ABSTRACT
Breton book owners acquired books in the Parisian or local market or received them as gifts or bequests. This chapter examines the persuasive techniques of authors, publishers, and printers as well as readers’ expectations and responses to what was presented on the page. In investigating books, extant contracts, catalogs, booklists, and inventories, we can begin to gauge publishing interests and demand in Brittany and explore the commercial book-trade network for publishing and selling within and beyond its borders. Were the books owned by Bretons printed mostly in Paris? Two primary groups of readers in Brittany required separate titles (liturgy and jurisprudence) and appreciated different formats tailored to their special needs. Although Brittany was geographically peripheral to the larger markets of Caen, Rouen, Paris, and Lyon, its readers were not left out of the book market and the circulation of ideas that ensued.
