Windows Booksellers

We are now offering a catalog featuring full-color photos of the personal library of the late Jacques Gres-Gayer, a specialist in French ecclesial and intellectual history who was regarded as the world expert in in the history of the Sorbonne in the 18th century. This offering will be of interest to any collector or institution looking to build a primary- source reference library in the fields of church history, early-modern European history, philosophy, theology, and church-state relations.

In addition to an extensive modern academic library, Gres-Gayer’s scholarly needs required access to an array of primary sources, many of which were not reprinted in any format after the 18th century. Thus, the antiquarian collection he amassed runs quite deep within the narrow time frame of his interest. Subjects include general theological and philosophical writings of the faculty of the Sorbonne, church histories, tracts and documents relating to Port Royal and the Jansenist controversy (including many works by, for, and against Pascal and the Arnaulds), works from the French School and the rise of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart, as well as many other ancillary works in the contemporary French intellectual scene.

Condition was a prime factor as this was a working library, and as such nearly all volumes are in good to very good condition, most in contemporary leather bindings.

Hard copies of the catalog are available upon request. Here is a link to the online version this catalog:

French Theology Antiquarian Catalog