View source for Découvertes Gallimard

{{short description|Collection of illustrated, pocket-sized books on a variety of subjects}}

{{Infobox book series
| name             = {{lang|fr|Découvertes Gallimard}}
| image            = [[File:Découvertes Gallimard, séries avec des codes couleurs.jpg|250px]]<br />[[File:Découvertes Gallimard & Abrams Discoveries & New Horizons.jpg|250px]]
| image_caption = Four titles from the collection, first row from left to right — {{lang|fr|Les feux de la Terre : Histoires de volcans}}, {{Lang|fr|[[The Exploration of Africa: From Cairo to the Cape|L'Afrique des explorateurs : Vers les sources du Nil]]}}, ''[[The Garden: Visions of Paradise|Tous les jardins du monde]]'' and {{lang|fr|Figures de l'héraldique}}; and their English editions published in the corresponding American and British series — ''Abrams Discoveries'' (second row) and ''New Horizons'' (third row), respectively.
| editors          = [[Pierre Marchand (editor)|Pierre Marchand]], [[Élisabeth de Farcy]], [[Paule du Bouchet]]
| translator       = [[Ruth Sharman]], [[Paul Bahn|Paul G. Bahn]], et al.
| illustrator      = [[Dominique Thibault (author)|Dominique Thibault]], {{ill|Jean-Olivier Héron|fr}}, for {{lang|fr|pré-générique}} only (first 2 volumes), et al.
| cover_artist     = [[David Roberts (painter)|David Roberts]], [[Roland Cat]], et al.
| country         = France
| language        = [[French of France|French]]; some titles originally published in [[Dutch in Belgium|Dutch]], [[English language|English]], [[German Standard German|German]] and [[Italian language|Italian]]
| genre            = [[Encyclopedia|Encyclopaedia]], [[humanities]]
| publisher        = FR: [[Éditions Gallimard]]<br />UK: [[Thames & Hudson]]<br />US: [[Abrams Books|Harry N. Abrams]]
| pub_date         = 1986–present
| english_pub_date = UK & US: 1992–2008<ref name=In /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thamesandhudson.com/cartier-bresson-9780500301241 |title=Henri Cartier-Bresson – Further Details |website=thamesandhudson.com |access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abramsbooks.com/product/discoveries-henri-cartier-bresson_9780810998261/ |title=DISCOVERIES: HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON |website=abramsbooks.com |access-date=5 July 2017}}</ref>
| media_type      = Print ([[paperback]]) & [[e-book]] for iPad
| number_of_books = 700+ {{small|(including spin-offs)}}<br />107 {{small|(UK edition)}}<br />111 {{small|(US edition)}}
| list_books      = List of English-translated volumes of Découvertes Gallimard
| oclc            = 638040265
| website         = {{URL|http://www.decouvertes-gallimard.com}}
}}

{{lang|fr|'''Découvertes Gallimard'''}} ({{IPA|fr|dekuvɛʁt ɡalimaːʁ|lang}}, {{literal translation|Gallimard Discoveries}}; in United Kingdom: '''''New Horizons''''', in United States: '''''Abrams Discoveries''''') is an [[Collection (publishing)|editorial collection]] of [[Book illustration|illustrated]] [[monograph]]ic books published by the [[Éditions Gallimard]] in [[Pocket edition|pocket format]]. The books are concise introductions to particular subjects, written by experts and intended for a general audience.<ref name=Découvertes>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gallimard.fr/Divers/Plus-sur-la-collection/Decouvertes-Gallimard/(sourcenode)/116085 |title=Collection Découvertes Gallimard |website=gallimard.fr |access-date=13 April 2017 |language=fr}}</ref>

Created in the style of ''[[livre d'art]]'', the collection is based on an abundant pictorial documentation and a way of bringing together visual documents and texts, enhanced by printing on coated paper, as commented in ''[[L'Express]]'', "genuine monographs, published like art books".<ref name="lexpress">{{cite web |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/l-invention-des-decouvertes_810690.html |title=L'invention des Découvertes |last=Garcia |first=Daniel |date=1 November 2005 |website=lexpress.fr |language=fr |access-date=31 August 2018 |quote=De véritables monographies, éditées comme des livres d'art, proposées en format poche et vendues à un prix poche [...] « Découvertes » a changé la face de l'encyclopédisme et du livre d'art, adaptant le livre à l'ère du « zapping ».}}</ref> Its creator—[[Pierre Marchand (editor)|Pierre Marchand]] the "[[wiktionary:iconophile|iconophile]]", as remarked by the German graphic designer Raymond Stoffel<ref>{{cite news |editor-last=Li |editor-first=Fuhe |translator-last=Li |translator-first=Fuhe |date=8 February 2007 |title=【法國】伽利瑪的「發現」之旅 |trans-title=France: The ''Découvertes'' of Gallimard |url=http://blog.udn.com/jason080/760828 |language=zh |work=China Book Business Report |location=Beijing |access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref>—was instrumental in moulding the policy and ideals of the collection, which was an immediate success both in France and internationally.<ref name="EU">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Marchand Pierre (1939–2002) |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Universalis]] |last=Combet |first=Claude |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |location=Chicago |url=https://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/pierre-marchand/ |language=fr |access-date=1 December 2021 |quote=Mais c'est en 1986, avec Découvertes Gallimard, que s'exprime toute l'inventivité de Pierre Marchand. Cet autodidacte a conçu une véritable encyclopédie de poche destinée aux adultes, riche de dix-huit séries thématiques, à l'iconographie époustouflante, mêlant textes et images, impressions sur fond noir, doré ou argenté, et dépliants panoramiques. Le succès en France (12,5 millions de volumes vendus) et à l'étranger (19 pays en achètent les droits) est immédiat.}}</ref>

The first title {{lang|fr|À la recherche de l'Égypte oubliée}} (English edition: ''[[The Search for Ancient Egypt]]'') appeared on 21 November 1986, authored by the French Egyptologist [[Jean Vercoutter]].<ref name=Égypte-oubliée>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Archeologie/A-la-recherche-de-l-Egypte-oubliee |title=''À la recherche de l'Égypte oubliée'', Collection Découvertes Gallimard (n° 1), Série Archéologie |date=1 February 2007 |website=gallimard.fr |language=fr |access-date=13 April 2017}}</ref> These scholarly little books then released in successive volumes, without a systematic plan, each of which is structured like a separate book (see [[monographic series]]). 588 titles were published by November 2012,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Arts/Camille-Pissarro |title=''Pissarro : Patriarche des impressionnistes'', Collection Découvertes Gallimard (n° 588), Série Arts |date=23 November 2012 |website=gallimard.fr |language=fr |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> with more than 160 volumes of spin-offs and catalogues as of 2021.

== Overview ==
{{multiple image
 | align = left
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | header = ''The Sky: Order and Chaos''
 | image1 = Zodiac in The Sky, pp. 40–41.jpg
 | caption1 = {{pp.|40|41}}: the [[Astrological sign|signs of the zodiac]], miniatures from a [[book of hours]].
 | image2 = All Types of Comets, The Sky, pp. 80–81.jpg
 | caption2 = {{pp.|80|81}}: all types of comets (cometography), illustrations from {{lang|la|Theatrum Cometicum}} by [[Stanisław Lubieniecki]].
}}

{{Cquote|text=The first pocket-sized encyclopaedia illustrated in colour.<br /><small>({{lang|fr|La première encyclopédie illustrée en couleurs au format de poche.|italic=no}})</small><ref>{{cite book |last=Adam |first=Jean-Michel |date=18 January 2017 |title=Les Textes : types et prototypes — 4<sup>e</sup> édition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NnQJDgAAQBAJ&q=D%C3%A9couvertes+Gallimard+%3A+la+premi%C3%A8re+encyclop%C3%A9die+illustr%C3%A9e+en+couleurs+au+format+de+poche&pg=PT79 |language=fr |location=Paris |publisher=Armand Colin |isbn=9782200617578}}</ref>}}

The books are printed using [[Paper size|A6 format]] (125 × 178&nbsp;mm), according to ''[[Encyclopædia Universalis]]'', "with breathtaking iconography (illustration)" reproduced on thick and glossy coated paper,<ref name="EU" /> from which leap two or three images per page. In this picture-dense format, the authors must squeeze their words in edgewise. Each book is composed of a monograph on a particular topic, the whole collection covers all areas of human knowledge and experience,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thamesandhudson.com/catnh.html |title=New Horizons series |website=thamesandhudson.com |access-date=13 April 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606004639/http://www.thamesandhudson.com/catnh.html |archive-date=6 June 2017}}</ref> such as archaeology, art, culture, civilisation, history, music, religion, science, et cetera, with 502 specialists' contributions.<ref name=Découvertes /> Chronological narrative is the principal structure for describing a subject,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard |title=''Collection'' Découvertes Gallimard |website=gallimard.fr |access-date=14 April 2017 |language=fr}}</ref> for example, the {{ordinal|26|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Le ciel, ordre et désordre}} (UK ed. ''The Sky: Order and Chaos''), which narrated in chronological order to present the varied subjects relating to the sky above and peoples' perception of it, through historical perspective of cultural, social and religious aspects.

