1826. Pierre Mongie l’aine (the elder) publishes Etteilla’s deck from the original copper plates, altered to erase the astrological symbols in the corners. To most of the trumps, court cards and Aces, it adds new titles in cursive script, inside the picture frame, of a Masonic or Biblical flavor, such as “Hiram’s Masonry” for card 2 or “Solomon” for card 8. On card 1, instead of “Etteilla” and “Questionnant” it has “L’Homme qui consulte” both top and bottom (Kaplan vol. 2 p. 400f). There is also a book, The art of reading cards and tarots or French, Egyptian, Italian and German Cartomancy. The author, given as “Aldegonde Perenna, Polish sibyl,” is actually Gabrielle de Paban, cousin of editor and collaborator Collin de Plancy. In an introductory essay, de Plancy says that the 1200 pages of Etteilla’s two large volumes contain nothing but astrological fantasies; the present work, by contrast, is at least clear. Its section on “Egyptian tarots” was reprinted numerous times by Grimaud to accompany its reprints of Etteilla’s deck (DDD pp. 144-147). Its 1969 deck, which showed keywords in both English and French, offered an English translation of this booklet, 118 pp.
Here is an advert for the Plancy/Mongie from the 2nd edition of Colin de Plancy’s “Dictionaire Infernal”, 1826:
L’ART DE TIRER LES CARTES ET LES TAROTS, ou Cartomancie Française, Égyptienne, Italienne et Allemande; moyen infaillible de dire la bon aventure, expliqué d’après les découvertes profondes des Egyptiens, des Bohémiens, des Sibylles et des Cabalistes célèbres de tous les pays; par Aldégonde Pérenna, sibylle polonaise; mis en ordre et publié par Collin de Plancy, auteur du Dictionnaire Infernal, un vol in-18, prix: 3 fr. et 3. fr. 50 c. franc de port. Le grand jeu de 78 cartes des tarots, gravés en taille-douce, et coloriés avec soin, enfermés dans un étui de carton, prix: 6 fr. En prenant le volume et le jeu ensemble, 7 fr. 50 c. et 8 fr. 50 c. franc de port. (L’on vend le volume et le jeu séparément.)
Translation:
THE ART OF PULLING THE CARDS AND TAROTS or Cartomancie French, Egyptian, Italian and German; surefire way to tell the good adventure, explained from the profound discoveries of the Egyptians, Bohemians, the Sibyls and famous Kabbalists of all countries; by Polish sybyl Aldégonde Pérenna; put in order and published by Collin Plancy, author of the Dictionnaire Infernal, a volume in-18, price: 3 fr. and 3 fr. 50 c. postage paid. A Game of 78 cards of tarot cards, intaglio carved and coloured with care, enclosed in a cardboard case, price: 6 fr. Taking the volume and game together, 7 fr. 50 c. and 8 fr. 50 c. postage paid. (The volume and the game are sold separately.)
In later books (e.g., Un Homme, par Mme Collin de Plancy (Marie d'Heures), 1832), the book and deck are only advertised as sold together, for 7fr.50c., not separately.
COLLIN DE PLANCY (Jacques-Albin-Simon Collin), was born in Plancy, near Arcis-sur-Aube, on January 28, 1793. His father Edme-Aubin Collin was a manufacturer of socks and his mother, Marie-Anne Danton, who was according to some the sister of the famous revolutionary Georges-Jacques Danton, who was executed a year after the birth of Jacques. However, any relationship to G.J. Danton has been disputed by others. He went to Paris in 1812 and worked there for various booksellers. c.1821, he opened a printing shop and bookstore, editing and publishing himself many books, many of which were blacklisted due to their anti-religious nature. Due to risky real estate speculation he was forced to close in 1826. He settled in Belgium after the revolution of 1830, where he founded the
Revue de Bruxelles and the
Société de propagation des bons livres. He returned to Paris in 1837, but two years later he was called to Holland to found
La Haye a Société des Beaux-Arts. During their stay in the Netherlands he was reconciled with the Catholic faith and in 1841 mades public his conversion. Collin de Plancy returned to France and all his works henceforth received episcopal approval. In 1846, he founded
Plancy Société de Saint-Victor pour la propagation des bons livres et la formation d'ouvriers chrétiens. After the dissolution of the latter in 1858, Collin de Plancy returned to Paris and ended his career as a general manager at Henri Plon.
According to the one source:
Collin de Plancy married c.1815, one of his cousins, Miss Marie Clotilde Paban, known in literature under the name of Mary D’heures. - A sister of the latter, Miss Gabrielle Paban, also published several books under various peudonyms, some of which were attributed to her cousin.
However, according to another, earlier source*:
Collin Dante de Plancy (Madam
GABRIELLE PABAN) wife of the preceding, born in Lyon February 22, 1795, married in 1817.
*Biographie Nouvelle Des Contemporains : Coll - Dic, Volume 5, 1822
According to another, 'Gabrielle Paban' is another pseudonym of his wife 'Marie Clotilde Paban', which he also used as an alias for himself.
(Aldégonde Pérenna (Gabrielle Paban) was also the author of
L'art de dire la bonne-aventure dans la main, ou La chiromancie des bohémiennes, for example, which seems to have been popular, published in at least five editions between 1818 & 1842.)
The BnF listing for the 1818 edition:
Type : texte imprimé, monographie
Auteur(s) : Perenna, Aldegonde (1793-18..)
Titre(s) : L'art de dire la bonne-aventure dans la main, ou La chiromancie des bohémiennes, suivie des horoscopes, ou le moyen de connaître sa destinée par les constellations de la naissance ; comme aussi de l'art de tirer les cartes, et de l'explication des songes [Texte imprimé]. Ouvrage combiné sur les livres qui nous restent des plus fameux devins, sorciers et astrologues ; par Gabrielle Pérenna, de Salon, sibylle provençale, de la lignée de Nostradamus
Publication : Paris : Lerouge, 1818
Description matérielle : In-18, 190 p., frontisp. et pl. gr.
Titre alternatif : La chiromancie des bohémiennes
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