(Illus. SOPHOS "Les nobles vins de la Touraine" 1937)
CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD
A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF LOIRE VALLEY
WINE AND VITICULTURE TEXTS
Part I. (1529-1879) Part II. (1880-1944) Part III. (1945-Present) Citation Index
Introduction
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES to those interested in learning more about the history of Loire Valley viticulture is the lack of an existing comprehensive bibliography to use as a guide. Without such a resource, locating relevant texts to help understand the region's complex grape growing and winemaking past can be hit and miss, requiring liberal amounts of patience, perseverance, and even serendipity. General texts about the river's numerous viticultural districts typically provide introductory material and perhaps a little more detail, yet comprehensive works are rare, and rarely obvious on the bookshelf. In fact, much of the best writing goes little-noticed, slumbering within learned society bulletins and journals that by title alone might not alert the reader to the valuable content therein.
THIS ANNOTATED LIST of Loire Viticulture texts attempts to make it easier to learn about the region's viticultural past and present. It has been compiled by consulting library catalogues, microforms, bookseller and auction offerings, government publications, references cited in wine texts, correspondence with collectors, and firsthand examination in bookshops, libraries and personal collections. It is presented chronologically, beginning with the earliest sources. Fleeting or general references typically have not been included. Each bibliographic entry concludes with a citation—typically a series of abbreviations indicating institution(s) where a copy resides, or other publications in which the text has been cited (the legend for these codes may be found on the "citation index" page.) Texts of particular interest may be followed by a few remarks or quotations from the work. Where possible, links to legitimate sources of the full text are in the process of being included.
By its very nature, a project like this must perpetually remain a work in progress. While most of the major works are included here there will of course be texts, some significant, which remain undocumented—especially those published in rarely preserved media as regional trade periodicals, broadsides and pamphlets, or those with limited distribution such as theses, government reports, or municipal archives. With time, the number of these undocumented texts will (hopefully) diminish.
I encourage interested readers to forward information regarding sources which have been overlooked, such as an exceptional chapter in a book of larger scope, a scholarly article or interview in a periodical, or an excellent guidebook or travelogue. Although the oeuvre represented here is dominated by French and English language texts, references to works written in other languages would be welcomed.
Don Rice
New York City
Contact:
donrice at gardensnyc dot net