___ How to use this web site. ___

Before all, it is recommended that the gentle reader use a recent browser so that to ensure a maximum reading comfort.

Preamble :

This web site has two consulting methods proposals :

• An on-line consulting (HTML pages).
• An off-line consulting, with the download of a PDF file.

With the first method, you can rapidly make up your mind on the content and decide if you want a copy of it. This version doesn't entirely conform to the original. See “Technical sides” for more details.

The second method allows you to have a quiet reading at home, at leisure. This version is the one which perfectly conforms to the original.

Consulting :

To consult the works, you just have to go to the Library page, by clicking (on the home page) on the little square where “Entry” is written.

Once you are on this page, just move your mouse hover the books on the shelf, speech bubbles indicate what you can get if you click on it.

Covering the books from left to right, there is one volume per century, from XVIth to XXIth century, and you get a list of works for each century.

With the next volume on the shelf you get a list of foreign (not French), or bilingual works.

Then you get another list of the whole works, sorted by author's name and title.

Then you can write to us by using the “Mail” option.

Still towards the right side of the shelf, you get access to catalogues.

Next book gives access to editors, bookshops et web sites references.

On the right you get a list of modern issues of ancient books.

At last, you get the updates of this site, with the last works addition.

By clicking on a book on the shelf, you got a list of works in alphabetical order of authors. At the top of this page, you can see two little squares each side of the title as follows :

-- Title of the page --

If you move your mouse hover each square, a speech bubble will give you its function.

If you click on the left one, you will have access to an help.

The right one allows you to get back to the previous page (here the shelf page).

This layout is used on each and every page, when necessary.

So, after you clicked on a book, a list allows you to select a given title.

For each title of the list, it exists from one up to three main informations. Beneath is an example of these lists.

Title :Discours d'autheur incertain sur la pierre des Philosophes. Author : Anonymous. R. Downl.

Publisher : Manus. B.N No 19957. Paris 1590. Manuscript.

On this example, you first notice an underlined title. When clicking on this title, you will get either the work itself, or an information on the work.

You can also notice the 'R' letter, written in red. It indicates that on clicking on the title, you will get the on-line reading of this document, in your browser. If the document is not available for an on-line reading, then you will get an information.

At last, should the case arise, you can click on the “Downl” link, which allows you to get a downloadable copy of the work, in a PDF file type.

Once you have selected a work, you get in your browser, for instance, the following display :

__ First, on top :

The meaning of these different icons is as follows :

The following icons are to use on the French version of the site.

The followings icons are to use on the english version of the site.
This icon gives access to a help in English.
This icon allows to go back to the previous page.

The following icons are to use on the Spanish version of the site.


The following icons are to use on the German version of the site.


The following icons are to use on the Danish version of the site.


The following icons are to use on the Italian version of the site.

__ Then :

An image of the title page is displayed, or of the first page if the title page is not available.

__ Then :

The book's references are displayed :

Réfer. : AL0300
Auteur : Roger Bachon. (R. Bacon).
Titre : De L'Admirable puissance de l'Art.
S/titre : et de Nature. Traduict de Latin en François
par Iacques Girard de Tournus.
Editeur : Xxxxx.
Date éd. : 1557 .

The first line (Réfer.) gives the press-mark of the book in the library.
The second one gives the name of the author as on the printed edition and, should the case arise, like you can see here, the current name.
The third one gives the main title.
The fourth and fifth give the secondary title, often important in ancient editions.
The next one gives the name of the editor or, like here 'Xxxxx' when I don't know it.
At last the date of edition or, when I don't know it, something like '15xx', for instance a XVIth century manuscript.

__ At last :

Pages of the work itself are displayed. It is to notice that the page layout is not careful but only meant in the view of allowing to quickly make up one's mind on the work. If you wish to get an exact version, you will have to choose the copy option, above described in this aid, on pages displaying the list of the works.

Typographical conventions :

In the documents, a characters has a specific meaning :

• “@” represents the transition from one page to another.