Collection: Bayonne

Writing about Bayonne poses a problem that few regional collections face: the city has been covered by travel literature, military history (Vauban's ramparts, the siege of 1814), and port chronicles, but rarely by an ambitious standalone monograph. Jean Cassou's title, published by Emile-Paul frères in 1927 in the "Portrait de la France" collection, belongs to this small corpus. Bayonne, by Jean Cassou, is one of 1,500 numbered copies on Lafuma vellum, an identified printing that distinguishes the copy from an anonymous reprint. We verify this type of mention before any cataloging, particularly the justification of the print run and the condition of the boards. The rest of the Bayonne pieces circulate mainly via neighboring collections, those dedicated to theBasque Country and Southwestand thehistory of the Basque Country, where the city reappears as a backdrop rather than the main subject. This is a deliberate editorial choice: a handful of titles truly focused on Bayonne is better than circumstantial filler. The bookstore itself, located in the city, serves as a direct verification point for any piece mentioning a Bayonne location, printer, or event.

No. We select titles whose subject is Bayonne, regardless of the place of publication. Jean Cassou's volume was published in Paris by Emile-Paul frères in 1927, but its subject is entirely Bayonne.

The city is often covered in broader works on the Basque Country or Labourd. We prefer to present here only pieces where Bayonne is truly the subject, without artificially inflating the category.

Bring it directly to the bookstore, located in the city since 2011, or send us the publication and print run details: we compare each piece with our collection before making a decision.