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Louis-Nicolas Bescherelle
The art of conjugation within easy reach
French for everyone …
Born in Paris in 1802, Louis-Nicolas Bescherelle was passionate about the French language at the time when the Guizot Law (1833) laid down the first foundations of primary education for all. Archivist to the State Council and librarian at the Louvre, he wrote dozens of works, including various treaties on grammar, sometimes intended for scholars, sometimes just for schoolchildren. In 1846, he published his Dictionnaire national, of more than 3000 pages. What an arduous task, especially with the means available at the time!
His son, Louis-Edmond Bescherelle Lazarus, a knight of the Legion of Honour, came to live in Valmondois, where he was mayor from 1908 to 1922. His father died in Paris in 1883, and was first buried in the cemetery of Montmartre before being transferred to Valmondois. So he is a “Valmondoisien” by posthumous adoption.
… and still up to date
The "Bescherelle" or "The Art of conjugating" remains a reference book even today for the oh-so-subtle conjugation of the French language. Note that in Canada, a special edition is available. It has been issued in digital version and even as a game by Hatier editions...
