The Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (SLAM), The Paris Rare Book Fair will run from September 23

on Apr 26, 2022

The Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (SLAM), The 2022 Paris Rare and Graphic Arts Book Fair, will be held from 23rd to 25th September 2022 at the Grand Palais Éphémère. The fair proudly announces its guest of honor that is The Versailles Municipal Library.

The Versailles Municipal Library, listed for the historical importance of its collections, extends over nine sites: the Central Library, which holds most of the historical collection, the Heure Joyeuse Library, founded in 1935 and dedicated to children’s literature, the Digital Atelier, the library of the Open University of Versailles (UOV), and five neighborhood libraries: Porchefontaine, Prés-aux-Bois, Petits-Bois, Saint-Louis, and Vauban.

The Central Library is located in the former Foreign and Maritime Affairs building, built-in 1761-1762 at the instigation of Choiseul and to the designs of Jean-Baptiste Berthier. The Gallery of Foreign Affairs, the building’s ceremonial area, listed as a historic monument in 1929, was a center of French diplomacy until the Revolution. It was here that the 1783 Treaties of Versailles were negotiated, granting independence to the United States of America. Today it houses 55,000 antiquarian books and offers visitors the chance to explore a series of five rooms with admirably preserved interiors and artworks, including a portrait of Louis XV by Louis-Michel Loo, overdoors by Louis-Nicolas Van Blarenberghe and his workshop, and a group of paintings by Jean-Jacques Bachelier. In addition to its public collections, the library has considerable holdings of historical and local importance: from cuneiform tablets to 21 st -century artists' books, these include around 2,700 manuscripts, 120,000 printed books, 8,000 prints, as well as important collections of coins and medals, photographs, drawings, paintings, sculptures, and objects, either from revolutionary confiscations or acquired later through donations, bequests or acquisitions.

Among the library's remarkable holdings are the manuscripts of Madame de Maintenon, part of Marie-Antoinette's and Madame du Barry’s libraries, the Goujet collection of rare 16th -century poetry and literature, incunabula, Livres de fêtes, manuscript and printed music, and numerous books of royal or princely provenance.

Activities are offered on a regular basis across the library network to promote public engagement and showcase the historical collections, accessible online since 2021 thanks to the digital heritage library "La Sirène".

The Fair will refocus on the world of books, autographs, and graphic documents: booksellers, as well as drawing and print galleries, will be happy to share with a large public the timeless appeal of our written, printed, and illustrated patrimony.