NATIONAL LIBRARY (BIBLIO THEQUE NATIONALE) OF FRANCE, one of the world's most famous libraries. Some of its historians find its origin in the books of Charlemagne and Charles the Bald but this is doubtless mere legend. Saint Louis is said to have formed a collection in the 13th century, but whether his books are among those of the Bibliotheque Nationale is not known. At any rate, the real founder of the Royal Library was King John, who bequeathed his collection of manuscripts to his successor Charles V, who transferred it from the Palais de la Cite to the Louvre. The first librarian 9f record was Claude Mallet, the king's valet de chambre, who made a sort of catalogue 'Inventoire des Livres du Roy nostre Seigneur estans au Chastel du Louvre.' Jean Blanchet made an other list in 1380 and Jean de Beg.ue one in 1411 and another in 1424. Charles V was a patron of learning and encouraged the making and col lection of books. It is known that he employed Nicholas Oresme, Raoul de Presle and others to transcribe ancient texts. This first collection of the King's Library was sold by Charles VI to the English regent of France, the Duke of Bedford, who transferred it to England in 1424. It was apparently dispersed at his death in 1435. Charles VII and Louis XI did little to repair the loss of these books, but the invention of printing resulted in the starting of another col lection in the Louvre. Louis XI added to this characteristically by confiscating libraries that struck his fancy, as also did Charles VIII, who seized the collections of the kings of Aragon. Louis XII, who had inherited the library at Blois, incorporated the latter into the Bibliotheque du Roi and further enriched it with the splendid Gruthuyse collection and with plunder from Pavia. Francis I transferred the collection in 1534 to Fontainebleau and merged it with his private library. During his reign, fine bindings became the craze and many of the books added by him and Henry II are masterpieces of the binder's art. Under librarianship of Amyot, the collection was transferred to Paris during which process many treasures were lost. Henry IV again moved it to the College de Clermont and in 1604 it was housed in the Rue de la Harpe. The appointment of J. A. de Thou, the famous historian and bibliophile. initiated a period of development that made it the largest and richest collection of books in the world. He was succeeded by his son who was replaced, when executed for treason, by Jerome Bignon, the first of a line of distinguished librarians of the same name. Under de Thou, the library was enriched by the collections of Queen Cath erine de Medici. The library grew rapidly dur
ing the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, due in great part to the interest of the Minister of Finance, Colbert, one of the most indefati gable collectors of books. The quarters in the Rue de la Harpe becoming inadequate, the li brary was again moved, in 1666, to a more spa cious house in Rue Vivienne. The Minister Lou vois took quite as much interest in the library as Colbert and during his administration a mag nificent building to be erected in the Place Ven dome was planned. The death of Louvois, however, prevented the realization of this plan. Louvois employed Mabillon, Thevenot and others to procure books from every source. In 1688 a catalogue in eight volumes was compiled, and under the administration of Abbe Louvois, the Minister's son, the library was thrown open to all scholars. Abbe Louvois was succeeded by the Abbe Bignon, or Bignon II as he was termed, who instituted a complete reform of the library's system. Catalogues were made which appeared from 1739-53 in 11 volumes. The collections increased steadily by purchase and gift to the outbreak of the Revolution, at which time it was in grave danger of partial or total destruction, but owing to the activities of Renouard and Van Praet it suffered no in jury. The Revolution appears to have bene fited the library for many of the books of the emigres and the suppressed religious institu tions found their way to the shelves of the Bibliotheque Nationale, as it was now called. Furthermore an administrative organization was established that is the basis of its present sys tem.. Napoleon took ;treat interest in the li brary and among other things issued an order that all books in provincial libraries not pos sessed by the Bibliotheque Nationale should be forwarded to it, subject to replacement by ex changes of opal value from the duplicate col lections, making it possible, as Napoleon said, to find a copy of any book in France in the National Library. Napoleon furthermore in creased the collections by spoil from his con quests, a good share of which, however, was restored after his downfall. During the period from 1800 to 1836, the library was virtually under the control of Joseph Van Praet, to the development of which he consecrated the whole of his energies. At his death it contained more than 650,000 printed books and some 80,000 manuscripts, many of them of exceeding rarity. His work has been carried on by Taschereau, Delisle and Marcel Homolle under whom the collections have grown to their present size of 4,050,000 volumes, 11,000 manuscripts.