Rene Vannes' dictionaire back in print?

**Bob A** · Sep-29-2004, 9:54pm

I googled "Vannes Luthiers" and got a French site that seems to indicate that Vannes' "dictionnaire universal des luthiers" has been reprinted. Or so I gather from google's amusing translator.

The book contains info and some 17000 representative labels
of luthiers over the centuries. Many of these folk made other instruments as well, including, of course, mandolins. As such I suspect it would be a useful reference even to those of us who do not speak French.

Since it has been out of print and has useful info, old copies fetch about $200 on the rare book market.

If anyone here is able to connect with the French site and ascertain availability and current price, I (and perhaps you, dear reader) might be interested in acquiring a copy.

If anyone here is already familiar with the book and can suggest whether it would, indeed, be of use to the likes of us, I'd be interested to hear about it.

Anyone?

**Jim Garber** · Sep-29-2004, 10:08pm

I think the rare book price has gone up. I found this listing for $300 (volumes 1 and 2 bound together.

Next time I am in New York I might take a trip there and at least look at this tome.

Bob... somehow we have to train you to post urls. Even to just paste them into the text of the msg.

Is this the site you found?

Jim

**Bob A** · Sep-29-2004, 10:28pm

Yeah, that's the one.

BTW, what clued me to this thing was seeing a copy of the reprint on ebay go for $150 (or more - I stopped looking after that). The seller mentioned "reprint" and I started googling.

I managed to get one of those things to work, once, but I don't know how I did it. Pity that Scott doesn't seem to have detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to use all the bells and whistles. Annoying damned boxes, these computer things. Too bad they're so useful.

**Eugene** · Sep-30-2004, 5:15am

This is a bit exciting, but the price still seems a little intimidating. Fortunately, I have a freind right within my zip code who owns this text. Unfortunately, I seldom find a time when our schedules coincide and I can visit. I've been known to take brief lists of names for research to his home.

Don't fear the "http://" button, Bob.

**Jim Garber** · Sep-30-2004, 10:56am

I heard back from Amis Musique:

Originally Posted by

the cost of the book, with post charges, is : 176,32 euros

So that would be about $220 with shipping.

Perhaps we can get a wholesale price somehow by bulk buying? Any suggestions?

Jim

**btrott** · Sep-30-2004, 2:56pm

As an alternative to buying the book, those who want to locate it in a library (or borrow it via interlibrary loan perhaps) can use the following list of US and Canadian libraries that own the book.

