The Contribution of an Enlightenment Publisher to Travel Literature of His Time. Jean-Frédéric Bernard and the Recueil de voyages au Nord

In the 17th and 18th centuries, printer-editors played a significant role in the transmission of information of intellectual movements, among them Jean-Frédéric Bernard who was a printer in Amsterdam. Recueil de voyages au Nord was published in ten volumes between 1715 and 1738 and was met with great success. It focused on a variety of territories of the “North”, from Iceland to Japan. Already very familiar with existing travel literature of the time, the editor, in addition to compiling previously published travel literature, produced translations and wrote accounts in which, while seeking to satisfy the reader’s curiosity, he insisted on ways to make each journey useful.