La grande aventure du livre, dans les coulisses de l’édition (The great book adventure, behind the scenes in publishing) is a documentary album that breaks down ten trades (including the final reader) in the process of distributing a book, following its arrival in the book chain.
For each one, author Stéphanie Vernet alternates between a general presentation of the profession and shorter, well-documented texts, providing us with a wealth of information and anecdotes about each one. Chemin de fer, BAT, royalties, office, leporello… will no longer hold any secrets for you. Readers will discover the missions of the various players in the book chain, while expanding their knowledge of the history of publishing. Each chapter includes concrete examples from France and abroad, past and present.
Thanks to the illustrations by Camille de Cussac, each profession is embodied by a colorful, highly identifiable personality, who we meet again from chapter to chapter, as the book is made, unmade, adjusted, printed and finally published. And we gradually come to understand that the book all these people are working on is actually the one the reader is holding in his or her hands!