The [[Photo caption|captions]] for illustrations must be informative, they should not duplicate information in the [[body text]], nor do they interrupt the [[narrative thread]]. Researchers and academics must adhere to the constraints of a mainstream collection. Apart from obvious analytical abilities, authors are expected to write quality text and a sensitivity to illustration. A "Découvertes" is not a book of authorship, the author is only one of the many speakers.<ref name=à-la-française>{{cite book |last=Hache-Bissette |first=Françoise |chapter=Découvertes Gallimard ou la culture encyclopédique à la française |chapter-url=https://www.ricochet-jeunes.org/articles/decouvertes-gallimard-ou-la-culture-encyclopedique-la-francaise |date=2002 |title=Histoire des industries culturelles en France, XIX{{sup|e}}–XX{{sup|e}} siècles : actes du colloque en Sorbonne, décembre 2001 |language=fr |location=Paris |publisher=Association pour le développement de l'histoire économique |pages=111–124 |isbn=9782912912152}}</ref> [[Bruno Blasselle]], director of the [[Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal]], author of two volumes of {{lang|fr|Histoire du livre}} ('History of Book', {{font|№ 321|font=Serif}} and {{font|№ 363|font=Serif}}), and co-author of the {{ordinal|88|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|La Bibliothèque nationale de France : Mémoire de l'avenir}}, explained his experience of working for the collection: "For an author, to write a ''Découvertes'' title is to be trapped, to put oneself in a situation of being obliged to go beyond his/her own formulation."<ref>{{cite episode |title=Dixième anniversaire de la collection Découvertes |series=Qu'est-ce qu'elle dit, Zazie ? |network=[[France 3]] |date=15 May 1997 |language=fr}}</ref>

{{multiple image
 | align = left
 | header = Book spines
 | image1 = Découvertes Gallimard (les dos) Ⅰ.jpg
 | width1 = 175
 | caption1 = "Découvertes Gallimard", the original edition.
 | image2 = Abrams Discoveries (book spines) Ⅰ.jpg
 | width2 = 190
 | caption2 = "Abrams Discoveries", the U.S. edition.
}}

[[File:Various language editions of À la recherche de l’Égypte oubliée.jpg|thumb|263px|International editions of the first title ''[[The Search for Ancient Egypt|À la recherche de l'Égypte oubliée]]''. From left to right, first row: American, British, German and Taiwanese editions; second row: Hispanic American, Russian, Romanian and Japanese editions. Editions in the first row sharing identical cover artwork with Gallimard, whereas those in the second row being redesigned.]]
The cover design is one of the specificities. The old covers are glossy with black background illustrated in colour, the newer covers are matt-laminated rather than glossy,<ref name=Revelations /> but more colourful, with different [[Color code|colour codes]] according to the subject matter. It differs from other reference books by its visual: a full-size picture, with its framing and the power of figurative elements, also a picture well-matched to the inside [[page layout]], with a tiny, relevant picture illustrating the spine. The visual identity is strong, one can even easily recognise the collection's international editions. However, there are some exceptions, for instance, the [[Barcelona|Barcelonese]] publisher [[Ediciones B]] adopted a completely different cover design for their collection {{lang|es|Biblioteca de bolsillo CLAVES}}.

{{multiple image
 | align = left
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 240
 | header = The "trailers"
 | image1 = Opening of Ancient Rome, pp. 2–3.jpg
 | caption1 = "Trailer" ({{pp.|2|3}}) for [[Claudia Moatti|Claude Moatti]]'s ''[[The Search for Ancient Rome]]''. Painting by [[Joseph-Louis Duc|Louis Duc]], 1830.
 | image2 = Реконструкція Табулярію та пам'ятників розміщених поруч з Капітолієм.jpg
 | caption2 = "Trailer" ({{pp.|6|7}}) for Claude Moatti's ''The Search for Ancient Rome''. Painting by [[Constant Moyaux]], 1866.
}}
Each title contains 128–224 pages with approximately 120–220 illustrations printed in four, five, six, or seven colours, both matte and glitter, and sometimes even [[Gold (color)|gold]], as in the {{ordinal|39|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Richard Wagner : L'opéra de la fin du monde}},<ref name=à-la-française /> the metallic gold heightens [[Carl Otto Czeschka]]'s illustrations from {{lang|de|[[Nibelung|Die Nibelungen]]}}. Each book begins with 8–10 full-page illustrations or photographs, prefaced by a pull-quote on the inside front cove, which [[Thames & Hudson]] director Jamie Camplin calls it a "cinema-influenced trailer"<ref name=In /> (designated as ''[[Pre-credit|pré-générique]]'' in French). For the {{ordinal|96|sup=yes}} title ''[[Champollion: A Scribe for Egypt#The book|Champollion : Un scribe pour l'Égypte]]'', this book opens with a succession of reproductions of [[Jean-François Champollion|Champollion]]'s manuscript ''[[Grammaire égyptienne]]''; in ''[[The Celts: First Masters of Europe|L'Europe des Celtes]]'' ({{font|№ 158|font=Serif}}), the reader is greeted by a series of bronze masks and hoary faces carved in stone;<ref name=In /> the "trailer" for {{lang|fr|La Saga de l'espace}} ({{font|№ 3|font=Serif}}) evokes the tragic launch of the [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']] in 1986; while that of {{lang|fr|La Tour de Monsieur Eiffel}} ({{font|№ 62|font=Serif}}) presents the [[Eiffel Tower]] at every stage of its construction.

[[File:Inside page view of “New York – Chronique d’une ville sauvage”.jpg|thumb|280px|The dynamic in page layout between text and illustration. Inside page view of [[Jerome Charyn]]'s {{lang|fr|New York : Chronique d'une ville sauvage}} ('New York: Chronicle of a Wild City'), the {{ordinal|204|sup=yes}} title of the collection.]]
The novelty lies in the subtle orchestration of the text and the illustration, where successive sequences, inserts and foldouts overlapping in double pages.<ref name=Découvertes /> According to the subject, the body text (designated as {{lang|fr|corpus}} in French) is structured into three to eight chapters, consisting of 64 (in the case of the {{ordinal|333|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Enquête sur Sherlock Holmes}}) to 128 pages (most of the titles). Each chapter is built using journalistic methods, with a [[lead paragraph]] and intertitle. The {{lang|fr|corpus}} is punctuated by double-page spreads of images, known as inserts, sort of a halt for pictures. For the {{ordinal|124|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|La peur du loup}} ('Fear of Wolves'), two double-page spreads of reproductions of [[Gustave Doré]]'s engravings to illustrate ''[[Little Red Riding Hood]]''. These books benefit a lot from journalistic and cinematographic techniques, some titles include [[Panorama|panoramic]] foldouts, kind of projection on big screen. Two foldouts in the {{ordinal|16|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Pompéi, la cité ensevelie}},{{refn|group=note|English edition title (both American and British) – ''Pompeii: The Day a City Died''.}} one showing [[Léon Jaussely]]'s reconstruction of the [[Forum (Roman)|forum]] of [[Pompeii]], the other representing the actual condition of the [[Theatre Area of Pompeii|theatre quarter]] in 1859 by using [[Paul-Émile Bonnet]]'s drawings, both in a panoramic view. In the {{ordinal|369|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Le papier : Une aventure au quotidien}} ('The Paper: A Daily Adventure'), through a partnership with paper companies, there are even three luxurious foldouts that all made on different papers from [[Arjo Wiggins]], presenting one of the {{ordinal|17|sup=yes}} century watercolours on the traditional manufacture of Chinese paper; the other of the engravings and drawings by [[Albrecht Dürer]] and [[Leonardo da Vinci]]; the third depicts today's paper production line with its different machines.<ref name=à-la-française />

Unlike the {{lang|fr|corpus}} in colour, the second part—the "Documents" section ({{lang|fr|Témoignages et Documents}})—is always printed in black and white. It works as an anthology, providing more specialised texts from relevant authors, excerpts, historical records, among others. It contains files made jointly by the author or the publisher, with lead paragraph to link texts and short captions for each file. According to the subject, an annex concludes "Documents" section with a chronology, a filmography, a discography or a bibliography, with a "List of Illustrations" ({{lang|fr|Table des illustrations}}) giving full details of the sources of illustrations, an alphabetical index, as well as photo credits, dedicated to those who want to go deeper into the subject.

The collection also stands out for its attention to detail. On the choice of typeface, for example, [[Trump Mediaeval]] for body text, [[Franklin Gothic|ITC Franklin Gothic]] for titling, [[Zapf Dingbats]] for [[guillemet]]s, [[Italic type|italic]] for captions with an [[initial]] and the last line is underlined, et cetera. The French editions are printed by Kapp Lahure Jombart in [[Évreux]], while the Italian printer Gianni Stavro, who has largely contributed to the elaboration of new techniques used in the collection, retains his position as collaborator for international reissues and coeditions. The bindings are solid, sewn and not glued.<ref name=à-la-française /> As Gallimard's promise to their readers, "the most beautiful pocket collection in the world" ({{lang|fr|« la plus belle collection de poche du monde »|italic=no}}).<ref name=Fête>{{Cite AV media |date=1994 |title=Découvertes Gallimard fête son nº 200 (1994) |language=fr |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5r-Eic9mSI  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/N5r-Eic9mSI |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=13 April 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The collection formerly consisted of eighteen series—{{lang|fr|Archéologie}}, {{lang|fr|Architecture}}, {{lang|fr|Art de vivre}}, {{lang|fr|Cinéma}}, {{lang|fr|Histoire}}, {{lang|fr|Histoires naturelles}}, {{lang|fr|Invention du monde}}, {{lang|fr|Littérature}}, {{lang|fr|Mémoire des lieux}}, {{lang|fr|Musique et danse}}, {{lang|fr|Peinture}}, {{lang|fr|Philosophie}}, {{lang|fr|Religions}}, {{lang|fr|Sciences}}, {{lang|fr|Sculpture}}, {{lang|fr|Sports et jeux}}, {{lang|fr|Techniques}} and {{lang|fr|Traditions}}—which have been abandoned, it is now reorganised around seven major subjects with colour codes: {{lang|fr|Arts}} (red), {{lang|fr|Archéologie}} (brown), {{lang|fr|Histoire}} (blue), {{lang|fr|Littératures}} (white), {{lang|fr|Religions}} (dark blue), {{lang|fr|Culture et société}} (yellow) and {{lang|fr|Sciences et techniques}} (green).

