Pour les nuls

The For Dummies folks are celebrating ten years of success. Back in the 90s, an American editor had the brilliant idea of publishing a practical manual for those who knew absolutely nothing about computers, at a moment when personal computers were not quite a household fixture, but were rapidly becoming so. They started in 1991 with DOS for Dummies by Dan Gookin, and now cover a wide range of topics. The collection is published in France under the title Pour les nuls, .

The French title was a brilliant translation coup: the word nul is as omnipresent in French life; it conveys a variety of meanings, from the obvious "null/nil/invalid" to "useless," "hopeless" and even "worthless"; it's a catchy word that rolls off the tongue as easily as dumb and dummy, with the same double edge of humor and disparagement.

Initially the books were translated into French for the French speaking market. Then in 2000, Vincent Barbare of Editions First was given the green light to expand the collection, using French authors on subjects culturally specific to the French. According to an interview with Barbare in last Friday's Midi Libre, success was modest at best until, in 2004, L'histoire de France pour les nuls exploded on the market.

Not all that long ago no self-respecting librarian in France would consider putting a Pour les nuls book on their shelves, whereas today the series is highly visible and collaborates with icons such as the Louvre (Le Louvre pour les nuls). Barbare attributes the Nuls' success to an interesting, fun approach that lets curious, modest French souls learn without knocking themselves out.

In the beginning, it was difficult to find authors to pen the French books, but now experts are clamoring at the gates. Some even consider a Nuls collaboration a veritable feather in their cap, un titre de gloire, as Barbare  puts it. So much so that Barbare, reluctantly, is forced to refuse proposals by some very well known authors. Obviously being an authority on a subject does not suffice; to be a Nuls writer, you have to know how to adopt the right tone, a nul voice that explains the subject matter with both expertise and humor.

The For Dummies collection is published in thirty-three languages, but its greatest sales -- and by far -- are in France. Why the French are "the most nuls" is an inviting question. Are they more curious than other cultures? Are they lazier readers (shorter chapters) or -- ahem -- are they more into efficiency (shorter chapters)? Is there a connection to the emphasis that French culture places on personal responsibility? Is it tied to the French tendency to claim (some) knowledge on (almost) every topic? To the French aversion to saying je ne sais pas ?

I don't know. Perhaps someone should propose the subject to Pour les nuls.