THE HISTORY OF READING IN LATIN AMERICA VIEW FROM FRANCE

In this article observations are realized on History of reading in some countries of Latin America: Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. The author identifies three fields of investigation in the History of Reading in the European historiographies: The History of the Book and the Edition in France, the material bibliography in England, the History of the Writing in Italy and Spain. In Latin America these fields have been different and have given an essential position to the History of the Literacy and of Education, the History of the construction of the Nation-State or of the Public Opinion, the History of Literature, without leaving aside the links between the History of Reading and the History of Edition in Latin America and the transatlantic trade of books. It concludes with some considerations on the importance assigned to the twentieth century and the attention given by local investigators to the History of Reading in Europe.