== History ==
[[File:Découvertes Gallimard logo.jpg|thumb|left|Logo of ''Découvertes Gallimard'', appearing on the back cover and book spine, including "{{lang|fr|Hors série|italic=no}}" and some international editions.]]
''Découvertes Gallimard'' was born in [[Gallimard Jeunesse]], based on an idea by [[Pierre Marchand (editor)|Pierre Marchand]] after the publications of two pocket collections: ''Découvertes Cadet'' in 1983 and ''Découvertes Benjamin'' in 1984. These three Découvertes collections cater to three levels: grades 4 to 6 (''Découvertes Benjamin''), grades 7 to 9 (''Découvertes Cadet''), and grades 10 and up (''Découvertes Gallimard'').<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harber |first=Philip |url=https://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/cmarchive/vol16no3/frenchlanguageencyclopedia.html |title=French-Language Encyclopedias |year=1988 |website=[[University of Manitoba|umanitoba.ca]] |access-date=30 December 2017}}</ref> This pocket encyclopaedia initially named {{lang|fr|Les Chemins de la connaissance}} ('The Paths of Knowledge'), Pierre Marchand already had the idea when he entered Gallimard in 1972, as he explained: "I have invested fourteen years of my professional life in this collection. Thanks to the success of '[[Gamebook|choose your own adventure books]]' that we were able to embark on this adventure. [...] For the first time, genuine encyclopaedias in pocket format. [...] Our bet is that once you open the book, no matter what subject you read or which page you are on, you can no longer close it."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=17 November 1986 |title=Comme un film documentaire |language=fr |magazine=Livres Hebdo, n° 47 |location=Paris |publisher=Electre S.A. }}</ref> [[Françoise Balibar]], [[Jean-Pierre Maury]], [[Jean-Pierre Verdet]], [[Marc Meunier-Thouret]] and some others were the first to experience this pharaonic project that would await the arrival of [[Élisabeth de Farcy]] and [[Paule du Bouchet]], in 1981, for truly to take shape.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crilj.org/2011/07/02/une-vieille-histoire/ |title=Une vieille histoire |last=Lallouet |first=Marie |website=crilj.org |date=2 July 2011 |access-date=25 January 2018 |language=fr}}</ref> To producing genuine encyclopaedias in pocket format and fully illustrated in colour, in that time, many judged such an editorial project insane.<ref name=à-la-française /> In November 1986, however, the collection was released at Gallimard and directed by Élisabeth de Farcy. She chose authors and organised iconographic campaigns, several editors and iconographers were then gathered, copious "iconographies" (illustrations) were extracted from [[Cultural heritage|heritage]] resources. Élisabeth explained in an interview with {{lang|fr|[[La Croix (newspaper)|La Croix]]}}: "The image should occupy a central place, as in a work of art."<ref name=Élisabeth>{{Cite web |url=http://www.la-croix.com/amp/276508 |title=Élisabeth de Farcy, directrice de la collection " Découvertes Gallimard " : " Une collection de poche à l'ambition encyclopédique " |last=Giuliani |first=Emmanuelle |date=13 November 2006 |newspaper=La Croix |access-date=19 April 2017 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013626/https://www.la-croix.com/amp/276508 |archive-date=4 January 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The authors were sceptical about this project at first, even contemptuous, but they have eventually been fascinated by the collection. Some have even authored several books, such as [[Françoise Cachin]], curator of the [[Musée d'Orsay]], author of three books – {{lang|fr|Gauguin : « Ce malgré moi de sauvage »}}{{refn|group=note|English edition title (both American and British) – ''Gauguin: The Quest for Paradise''.}} ({{font|№ 49|font=Serif}}), {{lang|fr|Seurat : Le rêve de l'art-science}} ({{font|№ 108|font=Serif}}), {{lang|fr|Manet : « J'ai fait ce que j'ai vu »}}{{refn|group=note|American edition – ''Manet: The Influence of the Modern''; British edition – ''Manet: Painter of Modern Life''.}} ({{font|№ 203|font=Serif}}); the physicist [[Jean-Pierre Maury]], who wrote four titles – {{lang|fr|Galilée, le messager des étoiles}} ({{font|№ 10|font=Serif}}), {{lang|fr|Comment la terre devint ronde}} ({{font|№ 52|font=Serif}}), {{lang|fr|Newton et la mécanique céleste}}{{refn|group=note|American edition – ''Newton: The Father of Modern Astronomy''; British edition – ''Newton: Understanding the Cosmos''.}} ({{font|№ 91|font=Serif}}) and {{lang|fr|Le palais de la Découverte}} ({{font|№ 195|font=Serif}}); or the historian of religion {{ill|Odon Vallet|fr}}, who published seven books in the collection.<ref name=à-la-française />

A preview edition, or "zero edition" ({{lang|fr|numéro zéro}}) was sent to 500 booksellers during the summer of 1986.<ref name=à-la-française /> The collection was officially released on 21 November of the same year. The first twelve titles, twenty-five thousand copies of each volume were printed.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=8 December 1986 |title=Spécial Gallimard jeunesse |language=fr |magazine=Livres Hebdo, supplément au n° 50 |location=Paris |publisher=Electre S.A. }}</ref> "We've never seen so many things between the first and last pages of a book" is the slogan proposed by Pascal Manry's advertising agency [[BBDO|CLM BBDO]] for the launch of the collection. Without market research at the start, Pierre Marchand, a self-taught man, explained on the television programme ''{{ill|Ça se discute|fr}}'': "This project was as old as my thirst for knowledge. No doubt it is necessary to be precisely self-taught to sense the importance of an encyclopaedia. We must have been forced to build our own culture, to seek reliable references, to make clear statements. To conceive 'Découvertes', I didn't need market research, surveys or tests. Right from the start, I wanted to give the public the books I needed."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 1990 |title=Mon tout, c'est Découvertes Gallimard |language=fr |magazine=[[Lire (magazine)|Lire]] |location=Paris}}</ref> Although "Découvertes" was reserved for youth at the beginning, it was eventually launched for the general adult public.<ref name=Aestheticization /> The collection then had a rapid-growth, 105 titles appeared in five years. The first international collaboration was started with the [[Madrid]]-based Spanish publisher {{ill|Aguilar (publisher)|lt=Aguilar|es|Aguilar (editorial)}} in 1989, and 19 countries would finally be associated with the project.<ref name=Découvertes /> In 1992, after 151 titles have been published, Gallimard showed interest in the work on [[mermaid]] and [[Siren (mythology)|Siren]] ({{lang|nl|De lokroep van de zeemeermin}}<ref>{{cite book |last=De Donder |first=Vic |title=De lokroep van de zeemeermin |series=Standaard Ontdekkingen |year=1992 |language=nl |location=Antwerp |publisher=[[Standaard Uitgeverij]] |isbn=90-269-6350-5|oclc=906635282}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://dbnl.org/tekst/_sep001199401_01/_sep001199401_01_0120.php |title=Bibliographie des oeuvres en langue néerlandaise parues en traduction française signalées en 1993 |date=1994 |website=[[Digital Library for Dutch Literature|dbnl.org]] |access-date=20 September 2017 |language=nl, fr}}</ref>) by {{ill|Vic de Donder|nl}}, a [[Belgians|Belgian]] Dutch-language writer. Nevertheless, the Parisian publishing house hesitated, "interesting subject, but how can you illustrate that?" Then De Donder showed a list of about one thousand images that he gathered over years, Gallimard was convinced and made him the first non-French-language author published in the collection.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vlaminck |first=M. |date=24 October 1992 |title=Gallimard haalt De Donder binnen |language=nl |newspaper=[[Het Nieuwsblad]] |page=15 |location=[[Groot-Bijgaarden]]}}</ref>

In the heyday of "Découvertes" at the turn of the 1990s, authors were mainly recruited from [[Academic staff|academics]] and [[curator]]s. Numerous artist monographs were often published on the occasions of major exhibitions, with a predilection for painters and musicians. Such as the {{ordinal|165|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Matisse : « Une splendeur inouïe »}}{{refn|group=note|British edition title – ''Matisse: The Sensuality of Colour''; American edition title – ''Matisse: The Wonder of Color''.}} was released for the exhibition "[[Henri Matisse]] 1904–1917" at the [[Centre Georges Pompidou]] in 1993;<ref name=à-la-française /> and Geneviève Haroche-Bouzinac's ''Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun'' (from "Hors série") was on sale at the exhibit of [[Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun|Vigée Le Brun]]'s paintings in New York City at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.versopolis.com/panorama/127/elisabeth-louise-vige-le-brun-and-the-art-of-seduction |title=Elisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun and the Art of Seduction |last=Charney |first=Diane Joy |publisher=Versopolis |access-date=3 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830060343/http://www.versopolis.com/panorama/127/elisabeth-louise-vige-le-brun-and-the-art-of-seduction |archive-date=30 August 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Or reactivity in relation to current events, for instance, the {{ordinal|161|sup=yes}} title ''[[Vampires: The World of the Undead|Sang pour sang, le réveil des vampires]]'' was published on 5 January 1993 for the release of [[Francis Ford Coppola|Francis Coppola]]'s ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film)|Dracula]]'' in France; and {{lang|fr|La mine dévoreuse d'hommes}} ({{font|№ 184|font=Serif}}) for the release of the French film ''[[Germinal (1993 film)|Germinal]]''; {{lang|fr|Un Conservatoire pour les Arts et Métiers}} ({{font|№ 222|font=Serif}}) for the [[wikt:bicentennial|bicentennial]] of the [[Conservatoire national des arts et métiers|CNAM]]; {{lang|fr|La Mode : Un demi-siècle conquérant}} ({{font|№ 511|font=Serif}}) was on sale on the occasion of "[[Yves Saint Laurent (designer)|Yves Saint Laurent]] retrospective" at the [[Petit Palais]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/decouvertes/photos/a.113338219660.96877.110193529660/351170094660/?type=3&theater  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/110193529660/351170094660 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Découvertes Gallimard |date=8 March 2010 |website=facebook.com |access-date=27 September 2017 |language=fr}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Some works were launched within an extremely limited time frame, such as {{lang|fr|Mémoires du Louvre}} ({{font|№ 60|font=Serif}}), for the inauguration of the [[Louvre Pyramid]] in 1989; and {{lang|fr|Les Temples de l'opéra}} ({{font|№ 77|font=Serif}}) for the [[Opéra Bastille]] in 1990, both completed in six to eight weeks instead of the usual two or three months. Alongside many works dictated by current events, there are also a number of "strange curiosities", such as a book devoted to red hair ({{font|№ 338|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Roux et rousses : Un éclat très particulier}}), which is unusual in this type of collection.<ref name=à-la-française /> Some subjects can be more difficult to sell but considered necessary, such as the [[Perspective (graphical)|perspective]] ({{font|№ 138|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|La Perspective en jeu : Les dessous de l'image}}), images of human body ({{font|№ 185|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Les images du corps}}{{refn|group=note|British version title – ''The Human Body: Image and Emotion''; American version title – ''Images of the Body''.}}) and [[mannerism]] ({{font|№ 457|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Le maniérisme : Une avant-garde au XVI<sup>e</sup> siècle}}).<ref name=Élisabeth /> But in recent years, there were more monographs on memoirs of places and large institutions instead of artists, as well as various sociological and religious aspects, for instance, a book on the [[history of New York City]] by [[Jerome Charyn]], which is translated and adapted from his English work ''Metropolis: New York as Myth, Marketplace, and Magical Land'' ({{font|№ 204|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|New York : Chronique d'une ville sauvage}}); titles on [[Food industry|agrifood]] ({{font|№ 406|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|« Dis-moi ce que tu manges... »}}), on [[homosexuality]] ({{font|№ 417|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|La longue marche des gays}}), or on [[Substance abuse|drugs]] ({{font|№ 423|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Les drogues : Une passion maudite}}); titles about [[Marian devotions]] and [[Marian apparition|apparition]] ({{font|№ 401|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|La Vierge : Femme au visage divin}} & {{font|№ 524|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Le monde de Lourdes}}), about [[Saint#Christianity|Christian saints]] and [[Sufism]] ({{font|№ 458|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Les Saints : Des êtres de chair et de ciel}} & {{font|№ 554|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Le soufisme : Voie mystique de l'islam}}). And also numerous volumes devoted to writers, for example, the {{ordinal|381|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Proust : La cathédrale du temps}}.

