ROYAL ALMANAC 1757, Ancient Monarchy.

ROYAL ALMANAC 1757, Former Monarchy.

Ribbed spine adorned with fleur-de-lis. Gold full-leather title, In 8 "In Paris from the Printing House of Le Breton, Printer to the King at the bottom of Rue de la Harpe".

Partly split right joint, partially torn head and tail. Tail edge rubbed. Foxing.

"Year 1757 containing the births of Princes & Princesses of Europe.
Archbishops, Bishops, Cardinals & Commendatory Abbots.
Marshals of France, Lieutenant Generals, Camp Marshals & Brigadiers of the Armies, Lieutenant Generals of the Naval Armies, Squadron Leaders, Knights, Commanders & Officers of the King's Orders; Governors & Lieutenant Generals of the Provinces.
Counselors to the King, the Departments of State Secretaries and Finance Intendants, State Counselors, Council Offices, Masters of Requests, Provincial Intendants, the Grand Chancellery, the Grand Council.
The Parliament, the Chamber of Accounts, the Court of Taxes, all courts and jurisdictions of Paris.
The university, academics, public libraries, general farmers, general finance receivers, Royal Treasury officers, rent payers and their controllers, the East India Company." (sic)

A true snapshot of the former monarchy at the time of the publication of the work.

History of the Royal Almanac

The Royal Almanac is a French administrative directory founded in 1683 by the bookseller Laurent d'Houry, under this title from 1700 to 1792, and under other titles until 1919.
Each year, it presented, in the official order of precedence, the list of members of the French royal family, princes of the blood, and the main bodies of the kingdom: grand officers of the Crown, members of the high clergy, abbots of major abbeys (with the income of each abbey), marshals of France, colonels and general officers, ambassadors and consuls of France, presidents of major jurisdictions, State Counselors, bankers, etc.

It enjoyed wide dissemination among a readership primarily composed of financiers, politicians, and all those interested in knowing the administrative organization of France.

Even though the king gave his approval, the publication of such a work was not without risks. In December 1708, Laurent d'Houry was prosecuted for establishing a printing press in his house and forced to sell his equipment two months later. Then, in February 1716, he was imprisoned in the Bastille following a complaint from the Count of Stairs, the English ambassador, "for showing disrespect in his almanac to King George, by not naming him as King of England, or rather of Great Britain," and by mentioning the son of James II Stuart, exiled in Saint-Germain, as the king.

Although its publication was due to a private editor's initiative, being listed in the Royal Almanac had an official character, and abuses were therefore punished. For instance, a man from Poitou, Pierre Joly, was interned in the Bastille at the end of the 18th century for usurping the profession of banker by registering as such in the Royal Almanac.
Its regular edition was in in-8 format with publisher's leather binding adorned with a scattered pattern of golden fleur-de-lis.

The privilege granted to the d'Houry family for the Almanac was threatened in 1789 when Camille Desmoulins, in his speech at La Lanterne to the Parisians, declared that it would cease in favor of Baudouin, another Parisian publisher. This threat was not carried out, as the Almanac remained with the Houry family. However, by looking at the publications of the time, it can be noted that Baudouin obtained prints from the National Assembly and other state bodies.

Following the death of Jeanne Néra, widow of Laurent-Charles d'Houry, the Almanac was taken over by François-Jean-Noël Debure, husband of Anne-Charlotte d'Houry, their daughter. Debure came from a large and wealthy family of Parisian booksellers, notably allied with the Didot family. He had been a printer since 1784 with the title of printer to the Duke of Orléans.