 « Je sème à tout vent. » | |
| Parent company | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1852; 173 years ago (1852) |
| Founder | Pierre Larousse |
| Country of origin | France |
| Headquarters location | Paris |
| Key people | Isabelle Jeuge-Maynart (CEO) |
| Official website | larousse |
Éditions Larousse (French pronunciation:[edisjɔ̃laʁus]) is a French publishing house specialising inreference works such as dictionaries. It was founded byPierre Larousse, and for some time was known also asLibrairie Larousse; its best-known work is thePetit Larousse single-volume quarto dictionary.
It was acquired from private owners by Compagnie Européenne de Publication in 1984, thenHavas in 1997. It was acquired byVivendi Universal in 1998. Vivendi made losses in 2002 and sold Larousse to theLagardère Group, thus satisfying public opinion by keeping Larousse in French hands, despite objections by smaller publishers about Lagardère's virtual monopoly on French publishing. It has been a subsidiary ofHachette Livre since 2004.
It also offers theLarousse Gastronomique and a free, open-contentencyclopedia.[1][2]
The logo was designed by, among others, Jean Picart Le Doux (1955–1970),Jean-Michel Folon (1972),Philippe Starck (2006),Christian Lacroix,Moebius,Karl Lagerfeld (1999) andJean-Charles de Castelbajac (2014). It always represented a woman blowing on a dandelion blowball, with the motto "Je sème à tout vent" (I sow to every wind).
The Larousse publishing house, founded in 1852, took off in the mid-19th century. Its history is linked to that of its founder,Pierre Larousse (1817–1875), who in 1852 with his associate Pierre-Augustin Boyer (1821–1896), also ateacher, opened a bookstore in their names in theLatin Quarter: Maison Larousse & Boyer. The goal of these two anticlerical republicans was to write renewedtextbooks forprimary andsecondary education, similar to those offered byLouis Hachette since 1833.[3]
The twoBurgundian teachers (Pierre Larousse having more of a creator role and Augustin Boyer that of a salesman) rented a small premises at 2 rue Pierre-Sarrazin, then moved in 1856 to 49 rue Saint-André-des-Arts.[3]
In 1856, Pierre Larousse published, with the help of François Pillon, theNouveau Dictionnaire de la langue française, ancestor of thePetit Larousse. Subsequently, for nearly twenty-five years, he launched in 1863, in the form of fascicles theGrand Dictionnaire géographique, mythologique, bibliographique, littéraire, artistique, scientifique du 19th century, which would become theGrand Dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle (published from 1866 to 1877) in15 volumes (20,800 pages). In the meantime, in 1869, Pierre separated from Boyer (the two families would reunite in 1889), took back the capital he had accumulated thanks to the profits of the house and set himself up as author-publisher at 19, rue du Montparnasse and, as printer, thanks to a printing house, he rented rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs. He died at 57, exhausted by his work (he had already had a smallstroke in 1868). His wife Suzanne created the company "Vve P. Larousse et Cie" with her nephew, Jules Hollier-Larousse (1842–1909).[4]
Pierre Larousse having had no children, the continuators of the Librairie Larousse were Émile Moreau (1842–1919) and his brother Georges Moreau (1853–1934), Paul Gillon andClaude Augé; the latter had entered as an assistant accountant in the house.[4]
Georges Moreau, associate of Pierre Larousse, became a director of the Librairie Larousse in 1885. He founded in 1891 theRevue encyclopédique[5] which became in 1901 theRevue universelle.[6]
_DSCN2838.jpg)
_DSCN2839.jpg)
_DSCN2840.jpg)
_DSCN2841.jpg)
The "Semeuse generation" (1895–1920) continued the work of the encyclopedist.Claude Augé developed products that became references. TheNouveau Larousse illustré (1897–1904),[7] a true masterpiece of French publishing in seven large volumes (and a supplement in 1907[7]), mobilized more than 150 collaborators and counts 237,000 articles spread over 7,600 pages. These pages are illustrated with 49,000 engravings, 504 maps and 89 color plates. This work is a commercial success, with sales of more than 250,000 samples in thirty years.[8]
_DSCN2855.jpg)
This encyclopedia served as the basis for the design of thePetit Larousse (1st edition: 1905) sought today among others for its cover signedEugène Grasset. The house invented about thePetit Larousse the slogan: "Often imitated but never equaled".[9]
In 1906 appeared the first edition of thePetit Larousse illustré,[7] where the tripartite division that would make the mark of this work is inaugurated: language dictionary, pink pages of Latin and foreign phrases, dictionary of proper names. Direct descendant of theDictionnaire (1856) ofPierre Larousse, it would become in 1924Le Nouveau Petit Larousse and would know multiple editions.[7]
In 1907, began the publication of theLarousse mensuel illustré, subtitledRevue mensuelle encyclopédique, richly illustrated and whose publication lasted until 1957.[7]
