1 – 1 8 7 3 ) ▁and ▁other ▁sch ol ars . ▁It ▁enjoyed ▁a ▁wide ▁audience ▁in ▁the ▁various ▁French - spe aking ▁countries ▁of ▁Europe ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century . ▁ ▁The ▁initial ▁form ▁of ▁the ▁journal ▁was ▁the ▁Bibliothèque ▁Britann ique , ▁which ▁began ▁publication ▁in ▁ 1 7 9 6 , ▁and ▁focused ▁on ▁British ▁science , ▁techniques , ▁literature ▁and ▁agricult ure . ▁Its ▁found ers ▁and ▁edit ors ▁were ▁Marc - August e ▁P ict et ▁(" S ci ences ▁& ▁Arts "), ▁Charles ▁P ict et ▁de ▁Ro chem ont ▁(" Liter ature ") ▁and ▁Fr éd éric - Gu illaume ▁Maurice ▁(" A gr icult ure "). ▁This ▁journal ▁was ▁succeeded ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 6 ▁by ▁the ▁Bibliothèque ▁univers elle ▁des ▁sciences , ▁b elles - let tres , ▁et ▁arts , ▁which ▁kept ▁the ▁same ▁edit ors ▁until ▁ 1 8 2 4 – 2 5 ▁and ▁was ▁also ▁published ▁in ▁three ▁series , ▁one ▁foc using ▁on ▁science ▁and ▁techniques , ▁another ▁on ▁literature ▁and ▁a ▁third ▁one ▁on ▁agricult ure . ▁ ▁After ▁P ict et ' s ▁death ▁( 1 8 2 5 ), ▁the ▁period ical ▁was ▁taken ▁over ▁by ▁Georges ▁Maurice ▁( 1 7 9 9 – 1 8 3 9 ) ▁and ▁P ict et ▁de ▁Ro chem ont ' s ▁two ▁sons , ▁soon ▁joined ▁by ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁Gene van ▁sch ol ars ▁including ▁Et ienne ▁Dum ont , ▁P