In 1813, Jean-Baptiste Féret (elder), founded a bookshop in Bordeaux. The patent of bookseller being a privilege, Jean-Baptiste obtained it on January 1, 1813. In 1821, he moved to n° 30 des fossés du Chapeau rouge and published books of historical interest.
Michel-Édouard Féret, his son, developed the bookstore, then on the Place Saint-Rémi, under the name Féret & Fils. The company quickly prospered. In 1845, it moved to 15 Fossé de l’Intendance. As a publisher as well as a bookshop, the year 1850 was to be a landmark year for Féret. Indeed, Michel-Édouard Féret received a visit from Charles Cook, an English professor who had settled in Bordeaux in 1840. He was enthusiastic about the Bordeaux region and wrote a guide for his compatriots. Published in London in 1846 by Longman Publishing, Bordeaux: its wines and the claret country presents both historical and tourist aspects of the region and contains 84 pages of observations and judgments on the vineyards and wines of Bordeaux. Michel-Édouard suggested to Charles Cook that he publish his work in French and thus the first “Féret” appeared in 1850.
From then on, the vocation of Editions Féret was clear. In 1868, a second edition of Bordeaux and its Wines, classified by order of merit, was published, entirely recast and expanded by Édouard Féret, Michel-Édouard’s son. He would produce six other editions completed with the same care and attention to detail.
As a witness to the work and economy of an entire region, over time and through successive editions, this work conveys the reputation of Bordeaux wines throughout the world, to the point of being called the “Bible of Bordeaux Wines” or, more familiarly, “The Féret”.
A tireless worker, Édouard Féret was a born publisher. He published more than two hundred books during his forty years of activity, keeping a special interest in Bordeaux and its wines. His sons, Félix and Charles, took part in the work.
In 1912, the Maison Féret moved out of the building it had occupied for 68 years on the Cours de l’Intendance. The old wine storehouses of a merchant at number 9 rue de Grassi, completely refurbished, were to be used as the new home. In 1915, the death of Félix left his brother Charles alone at the head of the family business. His son Claude took over in 1928 and took the reins in 1953. In the meantime, three editions of Bordeaux et ses Vins were published and about a hundred books were published. Claude Féret continued the publishing tradition of the company: he edited two other editions of “Féret” and published an English version in 1986. In 1962, he published Yves Renouil’s Dictionnaire du Vin, a book that was recognized and acclaimed by all professionals, and which received awards from various organizations.
In the 1980s, Claude Féret had to make a choice for the future of the company; his passion for publishing won out and he closed the bookshop, not without regret. At the same time, a new edition of “Féret” is underway. Marc-Henry Lemay finishes his father-in-law’s work and in 1991, the fourteenth edition of “Féret” is published. In December 1992, the S.A.R.L. des Éditions Féret was created in order to perpetuate the editions. A fifteenth edition of “Féret” was published in 1995 and an English version was produced in collaboration with Wiley & Sons (United States) and Hallwag (German-speaking countries) in 1998. At the end of the 20th century, authors and publications gave Éditions Féret the unmistakable image it had at the end of the 19th century.
The 21st century began with a new edition of Bordeaux and its wines. The means put in place are increased and it will mark the spirits by the quality of the editorial team (about twenty experts and speakers at the world level) and the relevance of its analysis.
In 2003, Louis Nègre, whose passion for the world of wine and the arts is well known, associated for the occasion with Bruno Boidron, took control of the Editions to give them a new lease of life. Since then, the company has diversified with the creation of collections that complement the “Féret” collection. In 2004, the Éditions Féret moved to 24 Allées de Tourny, opposite the building occupied by the Féret bookshop in the 19th century. The seventeenth edition of Bordeaux and its wines welcomed this return to its roots.
Three years later, the eighteenth edition was published. In the meantime, 156 years after the first edition of Bordeaux and its wines, a first edition of La Champagne et ses vins was published.
In 2019, Stéphane Zittoun bought Féret Editions in order to give it the digital impetus that would allow it to enter the 21st century with full force. For three years, the new team has been preparing a hybrid version of Bordeaux and its Wines.
