Henri Béraldi

Henri Béraldi with his son and others during an ascent of Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyrenees, ca. 1900. Henri Béraldi (6 February 1849, Paris – 31 March 1931, Paris) was a French bibliophile, publisher and author of books on the Pyrenees and on French printmakers of the 19th century.

Henri Béraldi was the son of Pierre Louis Béraldi, a senator in the Third Republic between 1876 and 1885. Henri married Mathilde Gavet in 1880. They had five children, including Pierre and André Béraldi, both chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur, and Jacques Béraldi, an officier in the same order.

The collection of Henri Béraldi consisted mainly of French illustrated books and books with special bindings, and was considered one of the four most important collections of its type, together with the collections of Ferdinand James von Rothschild, Louis Roederer and Robert Schuhmann.

He enjoyed holidays in the spa town of Bagnères-de-Luchon in the Pyrenees, and became a noted writer on the range. Pic Béraldi, also known as the Eriste N or the Bagüeñola Norte, is a 3,205m-high peak in the Spanish Province of Huesca named after him.

Béraldi was the president of the Société des amis des livres. from 1901 to 1931, and an officier of the Légion d'honneur.

After his death in 1931, his collection (minus a selection of books on the Pyrenees, which was donated to the library of Toulouse) was sold in a five-day auction in 1934–35.

Books by Béraldi 1874: L'oeuvre de Moreau le jeune 1879: Charles-Étienne Gaucher : graveur : notice et catalogue, together with Baron 1880–1882: Les graveurs du XVIIIe siècle, together with Baron Roger Portalis, published by Morgand et Fatout in Paris. 1884: Mes estampes, 1872–1884 1885: 1865–1885: Bibliothèque d'un Bibliophile, published by L. Danel in Lille 1885–1892: Les Gravures du XIXe Siecle, 12 volumes 1892: Estampes et Livres, 1872–1892, published by Conquet 1892: Raffet, peintre national 1893: Voyage d'un livre à travers la Bibliothèque Nationale, published by G. Masson in Paris 1895–1897: La reliure du XIXè siècle 1898–1904: Cent Ans aux Pyrenées, published in Paris in 7 volumes 1902: Exposition de la reliure moderne au Musée Galliera. Mai-juin 1902. Rapport général 1904: L'œuvre gravé et lithographié de Alphonse Legros, orné d'une eau-forte originale, et d'un fac-similé du portrait de l'artiste d'après son propre dessin., published by Hesselé in Paris 1907–1910: Balaitous et Pelvoux, published in Paris in 2 volumes 1911–1931: Notes d'un Bibliophile, published in Paris in 10 volumes 1913: Un Caricaturiste Prophete. La Guerre Telle Qu'elle Est, with caricaturist Albert Robida 1920: Le passé du pyrénéisme. Notes d'un bibliophile, published by Lahure in Paris 1927: La carrière posthume de Ramond; notes d'un bibliophile 1827–1868 1931: En marge du Pyrénéisme. Notes d'un bibliophile. L'Affaire Rilliet-Planta, published in Paris by Béraldi 1934: Bibliothèque Henry Béraldi, the auction catalogue for his collection

Books published by Béraldi 1892: Paysages Parisiens, text by Émile Goudeau, illustrations by Auguste Lepère 1893: Tableaux de Paris. Paris qui consomme., text by Émile Goudeau, illustrations by Pierre Vidal 1895: Paris au hasard, text by Georges Montorgueil, drawings and engravings by Auguste Lepère 1897: Tableaux de Paris. Paris qui consomme., text by Émile Goudeau, illustrations by Charles Jouas 1897: Poèmes Parisiens, text by Émile Goudeau, illustrations by Charles Jouas 1902: Paris-Staff. Exposition de 1900, text by Émile Goudeau