Collection: Béarn et Pyrénées

Two approaches coexist in this collection. On the one hand, the history of Béarn as a distinct political entity: "Histoire du Béarn et du Pays Basque" by A. Mazure, printed in Pau by Vignancour in 1839, or "Éphémérides du Béarn et du Pays Basque" by Joseph Lochard, second edition from 1866. These titles document a Béarn that existed as a viscounty and then a kingdom before its annexation, a nuance generally omitted by tourist guides. On the other hand, Pyrenean literature in the broad sense: ascent, exploration, cartography. Pyrénées, ascensions et voyages, Claude Dendaletcheis one of the most recent examples in the collection, an original edition by an author born in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and founder of the Centre de biologie des écosystèmes d’altitude in Pau. This collection is part of our Pays Basque et Sud-Ouestsection. For more focused municipal monographs, head to histoire du Pays Basque; for Gascony in the broad sense, Gascogne et Landes. The "achevé d'imprimer" (imprint) of each item is checked before cataloging, a condition for dating a work without explicit mention.

Old collections rarely treat the two separately: a single 19th-century work might cover Pyrenean geology and Béarnese history. We follow this original editorial logic rather than forcing an artificial boundary.

The collection contains monographs on the history of Béarn from the 19th century, some of which trace back to ancient sources. Contact us for a precise search on a period or person.

The edition, print run, and condition of the plates matter more than age alone: these are the three criteria we systematically check before giving an opinion on an item.