Jean Ballesdens (1595 in Paris – 1675 in Paris) was a French lawyer, editor and bibliophile, though he has left practically no writings. He is the first known collector of books with historic bindings.
Biography
A lawyer to the parlement de Paris and secretary to chancellor Séguier, he was elected to the Académie française in 1648 - though he had renounced a place when it was first offered him, in favour of Pierre Corneille. He collected books and formed a library that was the rival of his master's in terms of numbers, choice and the editions' beauty. Notable books from it were the nine volumes in Grolier bindings.
References
- Bearman, Frederick A. (1992). Fine and historic bookbindings from the Folger Shakespeare Library. Washington, D.C.: Folger Shakespeare Library. p. 16. ISBN 0962925411.
External links
- Académie française (in French)
- Le Roux de Lincy, "Researches Concerning Jean Grolier: His Life and His Library."(Grolier Club, 1907) pp.90-92
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