Mons. Castan was born in 1833; he died in June, 1892.

_La Bibliotheque de Fontainebleau_ et les Livres des Derniers Valois a la Bibliotheque Nationale. (1515-1589.) Par Ernest Quentin-Bauchart.

Paris, Em. Paul et Guillemin.

_Les Relieurs Francais_ (_1500-1800_). Biographie critique et anecdotique. Precedee de l'Histoire de la Communaute des Relieurs et Doreurs de Livres de la Ville de Paris et d'une etude sur les styles de reliure. Par Ernest Thoinan. Paris, Em. Paul et Guillemin.

This useful work on the subject of bookbinding gives biographical details of more than 1,700 French binders, with their signatures and notices of their princ.i.p.al works. The armorial stamps on French bindings are frequently of great a.s.sistance in identifying nameless plates.

_Archives de la Societe Francaise des Collectionneurs d'Ex-Libris._ Paris, Emile Paul et Guillemin, Rue des Bons-Enfants. (In progress.)

The organ of the French Society of Collectors of Book-plates. The first part was published in December, 1893, and it has appeared monthly ever since. Many ill.u.s.trations of great beauty and interest have been issued with the _Archives_, but specially printed on plate paper.

_Ex-Libris Ana, et Ex-Libris Imaginaires_ et supposes de Personnages celebres, anciens et modernes. Paris, L. Joly, Editeur, 19, Quai Saint-Michel, 1893-1894.

This little publication contained some valuable historical articles and reproductions of old plates. The Ex-Libris Imaginaires were grimly humorous and satirical, especially those of Rabelais, La Fontaine, Rollin, Marat, Danton, E. A. Poe, Dumas fils, Charcot, and Ernest Renan.

_Les Bibliophiles Remois_ leurs ex-libris et fers de reliure suivis de ceux de la Bibliotheque de Reims. Ouvrage ill.u.s.tre de 70 gravures. Par Henri Jadart Conservateur adjoint de la Bibliotheque de Reims Secretaire general de l'Academie. Reims F. Michaud, Rue du Cadran-Saint-Pierre.

1894.

This work is extracted from the proceedings of the Academie de Reims, and only 150 copies were printed.

It contains biographical notices of the princ.i.p.al book collectors of Reims, and its vicinity, with their armorial bearings, descriptions of their book-plates, and the stamps on their bindings. It also gives an alphabetical collection of mottoes with the families to whom they belong, and a bibliography of the Catalogues Remois.

The information contained in this delightful volume is of the greatest value to collectors of French Book-plates, and the facsimiles are executed in the most artistic manner.

_Dated Book-Plates_ (Ex-Libris), with a Treatise on their Origin and Development. By Walter Hamilton. London, A. and C. Black, Soho Square, 1895. Ill.u.s.trated.

This volume contains a list of all the known French dated plates from 1574 to 1895, with descriptions of their styles, their mottoes, artists, and engravers, and biographical notes about their owners.

_Ladies' Book-plates._ By Norna Labouchere. With numerous ill.u.s.trations.

London, George Bell and Sons, 1895.

In the "Ex-Libris" series. This work contains a chapter on Foreign Ladies' Book-plates, in which many interesting French ex-libris are described.

_Les Ex-Libris Limousins._ Par A. Fray-Fournier. Published by M.

Ducortieux, Limoges, 1895.

_L'Ex-Libris de F. de Larochefoucauld, Abbe de Tournus._ La premiere Marque Francaise armoriee. Par F. S. Paris, L. Joly, Editeur, 19, Quai Saint-Michel, 1896.

350 only printed.

_Les Ex-Libris Anciens aux Armes de Jeanne d'Arc._ Par A. Benoit.

Miss Labouchere cites this little pamphlet on p. 214 of "Ladies'

Book-plates," but omits to mention when and where it was published.

She gives a few details of plates belonging to descendants of the family of Jeanne d'Arc, but these do not appear to be of any special interest.