Barry

VA COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG FOUND RES LIBR VCW
VA UNIV OF VIRGINIA VA@
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZ ARIZONA STATE UNIV AZS
AZ UNIV OF ARIZONA AZU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CA CALIFORNIA STATE UNIV, FULLERTON CFI
CA CALIFORNIA STATE UNIV, LONG BEACH CLO
CA CALIFORNIA STATE UNIV, SACRAMENTO CSA
CA SAN JOSE STATE UNIV CSJ
CA STANFORD UNIV LIBR STF
CA UNIV OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY CUY
CA UNIV OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS, SHIELDS LIBR CUV
CA UNIV OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE CUI
CA UNIV OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE CRU
CA UNIV OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO CUS
CA UNIV OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA CUT
CA UNIV OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CSL
CA UNIV OF THE PACIFIC UOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CO DENVER PUB LIBR DPL
CO UNIV OF COLORADO AT BOULDER COD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT HARTFORD PUB LIBR HPL
CT UNIV OF HARTFORD HRM
CT YALE UNIV LIBR YUS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DC DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUB LIBR DWP
DC LIBRARY OF CONGRESS LNN
DC SMITHSONIAN INST SMI
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HI UNIV OF HAWAII AT MANOA HUH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IA UNIV OF IOWA LIBR NUI
IA UNIV OF NORTHERN IOWA NIU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IL ILLINOIS STATE UNIV IAI
IL NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIV JNA
IL NORTHWESTERN UNIV INU
IL SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIV SOI
IL UNIV OF CHICAGO CGU
IL UNIV OF ILLINOIS UIU
IL WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIV IAZ
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN INDIANA UNIV IUL
IN INDIANA UNIV, MUSIC LIBR IUG
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KS EMPORIA STATE UNIV KKR
KS UNIV OF KANSAS KKU
KS WICHITA STATE UNIV KSW
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KY UNIV OF KENTUCKY LIBR KUK
KY UNIV OF LOUISVILLE KLG
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LA LOUISIANA STATE UNIV LUU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MA BRANDEIS UNIV LIBR MBB
MA HARVARD UNIV, LOEB MUSIC LIBR HMU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MD PEABODY CONSERVATORY JHP
MD UNIV OF MARYLAND, COL PARK UMC
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ME BATES COL BTS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MI ANDREWS UNIV EXN
MI DETROIT PUB LIBR EYP
MI MICHIGAN STATE UNIV EEM
MI UNIV OF MICHIGAN LIBR EYM
MI WAYNE STATE UNIV EYW
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MN UNIV OF MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS MNU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MO KANSAS CITY PUB LIBR KCP
MO WASHINGTON UNIV WTU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NC DUKE UNIV LIBR NDD
NC UNIV OF N CAROLINA, CHAPEL HILL NOC
NC UNIV OF N CAROLINA, GREENSBORO NGU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NH DARTMOUTH COL DRB
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NJ MONMOUTH UNIV LIBR MMT
NJ PRINCETON UNIV PUL
NJ ROWAN UNIV NJG
NJ RUTGERS UNIV NJR
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NM NEW MEXICO STATE UNIV IRU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NY BROOKLYN COL LIBR VDB
NY BUFFALO & ERIE CNTY PUB LIBR VHB
NY CORNELL UNIV COO
NY EASTMAN SCH OF MUSIC RES
NY HOFSTRA UNIV ZIH
NY ITHACA COL XIM
NY MANHATTAN SCH OF MUSIC ZMS
NY NEW SCHOOL UNIV LIBR ZMU
NY NEW YORK PUB LIBR RES LIBR NYP
NY NEW YORK UNIV ZYU
NY SUNY COL AT BUFFALO YBM
NY SYRACUSE UNIV SYB
NY VASSAR COL VXW
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OH CLEVELAND PUB LIBR CLE
OH MIAMI UNIV MIA
OH OBERLIN COL LIBR OBE
OH OHIO STATE UNIV, THE OSU
OH PUBLIC LIBR OF CINCINNATI/HAMILTON CNTY OCP
OH UNIV OF CINCINNATI CIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OR MULTNOMAH CNTY LIBR ORX
OR UNIV OF OREGON LIBR ORU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PA CARNEGIE LIBR OF PITTSBURGH CPL
PA MANSFIELD UNIV MAN
PA TEMPLE UNIV TEU
PA UNIV OF PENNSYLVANIA PAU
PA UNIV OF PITTSBURGH PIT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TN UNIV OF MEMPHIS TMA
TN VANDERBILT UNIV LIBR TJC
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TX BAYLOR UNIV IYU
TX DALLAS PUB LIBR IGA
TX SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOL SEMINARY TSW
TX TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIV ICU
TX TEXAS TECH UNIV ILU
TX UNIV OF N TEXAS INT
TX UNIV OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN IXA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIV LIBR UBY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WA SEATTLE PUB LIBR UOK
WA SPOKANE FALLS COMMUN COL BV1
WA UNIV OF WASHINGTON LIBR WAU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WI MILWAUKEE CNTY FEDERATED LIBR SYST GZD
WI UNIV OF WISCONSIN, MADISON, GEN LIBR SYS GZM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WV WEST VIRGINIA UNIV LIBR WVU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AB UNIV OF CALGARY LIBR UAU
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BC UNIV OF BRITISH COLUMBIA LIBR UBC
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ON UNIV OF WESTERN ONTARIO UWO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QC BIBLIOTHEQUE NAT DU QUEBEC B2Q
QC UNIV DE MONTREAL MUQ
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SK UNIV OF REGINA REB

**Bob A** · Sep-30-2004, 5:07pm

Woof. A fair bit of nerve, charging that much for a reprint. (That IS the reprint, is it not, Jim?)

Might be best overall to go to the library, since my lottery ticket turned up lemons yet again.

**Jim Garber** · Sep-30-2004, 5:36pm

I am not sure if this is merely a reprint or is actually updated to 3 volumes. I would hope the latter. I thought there was some mention of an editor.

Originally Posted by

Le luthier suisse, Claude Lebet, a consacré un troisième tome à ce Dictionnaire universel des Luthiers (aujourd’hui épuisé et faisant l’objet d’une réactualisation). Dans ce complément de 181 pages, on trouve environ 1760 notices biographiques, 768 reproductions d'étiquettes et de marques au fer ainsi que 42 portraits.
Ce Dictionnaire universel des Luthiers écrit par René Vannes est édité par Les Amis de la Musique et vient de connaître une nouvelle impression.

I don't really speak French...

Jim

**Martin Jonas** · Oct-01-2004, 3:49am

I speak a bit French (not a native speaker, though). On my reading, the text quoted by Jim says:

"The Swiss luthier Claude Lebet has added a third volume to this Univeral Dictionary of Luthiers (the original now being out of print and needing revision [?]). In this 181-page supplement, one finds around 1760 biographical notes, 768 reproductions of label and brand marking as well as 42 portraits. This Universal Dictionary of Luthiers written by René Vannes is published by Les Amis de la Musique and has now been reprinted."

Martin

**Jim Garber** · Oct-01-2004, 8:38am

Sounds pretty good to me. If it is a quality reprint -- it does say "nouvelle impression" which I would think meant more than a bound photocopy. Andthis one would have even more info than previous editions. Pay $300 for an older one or $200 for a new improved.

Jim