Publication:

Écrits et archives de Claude Rivals.

    Full details

    English titleWritten works and Archives of Claude Rivals.
    Authors & editors

    Rivals, Marc [Author]
    Guilbaud, Jean [Author]

    Publisher Fédération Française des Associations de sauvegarde des Moulins
    Year of publication 2008
    Languages

    French (main text)

    Medium Book
    Edition1
    Topics

    People and communities > Biographies & tributes

    Tags

    Scope & contentSummary Translation: A biography of Claude Rivals’ life, told by his son Marc Rivals and his friends. Includes an introduction by Annie Bouchard, president of the FFAM, and a preface by Cyrille Megdiche, which give a summary of the book.

    The book is divided into sections- his career, his friends, and family photo album, and his written works. Includes a bibliography of Claude Rivals’ work- papers and published work on various types of mills, together with the illustrations he completed.

    First two chapters devoted to his son and friends’ accounts of his life. The third chapter presents extracts from Claude Rivals’ work including Le Moulin à Marée (Tidal mills) - his last, unfinished, work from 2002. This includes photocopies of handwritten extracts and illustrations as well as typed sections with written annotations. It was written as an essay- gives an introduction on the type of study, its purpose, methodologies, inclusions and exclusions etc. Gives information on the ‘oriental origins’ of this type of mill and the first mentions of them in European and American history.

    Concludes with the scope of the research and its findings. Le Moulin à Marée- gives information on the origins and development of tidal mills in France; questions how popular this knowledge is amongst French citizens- especially academics. Gives information on previous studies, for example from 1965.

    This section raises questions and gives information about how France has changed- its former geographical boundaries and the changes made to borders throughout European history; gives this in the context of the development of mills and discusses why it is important to keep this in mind during research. Also focuses heavily on the changes to the tides over the years- the consequences for land and tidal mills etc.

    Includes a section on the meaning of a tidal mill- it is a water mill but is unique and has to be called a Moulin à Marée as it is only powered by the sea. Gives other variants of the name, including moulin-mer (mill-sea). Gives an idea of the number of tidal mills across Europe across the centuries, particularly from 1400 onwards.

    Gives information on the differences in their structures etc. across Europe- for example Portugal which changed slightly from other tidal mills; the shape of the wheel was altered. Includes information on grain production. American versions- gives information on any previous studies of these mills in the “New World.” Gives information on Canadian mills; their dimensions, variations, their mechanisms etc. including Cape Cod. Includes information on tidal mills in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Boston and Georgia. Most were constructed following British models.

    Tidal mills in France- gives a history of them- significant events, for example 1180 in Brittany between the bay of Mont Saint-Michel and the Rance valley. Information on the possible impact of the Crusades from 1095. Includes information on tidal mills constructed in the Hundred Years War, the French Revolution and the two World Wars. Includes examples of specific mills, for example in/ at Dunkirk. Includes extracts from the National Archives (France.)

    Includes information on people who worked on tidal mills across years of history- owners and millworkers etc. Diary extracts- the next chapter includes other examples of his work including photocopies of his diary entries, letters from Serbia. Includes photographs and illustrations. Last section includes plans and drawings of his other essays and written work; includes diagrams of water mills, windmills and symbolic meanings of mills. Information on how to study mills- what to look for and interpret etc. Also includes an inventory of the Claude Rivals’ cartoons.

    Copies held

    Accession no. 229941

    • Shelf location: A210-RIV
    • Notes: Special) Number: "Les Moulins no. 20"