The Revolt of the Angels · Chapter
XXIV explained
The chapter traces the journey of the Lucretius of the Prior de Vendôme after it is mistakenly omitted from a binder's list.
What happens
The chapter traces the journey of the Lucretius of the Prior de Vendôme after it is mistakenly omitted from a binder's list. The volume passes through several hands: the binder's son Ernest steals it to fund a date, sells it to a secondhand dealer, who sells it to an expert, who sells it to a collector, then to a bookseller, then to a bibliopolist, and finally to the Comtesse de Gorce. During her absence, a thief steals it from her mansion, and it eventually ends up with Père Guinardon, who buys it for a pittance.
Themes in this chapter
Art and Beauty
The Lucretius is described as a 'thing of beauty' whose journey through various hands highlights the value and vulnerability of art objects.
Human Nature and Folly
The vicissitudes of the volume illustrate human greed, carelessness, and the whimsical fate of precious objects.
Characters to notice
- Monsieur Julien Sariette
Despatched the parcel of books to the binder Léger-Massieu.
- Léger-Massieu
The binder who received the books but delayed work; his son Ernest stole the Lucretius.
- Père Guinardon
Purchased the stolen Lucretius from a young man for four shillings and placed it in his cabinet.
- Comtesse de Gorce
Bought the Lucretius from a bookseller; it was later stolen from her mansion.
Key passages
“Six weeks had elapsed since he had received the parcel of books that had been despatched by Monsieur Sariette, but still Léger-Massieu had not yet put the work in hand.”
Léger-Massieu delayed starting the work for six weeks after receiving the books from Sariette.
Highlights the binder's leisurely pace and the initial neglect of the Lucretius.
“Ernest parted with the Lucretius for ten francs to old Moranger, a secondhand dealer in the Rue Saint X⸺, who displayed no great curiosity regarding the origin of his acquisitions.”
Ernest sold the Lucretius to a secondhand dealer for ten francs, who asked no questions about where it came from.
Shows the casual and illicit transfer of the stolen book.
“The malefactor, who was supposed to be an English cook, was never discovered.”
The thief, believed to be an English cook, was never caught.
Adds a mysterious and unresolved element to the book's journey.