Albans, 1888-1894. $5,000 to $7,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Two early illustrated works on horsemanship and breeding, Nuremberg, early 18th century. $700 to $800.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 7, 2023
    Swann, Dec. 7: John Gould, A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans. Supplement to the First Edition, London, 1834; 1855. $40,000 to $60,000.
    Swann, Dec. 7: John Pinkerton, A General Collection of the Best and Most Interesting Voyages and Travels in All Parts of the World, London, 1808–14. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Swann, Dec. 7: Oakley Hoopes Bailey, Hackensack, New Jersey, Boston, 1896. $800 to $1,200.

Article Search

Archived Articles

Ask Questions