Difficult subjects were frequently in demand, possibly because there was less competition. Thus a book on the [[Cistercians|Cistercian monks]] ({{font|№ 95|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Le rêve cistercien}}) was one of the bestsellers in 1990. While the others like {{lang|fr|La fièvre de l'or}} ({{font|№ 34|font=Serif}}, about [[gold rush]]) or {{lang|fr|Sous le pavillon noir : Pirates et flibustiers}} ({{font|№ 45|font=Serif}}, about [[Piracy|pirates]]) are presumably subjects more common and popular, were relative failures. Generally, the most popular titles are those from {{lang|fr|Arts}} and {{lang|fr|Archéologie}} series, the {{ordinal|1|sup=yes}} title ''[[The Search for Ancient Egypt|À la recherche de l'Égypte oubliée]]'' and the {{ordinal|24|sup=yes}} title ''[[Writing: The Story of Alphabets and Scripts|L'écriture, mémoire des hommes]]''—both in {{lang|fr|Archéologie}} series—remain two of the bestsellers.<ref name=Découvertes /> As of 2001, the former would have sold more than five hundred thousand copies worldwide. As for the {{lang|fr|Sports et jeux}} series, there are only four most favoured titles: {{lang|fr|La saga du Tour de France}} ({{font|№ 81|font=Serif}}), {{lang|fr|La balle au pied : Histoire du football}} ({{font|№ 83|font=Serif}}), {{lang|fr|Jeux Olympiques : La flamme de l'exploit}} ({{font|№ 133|font=Serif}}) and {{lang|fr|Voyous et gentlemen : Une histoire du rugby}} ({{font|№ 164|font=Serif}}).<ref name=à-la-française /> Competition has emerged as early as in the middle of the 1990s, with a gradual decrease in circulation and novelties, but partially offset by the sub-collection entitled {{lang|fr|Découvertes Gallimard Hors série}}, which is one of the five spin-offs.<ref name=Découvertes />

Today, about fifteen old titles are updated every year according to current cultural and scientific research. As general history plays a central role in "Découvertes Gallimard", completed by archaeology, art history and science, richly accompanied by unpublished illustrations, thus it forms a solid editorial base.<ref name=Découvertes /> On 25 March 1994, a celebration was held at the [[Musée national des Monuments Français]], for the publication of the {{ordinal|200|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Voyages en Utopie}}.<ref name=Fête /> The collection experienced two successive redesigns, one in September 1998 ({{font|№ 359|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Le Théâtre de Boulevard : « Ciel, mon mari ! »}}) for exterior model (colour of the back cover, more explicit signage), and the other in March 2000 ({{font|№ 390|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|L'Esprit des savoirs}}) for interior page layout.<ref name=Découvertes /> Those reeditions underwent a decrease in page length, due to the reformulation introduced in the "Documents" section. The collection, which was too soon associated with a [[Channel surfing|zapping]] [[visual culture]], reaffirmed its first purpose: the image does not take precedence over the text, but combined with text to animate and enrich the reading.<ref name=Découvertes /> These books benefit from the latest technologies, with their mockups are all made using desktop publishing now. Since the [[QuarkXPress]] software was only released in 1987, the first 30 titles were made in a traditional way, with phototypesetting. The current price of a "Découvertes" book is between 8.40 and 15.90 [[euro]]s ([[Pound sterling|£]]7.95 in UK, [[United States dollar|$]]12.95–$14.95 in US and [[Canadian dollar|$]]19.95 in Canada) according to its category and number of pages, this is considered an extremely low price for a book of this quality.<ref name=à-la-française />

[[File:Encyclopedie de D'Alembert et Diderot - Premiere Page - ENC 1-NA5.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Encyclopédie]]'' is the first French encyclopaedia, a work edited by [[Denis Diderot]] and [[Jean le Rond d'Alembert]] and many other contributors. It was one of the first encyclopaedias to realise the form we would recognise today, also the first one to include contributions from many [[Encyclopédistes|named contributors]], and perhaps the most famous early encyclopaedia. The {{ordinal|100|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Le Roman vrai de l'Encyclopédie}} ('True Novel of the Encyclopédie') is dedicated to this work.]]
The collection, totalling 588 volumes, is never entirely translated into another language, partial translations have been made available in 19 languages<ref name=Découverte>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bibliomonde.com/collection/decouverte-749.html |title=Découverte |work=bibliomonde.com |access-date=18 April 2017 |language=fr}}</ref> (currently more than 20 languages, see "[[Découvertes Gallimard#International editions|International editions]]"). "This inexpensive pocket encyclopaedia embodies its humanistic dream: to make the most advanced state of knowledge available to everyone. [[Denis Diderot|Diderot]] and [[Jean le Rond d'Alembert|D'Alembert]] would not have denied it...", commented by Hedwige Pasquet, current directress of Gallimard Jeunesse.<ref name=Découverte /> According to ''{{ill|Livres Hebdo|fr}}'', these "French-style nonfictions" ({{lang|fr|documentaires « à la française »}}) have sold over twenty million copies worldwide as of 1999,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://next.liberation.fr/culture/1999/01/20/la-jeunesse-de-gallimard-chez-hachette-pierre-marchand-qui-a-cree-decouvertes-et-tout-le-secteur-jeu_261570 |title=La "jeunesse" de Gallimard chez Hachette. Pierre Marchand, qui a créé "Découvertes" et tout le secteur jeunesse, passe à la concurrence. |last=De Gaudemar |first=Antoine |website=[[Libération|next.liberation.fr]] |date=20 January 1999 |access-date=27 December 2017 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 1999 |title=Livres Hebdo (nº 321) |language=fr |magazine=Livres Hebdo, n° 321 |location=Paris |publisher=Electre S.A.}}</ref><ref name=à-la-française /> with recently emerging markets in Asia and Eastern Europe, especially in Russia, about 100 titles have been published within four years. In 2002, during a presentation of "Découvertes Gallimard" in Moscow, the French ambassador to Russia [[Claude Blanchemaison]] told a [[Kommersant]] correspondent that he just finished reading ''{{ill|De Kaboul à Samarcande : Les archéologues en Asie centrale|fr}}'' ({{font|№ 411|font=Serif}}), one of the latest titles from the collection at the time, which he found particularly interesting.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/326662 |title=Французские энциклопедисты опять просвещают Россию |trans-title=French Encyclopaedists Enlighten Russia Again |last=Novikova |first=Lisa |date=8 June 2002 |website=kommersant.ru |language=ru |access-date=2 December 2021}}</ref>

In order to remedy the problems of international proprietaries and reproduction rights of works of art, co-publishers firstly define a number of titles, then they choose according to their own editorial line, and share the high cost of worldwide photographic rights. Therefore, [[Abrams Books|Harry N. Abrams]] in the United States chose more titles on traditional cultural subjects, such as ''[[The Search for Ancient Rome|À la recherche de la Rome antique]]'' ({{font|№ 56|font=Serif}}) or ''[[The Birth of Greece|La Naissance de la Grèce]]'' ({{font|№ 86|font=Serif}}); while in Japan, the publisher {{ill|Sōgensha|ja|創元社}} prefers original titles, such as the {{ordinal|57|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Les sorcières, fiancées de Satan}} ('Witches: Fiancées of Satan'), and the {{ordinal|171|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|L'Heure du grand passage : Chronique de la mort}} ('The Hour of the Great Passage: Chronicle of Death'). The [[Madrid|Madrilenian]] publisher Aguilar was the first one among "Découvertes"' international co-publishers since 1989, the first 12 titles for the Spanish collection {{lang|es|Aguilar Universal}} were released in the same year.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=12 November 1989 |title=AGUILAR UNIVERSAL – La primera enciclopedia ilustrada a todo color en formato de bolsillo |url=http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/blanco.y.negro/1989/11/12/101.html |language=es |magazine=[[Blanco y Negro (magazine)|Blanco y Negro]] |location=Madrid |publisher={{ill|Prensa Española|es}} |access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref> In Italy, the publisher Electa/Gallimard produced 128 titles within seven years; in Japan, the {{ordinal|166|sup=yes}} title for their series {{transliteration|ja|Chi no Saihakken}} ('Rediscovery of Knowledge') has been published in early 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sogensha.co.jp/productlist/detail?id=1686 |script-title=ja:「知の再発見」双書166『ヴュイヤール──ゆらめく装飾画』|website=sogensha.co.jp |access-date=26 September 2017 |language=ja}}</ref> In addition, foreign editions are usually co-printed to amortise fees and support countries with small circulation.<ref name=à-la-française />

In addition to foreign publishers, ''Découvertes Gallimard'' has also been involved in national institutional partnerships for several years, notably the one held since 1989 with the [[Réunion des Musées Nationaux]] (RMN): thirty-two titles have been released (as of 2001), plus a title in English dedicated to [[Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot]] ({{font|№ 277|font=Serif}} – ''Corot: Extraordinary landscapes''), the boxed set {{lang|fr|Impressionnismes}} (1994) and four books in the "Hors série". The principle of these co-editions is based on a sharing of costs and revenues, the RMN brings its knowledge of museums and distribution network, while the publisher brings its editorial competence. When a title is linked to an exhibition, it generates a lot of additional sales through the RMN. Other partnerships with public or private companies, such as the [[French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission]] ({{font|№ 282|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|L'atome, de la recherche à l'industrie : Le Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique}}), [[Crédit Mutuel]] ({{font|№ 379|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|L'odyssée de l'euro}}), [[L'Oréal]] ({{font|№ 405|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Les vies du cheveu}}{{refn|group=note|English edition – ''Hair: The Long and the Short of It''.}}), paper industries ({{font|№ 369|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Le papier : Une aventure au quotidien}}), et cetera. The partner is sometimes explicitly indicated in the "acknowledgments" ({{font|№ 379|font=Serif}}), but it is most often mentioned equivocally ({{font|№ 405|font=Serif}}), even modestly kept in silence ({{font|№ 389|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Vive l'eau}}).<ref name=à-la-française />

