Many learned periodicals began as imitations or rivals of publications originating after the mid-17th century. It is generally acknowledged that the "Journal des Sçavans", a French journal started in 1665, is the father of all journals. The first of the Dutch-based ones, and also the first of the genuinely "critical" journals, the "Nouvelles de la République des Lettres", edited by Pierre Bayle, appeared in March 1684, followed in 1686 by the "Bibliothèque Universelle" of Jean Le Clerc. While French and Latin predominated, there was also soon a demand for book news and reviews in German and Dutch.