Chapter Two. The Readership Of Philosophical Fictions In France In The Sixteenth Century: The Bibliographical Evidence

Abstract

In this chapter, the author proposes to approach this thorny question-the treatment of evidence about readership-en biais, looking first at the term 'philosophy' in relation to the book market, then at the category of books whose contents seem most closely to correlate with 'philosophical fictions', and finally at the way these are looked upon by the denizens of the world of books-patrons, authors, publishers, bibliographers, purchasers and readers. Philosophy is sometimes defined, like wisdom, as a disposition, faculty or possession of the mind. Wonderment at natural phenomena and intellectual curiosity were common to philosopher and inquisitive non-specialist alike.Keywords: bibliographers; book market; philosophical fiction