Louis Piette Writes the First Effort at a History of Papermaking by Machine

In September 2018 I first obtained a copy of Louis Piette's Traite de la fabrication du papier. Contenant les procédés généralement en usage pour préparer ce produit, les diverse méthodes de collage par la disolution de gélatine et dans le cylindre ou la cuve de fabrication, le blanchiment complet des chiffons, la manière de fair les papiers de couleur, et ceux de diverse subtances, descriptions détailées des machines à fair le papier d'après les nouveaux procédés, etc. (Paris: F. G. Levrault, 1831). Among the features of this book, it appears to contain the first effort at a history of the development of papermaking by machine. The author refers to a number of papermaking machines developed in France after Robert as well as machines developed in England, including charts of significant patents awarded in England and France, and awards granted for contributions to papermaking. Strangely Piette pays little attention to Robert, presumably because Robert's work was primarily developed by others. Most of the early French machines to which Piette refers are hardly known except through Piette's book.