In 1912, appeared the firstLarousse médical under the direction of doctor Émile-Marie Galtier-Boissière. After numerous reprints and several reworkings, the work is still marketed a hundred years later. The same year,Le Petit Larousse is adapted into Spanish by Miguel de Toro y Gisbert under the titlePequeño Larousse ilustrado. Other editions would follow under the titleNuevo Pequeño Larousse ilustrado. This makes Larousse one of the rare dictionary publishers that succeeded in publishing in a language other than the original. Successor to theLarousse pour tous (two volumes: volume 1 in 1907 and volume 2 in 1908), theLarousse universel, an encyclopedic dictionary in two volumes, appeared in 1922.[7]
In 1926, appeared in 1 volume the firstLarousse ménager. This work comprising about 3000 articles relates what concerns good housekeeping practices in the broad sense of the housewife at that time.[10]
From 1928 to 1933,Paul Augé, son of Claude, coordinated theLarousse du XXe siècle, universal encyclopedic dictionary in six volumes and printed inheliogravure. It gradually succeeded theNouveau Larousse illustré, while being more concise, abundantly illustrated, scientifically more founded, and setting itself the objective of renewing the knowledge of its time (contains more than 235,000 articles and about 6,500 pages). This Larousse would be the subject of several updated reprints until the end of the 1950s including sometimes with a different cover for the most recent reprints. A supplement in one volume appeared in 1953 completing the initial encyclopedic work (editions before 1949).[7]
_from_Larousse_du_XX%25C3%25A8me_si%25C3%25A8cle_1932.jpg)
_from_Larousse_du_XX%25C3%25A8me_si%25C3%25A8cle_1932.jpg)
_from_Larousse_du_XX%25C3%25A8me_si%25C3%25A8cle_1932.jpg)
_from_Larousse_du_XX%25C3%25A8me_si%25C3%25A8cle_1932.jpg)
In 1936 (volume 1) and 1937 (volume 2) came out theGrand Mémento encyclopédique Larousse,[7] in two volumes, which aims to be a "systematic and methodical exposition" of encyclopedic knowledge, complementary to the alphabetical exposition procedure of the other Larousse encyclopedic dictionaries. The different chapters are signed by more than 100 collaborators, generally university professors. In 1955 came out a reworked edition of thisGrand Mémento, still in two volumes of 1,180 pages each, but under the titleEncyclopédie Larousse méthodique.[7] Finally, in 1967 and 1968, the reworking of these two volumes into a three-volume version calledEncyclopédie générale Larousse[11] are published (reprints in 1977 and 1983).
In 1938, theLarousse gastronomique, under the direction ofProsper Montagné, experienced significant bookstore success: it is translated worldwide and continues to be reprinted (updated and reworked) to this day.[7]
It is also at this time that the "Classiques Larousse" (1933)[7] were born, series of synthetic monographs on great authors, and which would become the collection "Nouveaux Classiques Larousse" (1950s–1970s).[7]
In 1948 (volume 1[7]) and in 1949 (volume 2[7]) appeared theNouveau Larousse universel updated successor to theLarousse universel of 1922. Then came a new updated version in the early 1960s under the nameLarousse universel (two volumes). It was succeeded by a reworked version (updated in particular with photos, diagrams and maps in color and black and white) in 1969 titledNouveau Larousse universel (two volumes).[7]
Le Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré, an encyclopedic dictionary, was republished in 1948, 1952 (centenary edition reworked and augmented) and 1959. This last edition, to mark the centenary of the founding of the Librairie Larousse, contains a brochure containing the list of words deleted since the 1948 edition [made] available to crossword enthusiasts.[7]
From 1960 to 1975, theGrand Larousse encyclopédique in ten volumes and two supplements were published, bearing a logo drawn by Jean Picart Le Doux.[12]
From 1965 appeared theLarousse L3 (three volumes) which is the condensed version of theGrand Larousse encyclopédique; it is aimed at a wider public due to its lower acquisition cost. Reprints (sometimes updated and with different covers) continued until about 1997 (mainly in five volumes but also in four or six volumes like theLarousse L6).[7]
Since the creation of the house, the Larousse encyclopedic dictionaries largely dominated the French market. However, towards the end of the 1960s, competition struck on two fronts. On the one hand, supremacy in dictionary matters ended with the publication in 1967 of thePetit Robert. On the other hand, on the encyclopedia side, the threat came from the publication starting in 1968 of theEncyclopædia Universalis.[13]
The response from the Larousse house took the form of aGrande Encyclopédie Larousse in 22 volumes (twenty encyclopedic volumes, one index and one atlas) published from 1971 to 1978. It is completed by two supplements (1981 and 1985). Appeared in the same period (1971 to 1979) theGrand Larousse de la langue française[14] in seven volumes, but this was a commercial failure; a last edition appearing around 1989 (competition from the SNL publishing house - Dictionnaires Le Robert) while the general encyclopedia in three volumes published in 1968 proved to be a high-quality support, open and accessible to the greatest number. At the same time, the publisher launched a series of encyclopedic and educational fascicles sold in newsstands.[13]
