ABSTRACT
The geographical limits of this survey are inevitably somewhat impreeise. 'French' refers not to a political bur ro a linguistic entiry. 'France' and 'the francophone area' were different in the sixteenth cenrury, jusr as they are today. In this essay, we sha ll rake inro account all the French-speaking regions of Europe, and all editions in French, since in many cases a major role was played by publications produced outside the sphere of conrrol of the French authorities, at first in the Low Counrries, later in Geneva.