Nonfiction book publishing has been in decline in France for several years, [[market saturation]] is one of the causes, competition from other medias is another, especially from the internet. Despite its excellent image to the public, ''Découvertes Gallimard'' is also concerned by this disaffection. It remains an indisputable success internationally, but in France, the sales are eroding. The number of new productions decreases and also the prints. On 1 March 1999, the creator of ''Découvertes'', Pierre Marchand, after working for 27 years at Gallimard, left to become a [[creative director]] at [[Hachette (publisher)|Hachette]]. This was no doubt a big loss to the collection, but with more than 10 years of experience and a rich fund created over years, ''Découvertes'' finally surpassed the difficulties.<ref name=à-la-française /> The end of 2006 is marked by the celebration of the collection's {{ordinal|20|sup=yes}} anniversary and the publication of its {{ordinal|500|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Art brut : L'instinct créateur}}. A website was specially created on this occasion, which is the current official website ''<nowiki>http://www.decouvertes-gallimard.fr</nowiki>''. On the occasion of Éditions Gallimard's [[centennial|centenary]] in 2011, the {{ordinal|569|sup=yes}} title {{lang|fr|Gallimard : Un éditeur à l'œuvre}} ('Gallimard: A Publisher at Work') was launched as the first e-book for iPad of "Découvertes".<ref name=Découvertes /> This was followed by an e-book collection consisting of ''[[The Search for Ancient Egypt|À la recherche de l'Égypte oubliée]]'', {{lang|fr|Dalí : Le Grand Paranoïaque}}, {{lang|fr|Hopper : Ombre et lumière du mythe américain}}, ''[[Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance|Léonard de Vinci : Art et science de l'univers]]'', {{lang|fr|Manet : « J'ai fait ce que j'ai vu »}} and {{lang|fr|Mozart : Aimé des dieux}} in the next year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnetfrance.fr/news/gallimard-lance-une-collection-d-ebooks-pour-ipad-et-kobo-arc-39783562.htm |title=Gallimard lance une collection d'ebooks pour iPad et Kobo Arc |last=Taillandier |first=Florent |date=15 October 2012 |website=[[CNET|cnetfrance.fr]] |language=fr |access-date=17 September 2020}}</ref>

== Image ==
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 250
 | header = The {{lang|fr|iconographie}}
 | image1 = Measuring Temple of the Frescos.jpg
 | caption1 = Double-page spread of image in ''[[Lost Cities of the Maya]]'' ({{pp.|64|65}}). Drawing by [[Frederick Catherwood]], 1844.
 | image2 = Apertura di Alchimia, pp 4–5.jpg
 | caption2 = "Trailer" of ''[[Andrea Aromatico#Alchimia: l'oro della conoscenza|Alchemy: The Great Secret]]'' ({{pp.|4|5}}). Illustrations taken from {{lang|la|[[Splendor Solis]]}}, {{ordinal|16|sup=yes}} century, accompanied by texts from ''[[Emerald Tablet]]''.
 | image3 = Vlad Țepeș in the book Vampires.jpg
 | caption3 = Full red background pages with engravings depicting [[Vlad the Impaler]] in ''[[Vampires: The World of the Undead]]'' ({{pp.|28|29}}).
}}
Image (illustration, designated as {{lang|fr|iconographie}} in French) is the essential part to ''Découvertes Gallimard'', the collection draws much inspiration from magazine [[Page layout|layout]] designs. Full colour pictures, documentary illustrations, archival photographs, historical maps occupy a central place in this work, as said Pierre Marchand himself: "the language of images is a universal language".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parutions.com/pages/1-1-140-2851.html |title=Un entretien avec Pierre Marchand – Fondateur du département Jeunesse des éditions Gallimard |website=parutions.com |date=12 October 1999 |access-date=25 January 2018 |language=fr}}</ref> But in the 1980s, [[desktop publishing]] and photo digitisation did not exist, the sophisticated mockups were entirely handmade and the iconographers ran around museums, libraries, painting galleries and other agencies to look for documents. Today, the technology has simplified all these procedures but the difficulty lies elsewhere, the status of the image is increasingly complex.<ref name=Élisabeth />

Contemporary subjects often generate much higher costs since the publisher is obliged to work with photographic agencies. In the choice of documents, priority is given to those original, unpublished images. Besides, the iconographers of ''Découvertes'' have some exceptional documents, such as English explorer [[Frederick Catherwood]]'s original drawings of [[Maya civilization|Maya]] ruins decorate the {{ordinal|20|sup=yes}} title ''[[Lost Cities of the Maya|Les cités perdues des Mayas]]''.<ref name=à-la-française />

It's not difficult to illustrate subjects like arts, civilisations, archaeology... But when it comes to a topic like "[[pain]]" ({{font|№ 370|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|La douleur : Un mal à combattre}}) or "[[sustainable development]]" ({{font|№ 495|font=Serif}} – {{lang|fr|Le développement durable : Maintenant ou jamais}}), it becomes more delicate. The question is how to avoid repetitiveness or the flatly illustrative image, the solution lies in a broadening field, through the use of historical documents, works of art and [[film still]]s.<ref name=Élisabeth />

== Case study of aestheticisation movement ==
The [[wiktionary:aestheticisation|aestheticisation]] of [[Postmodernism|postmodern]] everyday life, according to sociologists [[Michel Maffesoli]] and [[Mike Featherstone]], it seems to spring from two parallel movements rooted in modernity, the so-called "dual postmodern aestheticisation movement": first an aesthetic [[hedonism]] (Maffesoli) and second the trivialisation of art (Featherstone). The second movement is the result of the de-[[Academic art|academisation]] and de-[[institutionalisation]] of art, thus "art is part of everyday life". ''Découvertes Gallimard'' is considered an example of 'art as part of everyday life' within this study.<ref name=Aestheticization />

[[Pierre Marchand (editor)|Pierre Marchand]], Head of [[Gallimard Jeunesse]] who created the new kind of artistic encyclopaedia with a dynamic layout, that would be as much a magazine as an encyclopaedia. It has been commented by a Gallimard employee that Découvertes "seduces like a magazine but has the length of a book", kind of an objectified and specialised luxury magazine. A lot of work and research have been done on the reproduction of images and the choice of illustrations, often unpublished documents like antique engravings, old photos, on all types of themes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newyorkmania.fr/2010/08/livre-new-york-chronique-dune-ville-sauvage/ |title=Livre — New York : Chronique d'une ville sauvage |date=4 August 2010 |website=newyorkmania.fr |access-date=29 December 2017 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703102533/http://newyorkmania.fr/2010/08/livre-new-york-chronique-dune-ville-sauvage/ |archive-date=3 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In this collection, all books share the same concept as to layout and looks, each book itself could become a work of art rather than only its substitute. It is coupled with up-to-date editing equipment, organisational innovations and a constant pursuit of higher printing quality at lower cost. A more friendship than business relationship between Marchand and the Italian printer Gianni Stavro has advanced the state of the art in printing. The suppliers of "Découvertes" are supposed to cooperate between themselves, "for instance, the French printer had a problem concerning the pigments, so the Italian printer invited him over to explain how he could solve the problem", explained by a Gallimard employee.<ref name=Aestheticization />

Pierre Marchand might not be an "Artistic Master", but he is almost considered as such by his employees. "Découvertes"' staff work like a team, where everybody is concerned with everything at the same time. They share the same culture and values, their office is intentionally built like a vessel, with Marchand as captain on the bridge, and anyone, at any time, is free to contribute with his/her own ideas about authors, pictures, front covers..., and becomes leader of a project.<ref name=Aestheticization>{{cite journal |last1=Cova |first1=Bernard |last2=Svanfeldt |first2=Christian |year=1993 |title=Societal Innovations and the Postmodern Aestheticization of Everyday Life |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256431763 |journal=[[International Journal of Research in Marketing]] |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |location=Amsterdam |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=297–310 |doi= 10.1016/0167-8116(93)90012-N |access-date=27 April 2018}}</ref>

== Spin-offs ==
* {{lang|fr|'''Une autre histoire du XX<sup>e</sup> siècle'''|italic=no}}: Literally 'Another History of the {{ordinal|20|sup=yes}} Century'. A closed series within ''Découvertes Gallimard'' collection released in 1999, consisting of ten volumes for ten decades, authored by French historian {{ill|Michel Pierre|fr|Michel Pierre (historien)}} and based on the [[Gaumont Film Company|Gaumont]] cinematographic archives.<ref name=Découvertes />
* {{lang|fr|'''Découvertes Gallimard Hors série'''|italic=no}}: A sub-collection published since 1994, the title roughly translates as 'off-series' or 'off-collection'. "Hors série" books are even smaller (120 × 170&nbsp;mm, generally, but not always), each one consists of 48 pages with full colour illustrations. These books are designed like museum guide booklets, according to Gallimard, "{{lang|fr|des livres à visiter comme une exposition|italic=no}}" ('books to visit like an exhibition'). Most of them are dedicated to artists like [[Sandro Botticelli|Botticelli]], [[Giuseppe Arcimboldo|Arcimboldo]], [[Jean-Honoré Fragonard|Fragonard]], [[Chaïm Soutine|Soutine]], [[Gustave Le Gray|Le Gray]], et cetera, during major exhibitions devoted to them.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.decouvertes-gallimard.fr/Decouvertes/hors_serie.go |title=HORS SÉRIE |website=decouvertes-gallimard.fr |access-date=23 September 2017 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307233650/http://www.decouvertes-gallimard.fr/Decouvertes/hors_serie.go |archive-date=7 March 2016}}</ref>
* {{lang|fr|'''Découvertes Gallimard Albums'''|italic=no}}: A sub-collection consists of 13 volumes, 12 volumes released in 1992 and one in 1994, a larger format (210 × 270&nbsp;mm) is used for them.
* {{lang|fr|'''Découvertes Gallimard Texto'''|italic=no}}: A 6-volume sub-collection released in 1998 (124 × 178&nbsp;mm), inspired by the "Documents" section at the back of every ''Découvertes'' book.<ref name=à-la-française />
* {{lang|fr|'''Découvertes Gallimard Carnet d'expo'''|italic=no}}: A sub-collection of exhibition booklets created in 2018, with the smaller format (120 × 170&nbsp;mm).

