“a lifetime’s work”

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When they acquired the iconic Palladian Villa in Syam in 2001, Brigitte Cannard and Claude Darbon got it back empty of its furniture and books.

“When we visited the house, with a flashlight, this library had caught my attention terribly impressed“, says Claude Darbon, “because of its size (24 m long), and because of the remarkable state of preservation of its books.”

“Seeing it empty afterwards panicked us a little, It made my blood run cold every time I entered the room,” the owner recalls.

“We tried to make it more attractive, but the result was poor, so we gave up.”

“I know where the books are”

It took eight years, in 2009, for a summer visitor to alert the owners: “I know where the Jobez books are! They are in my village in Normandy and they are going to be sold next Wednesday at auction« .

The owners then informed the DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs) and the competent authorities to trying to classify library books and be able to put them back in their place.

Unfortunately, due to lack of time, the process was not successful, forcing Brigitte Cannard and Claude Darbon to go immediately to Eure to try to buy them back.

“I got my hands on the most precious work”

On site, it was a disappointment.

“It was in a very small village, we thought there would be no one there and that we could easily get hold of the books. Except that we found ourselves facing 150 merchants from around the worldwith incredible purchase offers: The Encyclopedia of Diderot and d’Alembert: €97,000Victor Hugo: €42,000… ».

Caught off guard, the owners manage to obtain only 800 pounds of the 36,000 put on sale.

“And above all the most precious of all: the handwritten inventory of the library made by Alphonse Jobez in 1863.”

The starting point of a long-term project to rebuild the library identically.

Same authors, same shelves

Extremely precise, the inventory lists titles, authors and editions different books but above all their exact location in the library.

“With this inventory in hand, since 2009 I buy books on the internet, at flea markets, at the old book market in Paris, at flea markets, at private homes… They are not exactly the same since most of them have gone abroad, but I manage to find the same titles, the same authors in different editions”.

Buyer in summer, restaurateur in winter

Among the books acquired by Claude Darbon, some are almost two centuries old and are not necessarily in good condition, the collector then learned, as an autodidact, to restore the works.

“This is my winter job. Once the book is restored I put it back in the library, where the Jobez would have put it« .

“What is interesting is that This library was that of an honest man “à la Rousseau” from the 19th century^e century : the works are not particularly valuable but they have historical value.

Already 17,000 books found…

Thanks to the painstaking work of Claude Darbon, the library has regained its splendor and currently has about 17,000 pounds.

“We’re not going to go up to 36,000 books because in the original library there were double and triple rows of books per shelf, and I think it’s a shame to hide books. So I’ve decided to stop when I reach 20,000 books.”

…but it’s never over

Although he is not far from achieving his goal, Claude Darbon admits that it is ” the work of a lifetime.”

“The problem with bibliophiles is that we buy books but it’s never overbecause we always find more valuable editions or works in better condition… And we end up exchanging books tirelessly that we already have.”

It is possible to visit the Villa Palladienne and its library until Tuesday, October 29 (225 chemin de Benaisy in Syam). More information on 03 84 51 64 14.

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