Christie’s is now going to offer a complete set of the celebrated Michelin Guides on auction, in Paris this year on December 5. This rare ensemble comprises the 108 existing Guides published between 1900 and 2016, and is estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 euros. Additionally, the set includes the 1939 edition of the Guide that was reprinted by the American Military in 1943, ahead of the June 6 invasion in Normandy the following year. The Michelin Guide first appear in 1900, when the Michelin brothers came up with the idea of creating the celebrated Red Guide to “provide motorists travelling through France all the useful information to supply their automobile, to fix it, where to sleep and eat, and which means exist to communicate, by mail, telegraph or telephone”. While collecting multiple technical recommendations, the Guide evolved little by little. From 1923, it shifted to hotels and gastronomy, with the attribution of the celebrated stars, still an international reference. Some editions of the Michelin Guide were never published, including the years from 1915 to 1918 during the First World War, the year of 1921, and from 1940 to 1944 because of the Second World War. In 1945, after WWII, the Guide’s work was enormous: towns were destroyed, bridges demolished and roads inaccessible. However, the Guide was published on the day the Armistice was signed, and included all relevant information about the roads’ status as well as times and fees of ferryboats. The complete set of Michelin Guides will be available for public viewing on December 2, and December 3, from 10am to 6pm and Sunday December 4 from 2pm to 6pm.