TheGrand Larousse encyclopédique was entirely reworked at the end of the 1970s. Completed, updated and brought up to date, the newencyclopedic dictionary appeared under the nameGrand Dictionnaire encyclopédique Larousse (GDEL) in 10 and 15 volumes[15] in 1982. The revised and corrected edition in 1986 and published in January 1987, was renamedGrand Larousse universel (GLU). It is divided into 15 volumes (main base of the work still with the same number of pages), to which is added aSupplément published in 1992. The following reprints until 1997 of the GLU contain a "Actualia" part (update of new words, etc.) directly at the end of each volume.[16]
Larousse published in the 1990s the encyclopediaThéma (until the mid-2000s).Le Grand Larousse illustré appeared in 2006, whose design is conceived byPhilippe Starck (three volumes and one CD-ROM; another version includes an infrared stylus in addition) which has as baseLe petit Larousse illustré. At the end of 2007 was publishedLe grand Larousse encyclopédique in two volumes.[17]
Also published by Larousse is a mini encyclopedia in one volume calledMémo (1989, 2001, etc.) orLe nouveauMémo (1999) then renamed subsequentlyNomade orMicro encyclopédie (2006 edition) under a slightly more compact format but with identical content (simple reduction of photos, texts slightly updated and diagrams).[7]
In 1983, the Larousse company, which had remained a family business for more than125 years, joined CEP Communication, then the Cité group. The latter was absorbed byHavas, in 1997, then byVivendi.[18]
In 2004, following the ousting ofJean-Marie Messier and the dismantling ofVivendi, Larousse joined theHachette group (Éditions Larousse company), its editorial fund belonging to theLagardère group (Larousse SA company) through a management lease contract.[18]
In 2006, was appointed byHachette Livre as chief executive officer of Larousse Isabelle Jeuge-Maynart, also director of the Hachette Éducation branch and CEO of Hachette Board Games.[19]
Over the years, and with the reduction in the company's workforce, Larousse gradually shared its historic premises, located from 15 to 21 rue du Montparnasse, withFayard andArmand Colin and, since 2016, withLe Livre de poche, Stock,Calmann-Lévy, etc.[19]
Larousse also publishes journals and essays onlanguage and theFrench language, including the general public periodicalVie et langage published between 1952 and 1974, and whoseeditor-in-chief was Alain Guillermou,[20] as well as specialized journals likeLangages[21] (from 1966) orLangue française (from 1969). We can also citelinguistics works, like those published, in the 1970s, in the collection "Langue et langage" under the direction ofJean Dubois.[22]
From 1997, with the LME software (Larousse Multimédia Encyclopédie), Larousse also offers multimedia encyclopedias on CD or downloadable.
From May 2008, Larousse offered online numerous encyclopedic contents. In order to compete withWikipedia a contributive space was created. However, articles and illustrations from Larousse works and teams are presented distinctly from content contributed by volunteer Internet users. On this last platform, each author controls their articles, which they can withdraw. The contributive space was removed in 2013. Furthermore, the contents of certain Larousse works are available onGallica, the site of theBNF which offers digitized contents, including theGrand Larousse de la langue française.[24]
Larousse has been, since 1989, the publisher ofL'Officiel du jeu Scrabble, official dictionary ofFrench-language Scrabble.[25]
The isolateddandelion flower in a circle representative of the globe, and dispersing theachenes of knowledge, as well as the motto "Je sème à tout vent" (I sow to every wind), date back to 1876, when the designer Émile-Auguste Reiber made it the emblem of Larousse, the choice of this flower suggesting that the dictionary proposes to dispense familiar and unpretentious science. Associated with the motto, the allegory ofthe Sower (anymph who has the right hand on the heart and who holds with the left hand a dandelion, blowing on thepappus) appeared in 1890 and is due to the poster artistEugène Grasset.[26]
According to the company legend, it is in the family home ofClaude Augé (editor-in-chief of Larousse) inL'Isle-Jourdain that Grasset was inspired by Claude Augé's wife. Accompanied by the letter L and the motto, the Sower becomes the famouslogo of the Larousse editions.[26]
As the years passed, this logo was modernized and increasingly stylized: in the creation of Jean Picart Le Doux, from 1955 to 1970, the bust is no longer represented and the hair appears in the form of flames; return to the Sower ofGrasset in the 1980s; new logo, very stylized from the 1990s; design of the jackets and the slipcase conceived byPhilippe Starck, in 2006, forLe Grand Larousse illustré.[27]
Still in the 2000s, while revisiting the logo of the Sower ofEugène Grasset, Larousse called onChristian Lacroix,Moebius, thenKarl Lagerfeld (1999) orJean-Charles de Castelbajac (2014) to "restyle"Petit Larousse.[28]
Throughout the history of this family business, it has been highly complex:[29]
