ABSTRACT
Bankruptcy files are an important source for assessing the role of women in the urban economy, especially in book stores where women were far from being a majoritarian force. The amounts offered vary from case to case, according to gender and the professional and marital status. The average amount of loans granted by mothers to their children was about 3,800 francs, as against 12,000 francs granted by fathers, while widows gave the smallest sums. Only rarely are women considered in scholarly literature on the history of books and especially in studies on the topic in modern or contemporary history. The chapter explores chronologically the development of bookshops to highlight the role of marriage in establishing a business and that of women in its day-to-day running. It examines how women could save the situation and the establishment's reputation after bankruptcy, thereby preventing their company's closure.
