CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Paul Guérin

French lexicographer (1830-1908)

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 2, 2026
Entity authorityQ3371410 ↗
Source-derived summary

Paul Guérin (French pronunciation: [pɔl ɡeʁɛ̃]; 8 March 1830 – 23 June 1908) was a French priest, professor of philosophy, writer and encyclopedist.

He was gifted as a compiler, and is best known for being the author of the series Les Petits Bollandistes: vie des saints, with fifteen volumes (1866–1869) that were republished several times.

Biography

Paul Guérin was born in Buzançais to parents with modest income.

He studied in Buzancais at the municipal superior school.

In 1842 he entered the minor seminary in Saint-Gaultier, then, around 1849, the major seminary of Bourges.

At the end of his studies he returned to Saint-Gaultier as a fourth grade teacher.

He was then appointed to the Saint-Dizier college, where he taught for 13 years.

At the same time as his teaching, he wrote and translated foreign works: for example, in 1857, Paradise Lost by John Milton.

In 1858–1859 he published, by subscription, 4 volumes of Giry's Vie des saints.

Dictionary of dictionaries

Paul Guérin edited and issued, under his secular name, the six volumes of the Dictionnaire des dictionnaires.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Paul Guérin” as french lexicographer (1830-1908). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1830, 1908, 1866, 1869—that can be checked directly. The authority record carries competing date values—1830-03-08, 1830—which should remain separate until their references and qualifiers are resolved. The account is most persuasive where Paul, Guérin and French can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as french lexicographer (1830-1908). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3371410. VIAF identifies the subject as 100175667. The Library of Congress control number is n90605184. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1830, 1908, 1866 and 1869.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Paul Guérin”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Paul Guérin primary sources, Paul Guérin archive and Paul research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Paul Guérin”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Paul Guérin” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.