A SHORT HISTORY
  "Découvertes Gallimard came out of the documentary section of Gallimard Jeunesse. There had been two previous paperback imprints: "Découvertes cadet" in 1983 and "Découvertes Benjamin" in 1984. "Découvertes Gallimard" was to have been aimed at teenagers. The label Découvertes was to do for documentary what the various Folio imprint (Folio cadet, junior…) had done for children's fiction since the end of 1970s.
  However, quite a different adventure was beginning. The very concept of "Découvertes Gallimard" was another of Pierre Marchand's editorial and graphic revolutions. The imprint quickly outgrew the framework of children's books. The media soon called the imprint the "Que sais-je?" of the year 2000. Even if this was not strictly accurate with regard to the overall concept and its place in scholarly publishing, it explains how the media and readers perceived it. In the bookshops, "Découvertes" books soon found a place on the adult shelves.
  "You've never seen so much between the first and last pages of a book" was the first slogan of the series. Seen is the word, not read. Indeed, the novelty lay in the subtle organization of text and documentary image, in a succession of sequences, fold-out pages, double page spreads …Such a design feat was due to the full use of the possibilities of the chain Computer-Aided-Publishing, photo-engraving and printing. Editorial coordination was entrusted to Elisabeth de Farcy. Several editors and picture researchers are involved and a wealth of visual material is dug out of national heritage collections.
  "Découvertes" kicked off with the publication of 105 titles in five years! The imprint travelled abroad as early as 1989 with the first Spanish co-editor… 19 countries became involved. The imprint was most productive at the turn of the 1990s before significantly decreasing the number of new titles in order to focus on its list. The main emphasis is history and together with archaeology, art history and science, it forms a strong editorial framework. There are many monographs about writers and artists, mostly painters and musicians. Gradually, however, the latter have been linked to works on memory, place and large institutions, as well as various sociological and religious issues. The look of the imprint has been re-designed twice, once in September 1998 for the cover layout (coloured back cover page and more explicit description), and again in March 2000 for the layout of the inside pages. The objective was to improve linear legibility without losing graphic impact. The section "Témoignages et documents" was also shortened.
  All these changes were not incidental. Although the imprint had met with praise, it had also been rather hastily compared to the zapping of television culture. Now it was restating its initial aim. Image does not rule over text. To the contrary, together, they enliven and enrich the reading.