Label of the “Librairie catholique de Jean-Baptiste Rolland,” bearing the bookshop name “J.B. Rolland & Fils,” 1859

Building on his experience as an apprentice to the printer and publisher Ludger Duvernay, Jean-Baptiste Rolland started his own printing firm with his friend John Thompson; together they ran Rolland & Thompson for a number of years. In 1842, he founded the “Librairie catholique de Jean-Baptiste Rolland,” importing products from Europe including luxury items (novelty goods, fine papers, decorative pieces, items made of gold, etc.) and literary works, both religious and secular. His printing and binding shop published many school textbooks along with works by many Quebec authors, which he also distributed in France via his trading partners. In 1859, Jean-Baptiste’s sons joined the family business.