author
Louis François Marin Duval
1840–1917
A French librarian, archivist, and local historian, he devoted much of his life to preserving the history of Normandy and nearby regions. His books range from careful historical studies to collections of legends and local traditions, giving modern readers both solid research and a feel for provincial France.
1 Audiobook
Un frère de Nicolas Foucquet: François, Archevêque de Narbonne; Exilé à Alençon
by Louis François Marin Duval
About the author
Born in La Ferté-Macé in 1840 and dead in Alençon in 1917, Louis François Marin Duval was a French archivist-paleographer, librarian, and historian. He is especially linked with the department of Orne, where he worked as a conservator of archives and libraries and became known for his deep interest in regional history.
Duval wrote widely on local subjects, including families, churches, old estates, and notable figures from earlier centuries. His works also show an interest in folklore and popular memory, as seen in collections of superstitions and legends from the Marche area. That mix of archival discipline and curiosity about everyday tradition gives his writing a broad appeal.
Today, he is remembered less as a novelist than as a patient scholar of place: someone who gathered records, stories, and historical details that might otherwise have been lost. For readers who enjoy older historical writing rooted in a specific region, his work offers both atmosphere and firsthand research.