A Jacobin Itinerary: The Biography of a Parisian Printer

This is a study of the life and thought of the Paris bookseller and printer, Nicolas Ruault, before and during the French Revolution, with a particular emphasis on the itinerary by which he became radicalized. It is based, above all, on more than 400 letters addressed by Ruault to six different correspondents between 1771 and 1827. The chapter briefly explores four elements in Ruault’s radicalization: (1) his family experience; (2) his intellectual experience; (3) the impact of his professional milieu; and (4) the impact of the neighborhood in which he lived and the clubs which he attended. It concludes with reflections on the value of such a micro-biography for our understanding of some of the important historical issues concerning the interpretation of the French Revolution.