Nicolas Crochard (May 11, 1772 - May 18, 1839) was a French bookseller and publisher active in Paris. He was born in Vic-sur-Seille (Moselle). Crochard et Cie. was founded in 1802 in associate with Pierre-Antoine-Louis Allut. In 1804, Crochard bought out Allut, continuing the business on his own account. From 1807, he specialized in scientific and medical publishing. Crochard was patented bookseller on October 1, 1812 (renewed on September 11, 1818). From 1821, his son Eugène Crochard (1801 - 1876), mentioned by the Annuaire de l'impressionie, ran the firm under the name 'Crochard Fils', though the father remained active in the business. Eugène's formally took ownership in 1827, taking Victor Masson (1807 - 1879) as a partner in 1835. The ownership of the firm was passed to Masson's son, Georges Masson (1839 - 1900), who in 1900 passed the firm to Pierre-Victor Masson (1865 - 1928). In the 1930s, Georges Masson (1900 - 1973) ran the company. Over the years the firm's name changed to Victor Masson et Fils and then in 1896 to Librairie Masson et Compagnie (Masson et Cie). In 1987, Masson purchased Armand Colin. In turn, it became part of the City Group (Groupe de la Cité) in 1994. In 2000, Groupe de la Cité became part of Vivendi Universal Publishing (VUP). It remains active.