He was born in Paris, the son of a bookseller. He began his bibliographical career by the preparation of several auction catalogues, notable examples being that of the Count d'Ourches and an 1802 supplement to the 1790 Dictionnaire bibliographique de livres rares of Duclos and Cailleau. In 1810 the first edition of his bibliographical dictionary, Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur des livres, appeared. Brunet published successive editions of the dictionary, which rapidly came to be recognized as the first book of its class in European literature. The last of the 6 volumes of the 5th edition of the Manuel du libraire contained a classified catalogue in which the works are arranged in classes according to their subjects. A supplement to this edition was published by P. Deschamps and G. Brunet. Among Brunet's other works are Nouvelles Recherches bibliographiques, Recherches sur les éditions originales des cinq livres du roman satirique de Rabelais, and an edition of the French poems of J.G. Alione d'Asti, dating from the beginning of the 16th century. Brunet has been praised as a worthy successor to Guillaume-François Debure. In 1848 he received the decoration of the legion of honor. See also the notice by Antoine Le Roux de Lincy prefixed to the catalogue of his own valuable library.
Works
Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres, contenant 1° : un nouveau dictionnaire bibliographique... 2° : une table en forme de catalogue raisonné..., Paris : Brunet, 1810, 3 vol. in-8°.
Nouvelles Recherches bibliographiques pour servir de supplément au Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres, Paris : Silvestre, 1834, 3 vol. in-8°.
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Poésies françoises de J. G. Alione 3, composées de 1494 à 1520, publiées pour la première fois en France, avec une notice biographique et bibliographique, par J.-C. Brunet, Paris : Silvestre, 1836, In-8°4
Recherches bibliographiques et critiques sur les éditions originales des cinq livres du roman satirique de Rabelais et sur les différences de texte qui se font remarquer particulièrement dans le premier livre du "Pantagruel" et dans le "Gargantua", Paris : L. Potier, 1852, In-8°, 144 et 58 p.
