French Revolutionary Pamphlet Collection
Key items in the collection
This collection hosts a range of formats, including:
Around 20,000 microform copies of pamphlets published in France from 1785 to 1805 are available. Between 1961 and 1974, Falls City Microfilms republished about 5,500 of these pamphlets on microcards. Many came from the Talleyrand Collection at the New York Public Library and the Melvin Collection at the University of Kansas Library. Additional pamphlets were sourced from the Library of Congress, the University of Kentucky Library, and various private collections.
There are also 14,997 microfiche of French pamphlets produced by OmniSys Corporation in Needham, Massachusetts. However, the fiche do not specify where the original pamphlets are located.
The Nijhoff Collection features around 11,000 pamphlets, reports, speeches, and tracts published in France between 1787 and 1799. This includes 2,590 anonymous pamphlets, 4,230 by named authors, 392 documents related to the trial of Louis XVI, 3,659 legislative papers, and 180 other items. Many of these works are lively, controversial, and satirical, providing a vivid snapshot of the Revolutionary period.
In July 1789, the Third Estate of the Estates-General, along with some clergy and nobles, formed the National Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution, which Louis XVI accepted in 1791. The Legislative Assembly met for the first time in October 1791 but quickly fell into chaos due to divisions among constitutional monarchists, liberal republicans, and revolutionaries. The pamphlets from 1789 to 1791 reflect a wide range of French ideas and opinions. Notable authors include ministers like Jacques Necker and Charles Calonne, defenders of the old regime like Jean Maury, monarchists like Pierre Malouet, and philosophers like Marquis de Condorcet. Many works by the Comte de Mirabeau and other Assembly members are included, such as Comte Boissy d’Anglas and Pierre Dupont de Nemours.
The National Convention convened in September 1792 after the suspension of Louis XVI and the invasion of France by Prussian and Austrian forces. The Convention operated for three years, holding both legislative and executive power. Many pamphlets in the collection document this turbulent period, featuring debates among political clubs and factions. Important figures represented include Girondists like Jacques Brissot and Jacobins like Maximilien Robespierre and Jean Paul Marat.
A significant part of the collection focuses on the final phase of the Revolution, known as the Directory (1795–1799). It includes works by directors such as Lazare Carnot and writers like Lucien Bonaparte and Edmund Burke.
The collection also contains 392 documents related to Louis XVI's trial from 1792 to 1793, mainly consisting of opinions from National Convention deputies and descriptions of documents uncovered during the proceedings. The 3,659 legislative documents include laws passed by the National Assembly and decrees from the National Convention.
Additionally, many pamphlets discuss the French colonies, particularly the island of Saint Domingue (now Haiti), focusing on the emancipation of slaves by commissioners Léger-Félicité Sonthonax and Étienne Polverel in 1793. Other topics include Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, trade, race relations, and Franco-American relations.
About the French Revolutionary Pamphlet Collection
This remarkable collection features around 11,000 pamphlets from the "Age of Pamphlets" (1789–95). In August 1789, the National Assembly proclaimed that all citizens could "speak, write, and print freely," leading to the collapse of state censorship. This declaration sparked a frenzy of pamphlet and periodical production in France, with the number of printing establishments in Paris tripling during the Revolutionary period, including 55 new shops in just two years (1789–90). While book publishing nearly came to a standstill, the output of journals, newspapers, almanacs, and pamphlets surged. These pamphlets covered a wide range of topics, from finance and public administration proposals to political critiques, eulogies, and even scandalous works. Many were anonymous and included libelous and seditious content.
Backlash and regulation
However, this explosive growth soon faced backlash. In 1793, new laws made political journalism and pamphleteering dangerous occupations, and the ensuing Terror effectively shut down printing presses. As Benjamin Constant observed, "pamphlets, and handbills, and especially newspapers, are produced quickly; you can buy them for little, and because their effect is immediate, they are believed to be more dangerous."
Shifts in publication
After 1794, book publishing saw a revival, although the production of journals and pamphlets diminished. Nevertheless, during the Directory (1795–99) and the Consulate (1799–1804), pamphlet publication consistently surpassed pre-Revolution levels, demonstrating the enduring impact of this vibrant era of expression.
Background to the collection
In 1963, a collection of around 11,000 pamphlets published during the French Revolution was purchased from the bookseller Martinus Nijhoff in The Hague. This collection was put together by a private collector, but we don’t know his name. That same year, 390 pamphlets about the French colonies during the Revolution were also acquired from Nijhoff.
In 1964, a smaller set of pamphlets was purchased from London booksellers Stevens and Brown. Additionally, from 1961 to 2000, microcards and microfiche of French pamphlets from US libraries were continuously acquired, produced by Falls City Microforms and later by OmniSys Corporation.
The main collection of French Revolutionary pamphlets in the Rare Books Collection.
- Collection de la Revolution de la francaise (RB 944.04 C993)
- Discours prononcés à l'Assemblée de notables, du vendredi 25 Mai 1787 (RBq 944.04 C993)
There are 224 boxes of pamphlets, along with seven boxes of documents related to the procès du Roi, and 36 boxes containing laws and decrees. Each pamphlet has been catalogued individually, and there's a three-volume summary listing available for reference.
Additional pamphlets about the French Revolution and the colonies have been individually catalogued are in the Rare Books Collection.
- Revolutions de France et de Brabant. No. 27 (RB 944.04 REV)
- A nosseigneurs les Etats Généraux de France (RBq 944.04 REV)
For microcards and microfiche of French Revolutionary pamphlets, check the Microform Collection at Mc 10. The microcards are organized alphabetically by author and have been individually catalogued. You can also find descriptions in the bibliography by Laurence S. Thompson, published in 1974. The microfiche are arranged numerically but haven't been catalogued. However, you can find annual listings of microfiche produced between 1985 and 2000 (numbers 8776–14917) in the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room.
This guide was prepared using these references:
- Robert Darnton, Daniel Roche (eds), Revolution in Print: The Press in France 1775–1800, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1989.
- Horace E. Hayden, French Revolutionary Pamphlets: A Check List of the Talleyrand and Other Collections, New York Public Library, New York, 1945.
- Carla Hesse, Publishing and Cultural Politics in Revolutionary Paris, 1789–1810, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1991.
- Ambrose Saricks, A Bibliography of the Frank E. Melvin Collection of Pamphlets on the French Revolution in the University of Kansas Libraries, University of Kansas Libraries, Lawrence, 1960.
- Laurence S. Thompson, A Bibliography of French Revolutionary Pamphlets on Microfiche, Whitston Publishing Company, Troy, N.Y., 1974.