Le registre d'écrou de la Bastille de 1782 à 1789 Extrait de la Nouvelle Revue du 1er décembre 1880

A meticulous transcription of a seldom‑seen prison ledger brings the Bastille’s final years into sharp focus. Preserving the original spelling and correcting only obvious typographical slips, the editor arranges the entries by inmate rather than by date, mirroring the way the register itself was kept. The introduction, delivered by members of a 19th‑century bibliophilic society, explains how the volume resurfaced in a London auction and why it matters for anyone fascinated by the mystery surrounding France’s most infamous fortress.

Listeners will discover the grim routines that governed entry and release: escorted fiacres, masked guards, and the formal hand‑over of letters of cachet. The text sketches the diverse cast of detainees—political spies, controversial printers, and even bookbinders—while revealing the subtle privileges bought by wealthier families. Sample excerpts, such as the case of a police spy named Jacquet de la Douay, showcase the stark contrast between official procedure and the human stories hidden behind the stone walls.