A Mathematician in the Congrégation

Abstract

Augustin-Louis Cauchy was now 28 years old and still living at his parents’ home, near the Palais du Luxembourg, where he had returned in 1812. Louis-Francois decided that it was now high time for his eldest son to get married, since he now had a secure place in life. The elder Cauchy’s choice of bride for his son was the only daughter of the bookseller Marie-Jacques de Bure, Aloise de Bure, 23 years of age. The de Bures were an old, solidly bourgeois family. They had been in the book trade since the 17th century and were connected with quite a few publishers, particularly with Didot and Saugrain. The two de Bure brothers, Marie-Jacques and Jean-Jacques, had followed their father Guillaume in the book trade in 1813 and were later associated with the King’s Library, where they compiled many catalogs. Serving in this capacity until 1838, they became well known as collectors of books and prints (1).