"Que sais-je?" (QSJ) (; Literally: "What do I know?", ) is an editorial collection published by the

Presses universitaires de France Presses universitaires de France (PUF, English: ''University Press of France''), founded in 1921 by Paul Angoulvent (1899–1976), is the largest French university publishing house. Recent company history The financial and legal structure ...

(PUF). The aim of the series is to provide the lay reader with an accessible introduction to a field of study written by an expert in the field. As such, they are a good example of ''haute vulgarisation'' (high popularization). The sentence "Que sais-je?" is taken from the works of French essayist

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Sieur de Montaigne ( ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), also known as the Lord of Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a liter ...

. Started in 1941 by Paul Angoulvent (1899–1976), founder of the Presses Universitaires de France, the series now numbers over 3,900 titles by more than 2,500 authors, and translated in more than 43 languages. Somes titles have sold more than 300,000 copies (namely by Piaget). Each year, 50 to 60 new titles are added to the collection, which comprises ten different series. As such, it easily constitutes the world's largest running 'encyclopedia' in paperback format. The range of subjects is truly encyclopedic, covering everything from ''

chanson de geste The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th cen ...

'' and

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

and

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to actio ...

. Not all subjects are academic—they may include current topics, such as violence in sports or personal coaching. The presentation of information is varied and may consist of an introduction to a subject, a detailed essay on a school of thought, or an analysis of current events. Up to 2004, more than 160 million copies had been sold worldwide. The series is unusual in several ways: first, the price for each volume is the same and is kept to a minimum (€9 as of mid-2011), and each book has 128 pages. When a title has become out of date, it may be withdrawn from the series or it may be updated. Sometimes this updating involves a complete re-writing of the book, as for example ''Parfumerie'' (volume 1888): originally written by

Edmond Roudnitska Edmond Roudnitska (1905–1996) was a French master perfumer and author. He is known for creating perfumes such as Dior's Eau Sauvage and Diorissimo, and Rochas's Femme. Many of his creations are still in production. He was the father of perfu ...

in 1980 and re-written by

Jean-Claude Ellena Jean-Claude Ellena (born 1947, Grasse, France) is a French perfumer and writer. Career At an early age, Ellena picked jasmine with his grandmother in Grasse to sell to perfumers. Beginning with menial jobs, he became an apprentice at the fact ...

in 2006, but keeping the same number within the series. The series is similar to other series such as

Collection 128 Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collections ...

published by

Armand Colin Armand Colin is a French publishing house founded in 1870 by Auguste Armand Colin. It specializes in publishing works concerning human sciences, economics and education. Among its best-known publications are the "U" collection begun in 1968, a ...

in France, ''

Découvertes Gallimard (, ; in United Kingdom: ''New Horizons'', in United States: ''Abrams Discoveries'') is an editorial collection of illustrated monographic books published by the Éditions Gallimard in pocket format. The books are concise introductions to pa ...

'' published by

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by Ga ...

, the

Very Short Introductions ''Very Short Introductions'' (''VSI'') is a book series published by the Oxford University Press (OUP). The books are concise introductions to particular subjects, intended for a general audience but written by experts. Most are under 200 page ...

published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

and C.H. Beck Wissen published by

Verlag C.H. Beck Verlag C. H. BECK oHG, doing business as Publishers C. H. Beck (german: Verlag C. H. Beck), is a German publisher with its headquarters in Munich and a branch office in Frankfurt. The company was established in 1763. Historically, its headquarte ...

. However, after having exhausted the general themes, the Que sais-je? Begin to take an interest in more and more specialized subjects (for example The Laser in dermatology and aesthetics, The Sperm or Factoring), which leads to the collection being taken away from the public and to a drop in sales at the end of the century. Finally, the collection offloaded two-thirds of its catalog to concentrate on 700 titles.

Evolution of cover design

File:Les langues de l'Europe.jpg, 1980-2000 File:La traduction.jpg, 2000-2007 File:Max Weber par Laurent Fleury.jpg, 2007-2016 File:La philosophie morale de Ruwen Ogien et Monique Canto-Sperber.jpg, Depuis 2017

References

External links

*
"Que sais-je ?"
- official website

at publishinghistory.com *

at German Wikipedia *
Collection 128
at armandcolin.com {{Authority control French books Editorial collections Series of books Presses Universitaires de France books