POLYBIBLION. - With the aim of providing information on the content and value of the principal contemporary literary output, both French and foreign, P. first appeared in Paris with the subtitle Revue bibliographique universelle, edited by the Société bibliographique, on 12 February 1868, as a monthly publication.
Each issue is divided into two parts. The first, "littéraire", contains extensive reviews of works, especially French ones, arranged by subject, and a few pages of miscellaneous matter, such as chronicles and bibliographical information. The second part, "bibliographie", on the other hand, gives the plain and simple list of books that have appeared and the indexing of various French and foreign journals and of the literary articles of the principal French newspapers. Each of the two parts has its own pagination, continued by half-year. The whole is provided with methodical indexes. In August 1870 (6th vol.) P. interrupted publication, to reappear in March of the following year.
In 1875 the 2nd series begins (vol. 13), richer and fuller than the first and made up not of one but of two monthly issues, one containing the "partie littéraire", the other the "partie technique". The set of literary issues forms 2 vols. per year, that of the technical ones 1 vol. In 1931 the 3rd series appeared (vol. 181), much reduced and with a single issue per month, divided, like the first series, into 2 parts. In December 1937, owing to financial difficulties, the journal P. was forced to cease publication. A new publisher brought it out from July 1938 to June 1939 (vol. 195).
Renata Orazi Ausenda