The "Hors série" books are often coupled with art exhibitions and it works well. While the other attempts to diversify the collection have often resulted in resounding commercial failures, such as the "Albums" and "Texto". Despite an interesting concept: the use of [[Film still|still images]] from Gaumont archives for "Une autre histoire du XX<sup>e</sup> siècle", this series has had mixed success.<ref name=à-la-française />

== English edition ==
[[File:Logo of ‘New Horizons’ series.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Logo of 'New Horizons' series.]]
[[File:T&H New Horizons (book spines) Ⅳ.jpg|thumb|300px|'New Horizons', the UK edition.]]
A small portion of the collection has been translated into English, published by [[Thames & Hudson]] in United Kingdom under the title '''''New Horizons''''' series,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thamesandhudson.com/books/filter-group/new-horizons-series |title=Books: New Horizons series |website=thamesandhudson.com |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.publishinghistory.com/new-horizons-thames-hudson.html |title=''New Horizons'' (Thames and Hudson) - Book Series List |website=publishinghistory.com |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref> which launched its first titles in 1992 with the slogan, "the expanding universe between two covers". According to Thames & Hudson director Jamie Camplin, the remit is to "[[Educational entertainment|educate in an entertaining way]]".<ref name=In>{{cite magazine |last=Davies |first=Jim |date=1994 |title=In the beginning was the picture |url=http://eyemagazine.com/feature/article/in-the-beginning-was-the-picture |magazine=[[Eye (magazine)|Eye]] |location=London |publisher=Eye Magazine Ltd. |volume=4 |issue=13 |issn=0960-779X |access-date=20 April 2017}}</ref>

[[Paul Gottlieb (publisher)|Paul Gottlieb]], former director and editor in chief of the New York-based publisher [[Abrams Books]] (then called Harry N. Abrams), discovered Pierre Marchand's "Découvertes" at the Gallimard stand during the [[Bologna Children's Book Fair|Bologna Book Fair]] in 1991, which he called "a dazzling array of books" and an "imaginative combination of text and pictures in a magnificently produced series of paperback books". He began to negotiate for English language translation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20020527/24880-pierre-marchand-remembered.html |title=Pierre Marchand Remembered |last1=Pasquet |first1=Hedwige |last2=Baker |first2=Christine |last3=Davis |first3=Christopher |last4=Gottlieb |first4=Paul |last5=Lottman |first5=Herbert |author-link5=Herbert Lottman |last6=Robinson |first6=Dick |last7=Flugge |first7=Klaus |last8=Mayer |first8=Peter |author-link8=Peter Mayer |date=May 27, 2002 |website=[[Publishers Weekly|publishersweekly.com]] |access-date=17 March 2018}}</ref> The collection was eventually titled '''''Abrams Discoveries''''' series by the U.S. publisher. They began to publish in the spring of 1992, and more than 100 titles were produced by 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abramsbooks.com/?s=Discoveries |title=Search Results: Discoveries |website=abramsbooks.com |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/abrams-discoveries/90018/ |title=Abrams Discoveries series - 91 book (incomplete) |website=thriftbooks.com |access-date=13 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/abrams-discoveries |title=An incomplete list of Abrams Discoveries series |website=goodreads.com |access-date=18 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kerper |first=Barrie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pF4AZd6MUa4C&q=Discoveries+%2F+Harry+Abrams+illustration&pg=PT609 |title=Paris: The Collected Traveler |location=New York |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |access-date=20 April 2017 |isbn=9780307739322 |date=12 July 2011}}</ref>

The two publishers shared the translation costs, the American edition was then re-edited to take into account [[American and British English spelling differences|English spelling]], or vice versa.<ref name=In /> Unlike the numbered French edition, American and British editions are not put into numerical order. UK edition's book spines have titles in white with black background, while the more Gallimard-style US edition has titles in colour and sometimes with decorative features, such as an {{larger|[[Ankh|☥]]}} for ''Cleopatra: The Life and Death of a Pharaoh'' and a {{larger|[[Fleur-de-lis|⚜]]}} for ''Heraldry: An Introduction to a Noble Tradition''.

Apart from spelling and punctuation differences, certain titles of American edition have additional explanation placed in parentheses within the body text. For instance, in ''[[The Celts: First Masters of Europe|The Celts: Conquerors of Ancient Europe]]'': "Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic)" ({{p.|14}}), "Gaelic (meaning an Irish or Scottish Celt)" ({{p.|14}}), or "Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)" ({{p.|76}}); whereas in the British version ''The Celts: First Masters of Europe'', has no such additional information. Besides, the texts are not entirely identical. As for the "Documents" section, though some co-publishers print the entire French version, Thames & Hudson reformulates this part, tailoring the material to suit the nuances of the UK market.<ref name=In />

== Reception ==
French weekly magazine ''[[Télérama]]'' praised "Découvertes Gallimard", described the work as: "they borrow suspense from the cinema, have efficiency of the journalism, literary temperament is their charm, and art is their beauty".<ref name=Découvertes /> ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine remarked the collection "a lively interweaving of simple text and clever pictures".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Larson |first=Kay |date=6 December 1993 |title=Books: The Smart Set |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dyIAAAAAMBAJ&q=abrams+discoveries+series&pg=PA127 |magazine=New York |location=New York City |page=127 |access-date=25 June 2017}}</ref> In his review for ''[[Die Zeit]]'', the German literary scholar and historian {{ill|Gerhard Prause|de}} wrote that the collection is an "adventure stands for surprise, excitement and amusement. Boredom is already prevented by the curiosity of vivid illustrations which are accompanied by detailed explanations".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zeit.de/1990/52/abenteuer-geschichte |title=Abenteuer Geschichte – Eine spannende neue Reihe |last=Prause |first=Gerhard |date=21 December 1990 |newspaper=Die Zeit |access-date=17 April 2017 |language=de}}</ref> [[Rick Poynor]] wrote in ''[[Eye (magazine)|Eye]]'' magazine that the collection "is one of the great projects of contemporary popular publishing".<ref name=Revelations>{{cite magazine |last=Poynor |first=Rick |date=24 September 2008 |title=Revelations in style |url=http://www.eyemagazine.com/opinion/article/revelations-in-style |magazine=[[Eye (magazine)|Eye]] |location=London |publisher=Eye Magazine Ltd. |volume=18 |issue=69 |issn=0960-779X |access-date=20 April 2017}}</ref> [[Raleigh Trevelyan]]'s article in ''[[The New York Times]]'' mentioned ''D-Day and the Invasion of Normandy'' from "Abrams Discoveries" series, said "all volumes in the 'Discoveries' series are ingeniously designed".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/08/16/specials/ambrose-dday.html |title=Telling It Like It Was |last=Trevelyan |first=Raleigh |date=29 May 1994 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=20 April 2017}}</ref> Art critic [[John Russell (art critic)|John Russell]] considered these books contain unique information, such as [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]]'s authority on the musicality of the elephant or the precise look of [[Halley's Comet]] as it was depicted in 1835.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/01/books/while-you-re-saving-for-a-van-gogh-a-guide-to-inexpensive-art-books.html |title=While You're Saving for a van Gogh: A Guide to Inexpensive Art Books |last=Russell |first=John |date=1 November 1992 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=21 April 2017}}</ref> [[Eduardo Gudiño Kieffer]] of ''[[La Nación]]'' also gave the collection a positive review, writing, "The books are excellent assistants for intellectuals, writers, journalists and students of different aspects of the culture, [...] they contain accurate and pithy information. [...] They obtain a cognitive 'duration' difficult to achieve in the [[Mass media|mediatic]] fugacity."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/214998-cultura-de-bolsillo |title=Cultura de bolsillo: CLAVES Por varios autores (Ediciones B) |last=Gudiño Kieffer |first=Eduardo |date=20 January 1999 |website=lanacion.com.ar |access-date=13 January 2018 |language=es}}</ref> The Spanish newspaper ''[[El País]]'': "Those books combine an important 'Documents' section with an original thematic concept. It's obviously a work of education and popularisation, but popularisation of very good level."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1989/12/24/cultura/630457207_850215.html |title=Aguilar edita la primera enciclopedia universal de bolsillo |newspaper=El País |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=24 December 1989 |language=es |access-date=29 October 2018 |quote=Son libros que combinan una parte documental muy importante con un concepto temático original. Es una obra de divulgación, evidentemente, pero divulgación de buen buen nivel.}}</ref> The Brazilian newspapers – ''[[Folha de S.Paulo]]'': "What is most striking in the collection, however, is not the eclecticism or the unusual themes—usually developed by French experts—but the format and the iconographic content thereof.";<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/ilustrad/fq1504200022.htm |title=Coleção ilustra descobertas históricas |last=Caversan |first=Luiz |date=15 April 2000 |website=folha.uol.com.br |language=pt |access-date=29 October 2018 |quote=O que mais chama a atenção na coleção, no entanto, não é o ecletismo ou o inusitado dos temas—em geral desenvolvidos por especialistas franceses—, mas o formato e o conteúdo iconográfico dos mesmos.}}</ref> ''{{ill|Diário do Grande ABC|pt}}'': "almost like a luxury comic magazine and of exquisite taste".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgabc.com.br/Noticia/273972/editoras-brasileiras-estao-otimistas-com-estilo-gallimard |title=Editoras brasileiras estão otimistas com estilo Gallimard |last=Marcos Coelho |first=João |date=1 June 2002 |website=dgabc.com.br |language=pt |access-date=29 October 2018 |quote=Quase como um gibi luxuoso e de extremo bom gosto.}}</ref>

