Nothing predisposed Édouard Laferrière to become a central figure in the culture of administrative law professors. His doctrinal output is quantitatively limited and, at the time when his “Traité de la juridiction administrative et des recours contentieux” (Treatise on Administrative Jurisdiction and Litigation Appeals) was published, its weaknesses were abundantly highlighted. Yet, at the time of its reprint in 1989, R. Drago notes that "reading Laferrière's book curiously gives a feeling of déjà vu, because all the authors, even the greatest" have taken it as a reference. The invitation made by Pierre Legendre to "look at law in a literary way" reveals the reasons for this. The analysis of the references to the man is so instructive that it makes it possible to write a history of administrativist doctrine. The study of references to his words or ideas is just as rich since it offers a history of writing by the administrativist doctrine. This study then confirms that the "literary detour" makes an authentic contribution to the knowledge of the genesis of legal thought.