Library of the Pleiad

History

In 1931, a young independent editor, Jacques Schiffrin of the editions Pléiade/J. Schiffrin & Co, create a innovating collection: the Library of the Pleiad. Schiffrin father wished to offer to the public complete works classic authors in format pocket. Andre Gide and Jean Schlumberger, creators of the New French Review (NRF), are interested in work of this new editor and integrate this collection into the editions Gallimard in 1934. The first specimen to be appeared is the first volume of the work of Baudelaire.

Quickly, the Library of the Pleiad develops the critical apparatus which surrounds the text and offers a scientific approach which makes a collection of reference of it. The publication, in 1953, of the Œuvres of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry inserts the Pleiad in the court of the editions to success.

With the Gantries the French Club of the book planned to face Gallimard but there renonça for strategic reasons.

During Years 1960, the collection extends to the foreign literature and explores new corpora: crowned, traditional texts Asian, philosophical texts , etc

It is today a collection in encyclopedic matter , true reference in the university world. Characterized by the richness of its contents and the rigor of its form, she is sometimes regarded as “Rolls-Royce of the edition”.

Literary directors

Jean Ducourneau (1959-1966)
Pierre Buge (1966-1987)
Jacques Cotin (1988-1996)
Hugues Pradier (1997-????)

The Pleiad in figures

The prize list of the most sold titles

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Works , (1953): 340.000 e.g.
Marcel Proust, With the research of time lost , volume I, (1954): 250.000 e.g.
Albert Camus, Theater - Accounts and New , (1962): 218.000 e.g.
Marcel Proust, With the research of time lost , volume II, (1954): 208.000 e.g.
Paul Verlaine, complete poetic Works , (1938): 207.000 e.g.

Fields of exploration

20 explored linguistic fields (including 22 authors English and 14 Russian authors)
a prevalence of authors of the 20th century (62 authors of the XXe century for 58 of the 19th century and 17 for the Antiquité and the 16th century)
Plus of 30 Anthologie S, of which certain bilingual
Plus of 500 titles available
11 new titles per annum on average
16 volumes for the whole of the Correspondence and part of the work of Voltaire, gold medal of many volumes. It is followed of Balzac (15 volumes), Saint-Simon and Dickens (9 volumes each one)

Esthetics of the collection

Since its creation, the collection obeys a charter of rigorous and extremely precise manufacture. Dimensions of the work are of 10,5 X 17 cm. The books are printed on bible paper (36 G), bend-stuck, connected under cover full skin flexible and gilded with the fine Or (23 Carat S). If several printers shares the publications, especially Normandy Roto and Aubin, traditionally, the binding is carried out by a single person receiving benefits: Babouot, in Lagny.

The interior charter

The books of the Pleiad are printed in character Garamond, a traditional reference as regards typography. The research of esthetic elegance is illustrated by many the Ligature S which one finds with the wire of the pages. The smoothness of paper imposes a perfect calibration of the page layout and impression: the least shift of lines between a Recto and a back, but also between two close pages appears by transparency and could obstruct the reading. In this same optics of comfort of reading, paper is opacified besides chemically.

In addition, the use of the Golden section in calculation of the white (in the title pages, before and after the titles and subtitles) makes it possible to define a perfect balance in the pages of each work.

Appearance of the books

Since the origin, the outside of the books is virgin of any inscription, except on the section.

Colors of reference

Since the whole beginnings of the collection, the color of the binding of a volume depends on the century when its author lived. The code of the colors varied forever:

Havana for the Literature of the XXe Green century
emerald for the Literature of the XIXe Blue century
for the Literature of the XVIIIe Venetian century
Red for the Literature of the XVIIe century
Corinth for the Literature of XVIe Purple century
for the Literature of the Green Middle Ages
antique for the ancient Literature

Two exceptions to this code, which relate to works of a particular type:

for the texts of reference of the principal religions monotheists
Red Churchill for the anthologies like for the human Comedy of Balzac.

One finds this color on the higher section of the books.

The back

The back of the books of the Library is decorated by horizontal gilded nets (the encyclopedia being different by a back decorated with stars). The part of title is crushed to improve its visibility. Characteristic for works of the 20th century: the Havana color being too close to gold, the part of title is of green color.

See too

List of the authors published in the Library of the Pleiad

External bonds

the Circle of the Pleiad
the Editions Gallimard

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