According to the French magazine ''[[L'Expansion]]'', some other positive reviews including ''[[The Times]]'': "A brand-new and daring collection"; ''[[Die Zeit]]'': "As soon as you open these handy books, you can not get away from them anymore"; ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'': "A collection that recalls nineteenth-century encyclopaedias, where intelligence went hand in hand with curiosity".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/actualite-economique/gutenberg-fait-de-la-resistance_1409632.html |title=Gutenberg fait de la résistance |last=Alexandre |first=Roger |date=20 December 1993 |website=lexpansion.lexpress.fr |access-date=3 January 2018 |language=fr}}</ref> The French news magazine ''[[L'Express]]'': "Genuine monographs, published like art books, offered in pocket format and sold at an affordable price. [...] 'Découvertes' changed the face of [[Encyclopedism|encyclopaedism]] and art book, adapting the book to the era of 'zapping'."<ref name="lexpress" /> ''{{ill|Le Journal des Arts|fr}}''—a French bimonthly journal—referred to the collection as a "classic".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lejournaldesarts.fr/medias/la-mue-des-decouvertes-gallimard-138599 |title=La mue des Découvertes Gallimard |last=Manca |first=Isabelle |date=28 June 2018 |website=lejournaldesarts.fr |language=fr |access-date=29 October 2018 |quote=C'est ce qu'il est convenu d'appeler un « classique ».}}</ref> It is also included by ''{{ill|Livres Hebdo|fr}}'', a French weekly magazine, as one of six collections that marked the history of French publishing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.livreshebdo.fr/article/decouvertes-gallimard-le-savoir-en-images |title="Découvertes Gallimard", le savoir en images |last=Combet |first=Claude |date=11 May 2018 |website=livreshebdo.fr |language=fr |access-date=29 October 2018 |quote=Cinquième volet de notre série sur six collections qui ont marqué l'histoire de l'édition française.}}</ref>

Despite all the favours to its quality and attractive visual design, the collection suffers from a problem of identity in bookshops: where to put these books? With books for youth or books for adults? As pocket books or human science reference books? And opt for a thematic scattering on the shelves. Many booksellers renounce the displays that were exclusively reserved for "Découvertes" due to high competition. All the more so because a rather tight inventory management at Gallimard, the complete titles are never available at the same time, which is not appreciated by the customers. The problem of identification is also latent in print media, the journalists, even if they are personally delighted to receive the new titles from a press agent, would not be too enthusiastic about presenting a simple pocket book in their articles, even if it's a brand new title and not a reprint.<ref name=à-la-française />

== List of English-translated volumes ==
{{main|List of English-translated volumes of Découvertes Gallimard}}

== Documentary adaptation ==
Documentary adaptations of "Découvertes Gallimard" started in 1997, the project is a co-production of [[La Sept|Arte France]] and [[Trans Europe Film]], and in collaboration with Éditions Gallimard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://download.pro.arte.tv/archives/fichiers/01776772.pdf |title=Collection DÉCOUVERTES: Une coproduction ARTE France / Trans Europe Film / Gallimard |date=2 March 2002 |website=pro.arte.tv |page=6 |access-date=1 October 2017 |language=fr}}</ref> These 52-minute films are produced as part of ''[[The Human Adventure (TV series)|The Human Adventure]]'', a documentary television programme of [[Arte]]. Nine of them were directed by [[Jean-Claude Lubtchansky]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lussasdoc.org/rea-jean-claude_lubtchansky-1,11795.html |title=Catalogue des films de Jean-Claude Lubtchansky |website=lussasdoc.org |access-date=8 June 2017 |language=fr}}</ref>

List of documentary films:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center" width="95%"
! Documentary
! Literal translation
! Director
! Voice-over
! Release year
! Adaptation of
! UK edition
! US edition
! Author
|-----
| {{lang|fr|[[Once Upon a Time in Mesopotamia|Il était une fois la Mésopotamie]]}} {{small|(subtitled into English)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/Repertoire_des_films_documentaires_1990-2000.pdf |title=Répertoire des films documentaires 1990/2000 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2000 |website=diplomatie.gouv.fr |language=fr, en, es |page=169 |access-date=3 December 2020}}</ref>}}
| 'Once Upon a Time in [[Mesopotamia]]'
| [[Jean-Claude Lubtchansky]]
| [[François Marthouret]], {{ill|Corinne Jaber|fr}}, Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| 1998
| {{lang|fr|Il était une fois la Mésopotamie}} (nº 191)
| {{N/A|–}}
| {{N/A|–}}
| [[Jean Bottéro]], [[Marie-Joseph Stève]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|Quand le Japon s'ouvrit au monde}}
| '[[Meiji (era)|When Japan Opened to the World]]'
| Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| François Marthouret, [[Michel Duchaussoy]]
| 1998
| {{lang|fr|Quand le Japon s'ouvrit au monde}} (nº 99)
| {{N/A|–}}
| {{N/A|–}}
| [[Francis Macouin]], [[Keiko Omoto]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|Galilée, le messager des étoiles}}
| '[[Galileo Galilei|Galileo]], the Messenger of the Stars'
| Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| François Marthouret, [[Ruggero De Pas]]
| 1998
| {{lang|fr|Galilée : Le messager des étoiles}} (nº 10)
| {{N/A|–}}
| {{N/A|–}}
| [[Jean-Pierre Maury]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|[[On the Road to Timbuktu: Explorers in Africa|Vers Tombouctou : L'Afrique des explorateurs]]}}
| 'On the Road to [[Timbuktu]]: [[European exploration of Africa|Explorers in Africa]]'
| Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| François Marthouret, {{ill|Yves Lambrecht|fr}}, [[Richard Sammel]]
| 1999
| {{lang|fr|Vers Tombouctou : L'Afrique des explorateurs II}} (nº 216)
| {{N/A|–}}
| {{N/A|–}}
| [[Anne Hugon]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|Les cités perdues des Mayas}} {{small|(subtitled into English)<ref name="DGF2000/2003">{{cite web |url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/repertoire_des_films_documentaires_2000-2003.pdf |title=Répertoire des films documentaires 2000/2003 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2003 |website=diplomatie.gouv.fr |language=fr, en, es |access-date=3 December 2020}}</ref>{{sup|:43}}}}
| 'The [[Maya city|Lost Cities]] of the [[Maya peoples|Mayans]]'
| Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| François Marthouret, [[Marc Zammit]]
| 2000
| {{lang|fr|Les cités perdues des Mayas}} (nº 20)
| ''[[Lost Cities of the Maya]]''
| ''Lost Cities of the Maya''
| [[Claude-François Baudez]], [[Sydney Picasso]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|[[Champollion: A Scribe for Egypt|Champollion, un scribe pour l'Égypte]]}} {{small|(subtitled into English)<ref name="DGF2000/2003" />{{sup|:42}}}}
| '[[Jean-François Champollion|Champollion]], a scribe for Egypt'
| Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| [[Françoise Fabian]], [[Jean-Hugues Anglade]]
| 2000
| {{lang|fr|Champollion : Un scribe pour l'Égypte}} (nº 96)
| {{N/A|–}}
| {{N/A|–}}
| {{ill|Michel Dewachter|fr}}
|-----
| {{lang|fr|Léonard de Vinci}} {{small|(dubbed into English)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.films.com/id/4253 |title=Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=films.com |access-date=3 December 2020}}</ref>}}
| '[[Leonardo da Vinci]]'
| Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| [[Aurore Clément]], {{ill|Gérard Desarthe|fr}}
| 2001
| {{lang|fr|Léonard de Vinci : Art et science de l'univers}} (nº 293)
| ''[[Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance|Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Man]]''
| ''Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance''
| [[Alessandro Vezzosi]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|L'empire des nombres}} {{small|(dubbed into English)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Denis-Guedj/dp/B001E9FDW6 |title=L'Empire des Nombres (DVD) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=amazon.com |access-date=3 December 2020}}</ref>}}
| 'The Empire of Numbers'
| [[Philippe Truffault]]
| [[Denis Guedj]]
| 2001
| {{lang|fr|L'empire des nombres}} (nº 300)
| ''[[Numbers: The Universal Language]]''
| ''Numbers: The Universal Language''
| [[Denis Guedj]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|La Terre des Peaux-Rouges}}
| 'The Land of the [[Redskin]]s'
| Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| [[Serge Avédikian]], François Marthouret
| 2002
| {{lang|fr|La Terre des Peaux-Rouges}} (nº 14)
| {{N/A|–}}
| {{N/A|–}}
| [[Philippe Jacquin]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|Angkor, la forêt de pierre}} {{small|(available in English)<ref name="DGF2000/2003" />{{sup|:40&286}}}}
| '[[Angkor Wat|Angkor]], the Stone Forest'
| Jean-Claude Lubtchansky
| Serge Avédikian, {{ill|Sylvie Moreau (French actress)|lt=Sylvie Moreau|fr|Sylvie Moreau (actrice française)}}
| 2002
| {{lang|fr|Angkor : La forêt de pierre}} (nº 64)
| ''[[Angkor: Heart of an Asian Empire]]''
| ''Angkor: Heart of an Asian Empire''
| [[Bruno Dagens]]
|-----
| {{lang|fr|Darwin et la science de l'évolution}}
| '[[Charles Darwin|Darwin]] and the [[Evolution|Science of Evolution]]'
| [[Valérie Winckler]]
| {{ill|Claude Aufaure|fr}}, Valérie Winckler
| 2002
| {{lang|fr|Darwin et la science de l'évolution}} (nº 397)
| ''[[Darwin and the Science of Evolution|Charles Darwin: The Scholar Who Changed Human History]]''
| ''Darwin and the Science of Evolution''
| {{ill|Patrick Tort|fr}}
|-----
| {{lang|fr|Le Mystère des sources du Nil}} {{small|(dubbed into English)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://distribution.arte.tv/fiche/MYSTERE_DES_SOURCES_DU_NIL__LE_ |title=In Search of the Nile |website=distribution.arte.tv |language=fr, en |access-date=3 December 2020}}</ref>}}
| 'The Mystery of the [[Nile#Sources|Sources of the Nile]]'
| [[Stéphane Bégoin]]
| {{ill|Séverine Lathuillière|fr}}, [[Jacques-Henri Fabre]], [[Vincent Grass]], [[José Luccioni (actor)|José Luccioni]], [[Serge Marquant]]
| 2003
| {{lang|fr|L'Afrique des explorateurs : Vers les sources du Nil}} (nº 117)
| ''[[The Exploration of Africa: From Cairo to the Cape]]''
| ''The Exploration of Africa: From Cairo to the Cape''
| [[Anne Hugon]]
|}

