Omissions and revisions in enlightenment book history : a rejoinder to Robert Darnton

On November 25, 2016, I noticed something which disturbed me in Professor Robert Darnton’s online essay “Charmet” on his personal website, robertdarnton.org. The article, as published in September 2014, had concerned the Besançon printer-bookseller, Jean-Félix Charmet l’aîné [the elder]. Now it had been re-edited so that its main protagonist was Jean-Félix’s brother, the bookseller Charles-Antoine, who now was also perplexingly styled l’aîné. The only way I could prove this was an amendment, rather than the original text, was due to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. It confirmed (see the screenshots reproduced at Fig. 1a and b) that the alteration had been made between March 3 and June 20, 2016.1 Since there is no text note, footnote or endnote to notify readers of the change, this is the only proof I have that the change was ever made.