French literary historian Alain Riffaud has won First Prize at the 19th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography for his work, Catalogue Molière: 1660–1673 (Le Mans: Matière à Dire, 2025).

Awarded every four years by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the Breslauer Prize recognizes world-class scholarship in book history and analytical bibliography. The First Prize includes an award of $10,000.

Reassessing 17th-Century Publishing History

Riffaud’s catalogue presents a comprehensive, modern reassessment of the physical printing history of Molière's original plays. Rather than relying solely on traditional textual analysis, the work incorporates modern analytical bibliography—often described as "book-archaeology"—examining physical attributes such as paper types, typography, printing press variants, and watermarks.

Through this physical examination, Riffaud identified previously uncatalogued surviving copies, offering antiquarian dealers, scholars, and librarians a significantly updated reference tool for authenticating early Molière editions.

Submissions & International Scope

The 19th cycle of the Breslauer Prize drew a record 117 international submissions, reflecting a nearly 20% increase over the previous award cycle. Entries encompassed a wide range of sub-disciplines, including medieval manuscripts, early print culture, typography, and regional book histories.

The official ceremony honoring Riffaud and fellow prize recipients was held during the 5th ILAB Symposium in Berlin.

Availability & Format

Published as a 512-page hardback with over 500 color illustrations, Catalogue Molière: 1660–1673 is distributed physically by the French cultural association Matière à Dire (Le Mans) for €60.

Source Credit:

• International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) — Official Press Announcement & Prize Portal (ilab.org).