== International editions ==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! Title
! Literal translation
! Language
! Country
! Publisher
! First published
|-----
| {{lang|fr-FR|Découvertes Gallimard}}
| 'Gallimard Discoveries'
| [[French of France]]
| [[France]]
| [[Éditions Gallimard]]
| 1986
|-----
| ''New Horizons''
| {{N/A|–}}
| [[British English]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| [[Thames & Hudson]]
| 1992
|-----
| ''Abrams Discoveries''
| {{N/A|–}}
| [[American English]]
| [[United States]]
| [[Abrams Books|Harry N. Abrams]]
| 1992
|-----
| {{lang|it-IT|Universale Electa/Gallimard}}
| 'Electa/Gallimard Universal'
| [[Italian language|Italian]]
| [[Italy]]
| Electa/Gallimard
| 1992
|-----
| {{lang|it-IT|Universale L'ippocampo}}
| 'L'ippocampo Universal'
| Italian
| Italy
| L'ippocampo Edizioni
| 2011
|-----
| {{lang|es-ES|Aguilar Universal}}
| 'Aguilar Universal'
| [[Peninsular Spanish]]
| [[Spain]]
| {{ill|lt=Aguilar, S. A. de Ediciones|Editorial Aguilar|es}}
| 1989
|-----
| {{lang|es-ES|Biblioteca ilustrada}}
| 'Illustrated Library'
| Peninsular Spanish
| Spain
| Blume
| 2011
|-----
| {{lang|es|Biblioteca de bolsillo CLAVES}}
| 'Pocket Library KEYS'
| [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| Spain, [[Hispanic America]]
| [[Ediciones B]]
| 1997
|-----
| {{lang|pt-PT|Civilização/Círculo de Leitores}}
| 'Civilisation/Readers' Circle'
| [[European Portuguese]]
| [[Portugal]]
| Civilização Editora, {{ill|Círculo de Leitores|pt}}
| 1991
|-----
| {{lang|pt-PT|Descobrir}}
| 'Discover'
| European Portuguese
| Portugal
| {{ill|Quimera Editores|pt}}
| 2003
|-----
| {{lang|pt-BR|Descobertas}}
| 'Discoveries'
| [[Brazilian Portuguese]]
| [[Brazil]]
| {{ill|Editora Objetiva|pt}}
| 2000
|-----
| {{lang|sv-SE|En värld av vetande}}
| 'A World of Knowledge'
| [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
| [[Sweden]]
| {{ill|Berghs förlag|sv}}
| 1991
|-----
| {{lang|no|Horisont-bøkene}}
| 'Horizon Books'
| [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]
| [[Norway]]
| [[Schibsted]]
| 1990
|-----
| {{lang|da|Ny viden om nyt og gammelt}}
| 'New Knowledge on New and Old'
| [[Danish language|Danish]]
| [[Denmark]]
| Roth
| 1993
|-----
| {{lang|de-DE|Abenteuer Geschichte}}
| 'Adventure Story'
| [[German Standard German|German]]
| [[Germany]]
| [[Ravensburger|Ravensburger Buchverlag]]
| 1990
|-----
| {{lang|nl|Fibula ''Pharos''|italic=unset}}
| 'Fibula's ''Pharos{{noitalic|'}}''
| [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
| [[Netherlands]]
| Fibula-Van Dishoek
| 1990
|-----
| {{lang|nl|Standaard Ontdekkingen}}
| 'Standaard Discoveries'
| Dutch
| [[Belgium]], Netherlands
| [[Standaard Uitgeverij]]
| 1990
|-----
| {{lang|pl|Krajobrazy Cywilizacji}}
| 'Landscapes of Civilisation'
| [[Polish language|Polish]]
| [[Poland]]
| [[Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie]]
| 1994
|-----
| {{lang|pl|Poznać i Zrozumieć Świat – Focus}}
| 'Know and Understand the World – Focus'
| Polish
| Poland
| {{ill|Gruner+Jahr Polska|pl}}
| 2002
|-----
| {{lang|cs|Horizonty}}
| 'Horizons'
| [[Czech language|Czech]]
| [[Czech Republic]]
| {{ill|Nakladatelství Slovart|cs}}
| 1994
|-----
| {{lang|sk|Horizonty}}
| 'Horizons'
| [[Slovak language|Slovak]]
| [[Slovakia]]
| {{lang|sk|Vydavateľstvo Slovart|italic=unset}}
| 1994
|-----
| {{lang|hu|Kréta könyvek}}
| 'Chalk Books'
| [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]
| [[Hungary]]
| {{lang|hu|Park Kiadó|italic=unset}}
| 1991
|-----
| {{lang|sl|Mejniki}}
| 'Milestones'
| [[Slovene language|Slovene]]
| [[Slovenia]]
| {{ill|DZS (publisher)|lt=DZS|sl|DZS}}
| 1994
|-----
| {{lang|lt|Atradimai Baltos lankos}}
| 'Baltos lankos Discoveries'
| [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]
| [[Lithuania]]
| [[Baltos lankos]]
| 1997
|-----
| {{lang|ro|Découvertes Univers: Colecțiile Cotidianul. Enciclopedica}}
| 'Univers Discoveries: Cotidianul. Encyclopaedic Collections'
| [[Romanian language|Romanian]]
| [[Romania]]
| {{ill|Editura Univers|ro}} {{small|(in collaboration with ''[[Cotidianul]]'')}}
| 2007
|-----
| {{lang|tr|Genel Kültür Dizisi}}
| 'General Culture Series'
| [[Turkish language|Turkish]]
| [[Turkey]]
| [[Yapı Kredi Yayınları]]
| 2001
|-----
| {{lang|el-GR|Ανακαλύψεις Δεληθανάση}}
| 'Delithanasi Discoveries'
| [[Greek language|Greek]]
| [[Greece]]
| {{lang|el-GR|Αστέρης Δεληθανάσης}} ({{transliteration|el|Asteris Delithanasis|italic=no}})
| 1990
|-----
| {{lang|ru|Открытие}}
| 'Discovery'
| [[Russian language|Russian]]
| [[Russia]]
| [[AST (publisher)|AST]]
| 2001
|-----
| {{lang|ru|Биография искусства}}
| 'Biography of the Arts'
| Russian
| Russia
| {{ill|Mann, Ivanov and Ferber|ru|Манн, Иванов и Фербер}}
| 2019
|-----
| {{lang|ar-LB|اكتشافات غاليمار}}
| 'Gallimard Discoveries'
| [[Lebanese Arabic]]
| [[Lebanon]]
| {{lang|ar-LB|دار المجاني}} ({{transliteration|ar|Dar Al Majani|italic=no}}; lit. 'Free House')
| 2011
|-----
| {{lang|ja|知の再発見}}
| 'Rediscovery of Knowledge'
| [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
| [[Japan]]
| {{ill|Sōgensha|ja|創元社}}
| 1990
|-----
| {{lang|zh-Hant-TW|發現之旅}}<br />({{lang|fr|Voyage D'exploration}})
| 'Voyage of Discoveries'
| [[Traditional Chinese characters|Traditional Chinese]]
| [[Taiwan]]
| {{ill|China Times Publishing|zh|時報文化}}
| 1994
|-----
| {{lang|zh-Hans-CN|发现之旅}}<br />({{lang|fr|Voyage D'exploration}})
| 'Voyage of Discoveries'
| [[Simplified Chinese characters|Simplified Chinese]]
| [[China]]
| Published by various publishers
| 1998
|-----
| {{lang|ko-KR|시공 디스커버리 총서}}<br />(''Sigong Discovery'')
| 'Sigong Discovery series'
| [[South Korean standard language|Korean]]
| [[South Korea]]
| [[Sigongsa]]
| 1995
|}

== See also ==
{{main cat|Découvertes Gallimard}}
* ''[[For Dummies]]'', a similar American series of introductory reference books.
* ''[[Mysteries of the Unknown]]'', an American occult series by [[Time Life]].
* ''[[Que sais-je?]]'', a similar series of introductory books published by the [[Presses Universitaires de France]].
* ''[[Rough Guides]]'', a similar British series of introductory tourism books.
* ''[[Very Short Introductions]]'', a similar series of introductory books published by the [[Oxford University Press]].
* ''[[World of Art]]'', an illustrated art encyclopaedia series published by [[Thames & Hudson]].

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* [http://eyemagazine.com/feature/article/in-the-beginning-was-the-picture In the beginning was the picture: NEW HORIZONS] by Jim Davies at [[Eye (magazine)|''Eye'']]
* [http://www.eyemagazine.com/opinion/article/revelations-in-style Revelations in style: Gallimard's Découvertes series secures readers' loyalty by showing respect for their curiosity and intelligence] by [[Rick Poynor]] at ''Eye''
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://www.ricochet-jeunes.org/articles/decouvertes-gallimard-ou-la-culture-encyclopedique-la-francaise Découvertes Gallimard ou la culture encyclopédique à la française] by Françoise Hache-Bissette, [[senior lecturer]] at the [[Paris Descartes University]]. This article is published in the [[conference proceeding]]s at [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] in December 2001 ({{pp.|111|124}} of {{lang|fr|Histoire des industries culturelles en France, XIX{{sup|e}}–XX{{sup|e}} siècles : Actes du colloque en Sorbonne, décembre 2001}}).

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Découvertes Gallimard}}
* {{Official website|http://www.decouvertes-gallimard.fr}} {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Arts Découvertes Gallimard ''Arts'' series] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Archeologie Découvertes Gallimard ''Archéologie'' series] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Histoire Découvertes Gallimard ''Histoire'' series] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Litteratures Découvertes Gallimard ''Littératures'' series] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Religions Découvertes Gallimard ''Religions'' series] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Culture-et-societe Découvertes Gallimard ''Culture et société'' series] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Sciences-et-techniques Découvertes Gallimard ''Sciences et techniques'' series] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard-Texto Découvertes Gallimard Texto] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard-Albums Découvertes Gallimard Albums] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Une-autre-histoire-du-XXe-siecle Une autre histoire du XX{{sup|e}} siècle] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard-Hors-serie Découvertes Gallimard Hors série] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Decouvertes-Gallimard/Decouvertes-Gallimard-Carnet-d-expo Découvertes Gallimard Carnet d'expo] at Éditions Gallimard {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/abrams-discoveries List of books in "Abrams Discoveries" series] at [[Goodreads]]
* [http://www.publishinghistory.com/new-horizons-thames-hudson.html List of books in 'New Horizons' series] at Publishing History

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