Gallic catalogue July to December 2009 by Gallic Books

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Gallic Books Worlds End Studios 134 Lots Road London SW10 0RJ Tel: 020 7349 7112 Fax: 020 7351 5044 E:info@gallicbooks.com UK Sales: Compass DSA Ltd Tel: 01628 559500 Fax: 01628 663876 E:sales@compass-dsa.co.uk European Sales: Michael Geoghegan E: michael@geoghegan.me.uk France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar Sales: Humphrys Roberts Associates E: humph4hra@gmail.com North Africa and Middle East Sales: Peter Ward Book Exports E: richard@pwbookex.com Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Australia and New Zealand: Peribo E: info@peribo.com.au Other Territories: Please contact us directly with any queries. info@gallicbooks.com Distribution: Littlehampton Book Services Customer Services:Tel: 01903 828501 Direct Orders: Tel: 01903 828511 Fax: 01903 828801/02 Email: orders@lbsltd.co.uk PR: Gina Rozner, Giant Rooster PR Tel: 020 7792 4701 Mobile: 07887 811 806 Gina@giantroosterpr.co.uk

New Titles and Backlist July - December 2009

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The Best of French in English

Dear Customer Welcome to the new Gallic catalogue. We published our first books two years ago in the belief that English-speaking readers would welcome the chance to read new French writing in translation. This has certainly proved to be true, most notably with the success of The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, and we are proud to present here our strongest list yet. The summer publication of The Elegance of the Hedgehog in B format will be followed this autumn by the hardback of The Gourmet, Muriel Barbery’s prize-winning first novel. New in September is our first nonfiction title: CHECKOUT A Life on the Tills by Anna Sam,

A NICOLAS LE FLOCH INVESTIGATION

a wry look at working life in a French hypermarket. Already a Europe-wide publishing sensation, the book has had substantial coverage in the British media. Hector and the Search for Happiness, an engaging fable on what makes human beings happy, is the first in a best-selling series by psychiatrist Francois Lelord coming in October. This season also sees the publication of new titles in many of our popular historical crime series: The Divine Blood is the third Agnes de Souarcy Chronicle by Andrea Japp; following the B format of The Phantom of Rue Royale by Jean-François Parot we have the trade

‘Superb Parisian detail and atmosphere that truly beguiles’The Times

paperback of The Nicolas Le Floch Affair; and from Armand Cabasson comes the latest Napoleonic murder, Memory of Flames. Finally, we are very pleased to welcome one of history’s greatest leaders to the Gallic list with Clisson and Eugénie, a moving love story by the young Napoleon Bonaparte. A bientôt The Gallic Books Team

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GALLIC BOOKS - The best of French in English

Andrea H. Japp The Agnes de Souarcy Chronicles

Praise for The Agnes de Souarcy Chronicles: ‘Captivating characters...and vivid descriptions’ LE FIGARO ‘Enthralling, page after page’ ENCRE NOIR

Translated by Lorenza Garcia

THE DIVINE BLOOD Agnes de Souarcy III

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An Eternal Struggle. A Web of Secrets. A Destiny Foretold... Normandy 1304. Agnes de Souarcy has survived the medieval Inquisition, but remains the focus of an ancient quest. Her protectors must do battle with the powerful enemies of the quest who will stop at nothing to see it fail. And where friend and foe are hard to tell apart, few are truly who they seem and all have something to hide.

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040192 Publication date: August 2009 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 402pp Category: Historical thriller/mystery French publisher: Calmann-Lévy Rights: UK/E/ANZ

Who is the poisoner at Clairets Abbey? Where is the sacred papyrus to be found? And what is the link to the Vatican and the King of France? With the third Agnes de Souarcy Chronicle, Andrea Japp offers us once again a vivid evocation of medieval France in this tense and enthralling read.

ANDREA H. JAPP Andrea Japp is one of the grandes dames of French crime writing with over twenty novels published. She is a forensic scientist by profession and weaves this knowledge into her books, giving them particular authenticity.

THE SEASON OF THE BEAST

THE BREATH OF THE ROSE

Agnes de Souarcy I

Agnes de Souarcy II

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040109 Publication date: August 2008 Format: B Format 198 x128 Extent: 368pp

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040215 Publication date: April 2009 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 320pp

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Jean-François Parot The Nicolas Le Floch Investigations A NICOLAS LE FLOCH INVESTIGATION

THE NICOLAS LE FLOCH AFFAIR Translated by Howard Curtis

THE PHANTOM OF RUE ROYALE Translated by Howard Curtis The third Nicolas Le Floch Investigation

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Paris, 1774. Commissioner Le Floch's stormy love affair with socialite Julie de Lastérieux has run its course. But before Nicolas can formally end the relationship, Julie is found murdered in her bed, a victim of poisoning.For now, he retains the confidence of even the King, who sends him on a secret intelligence mission. But a plot is afoot to implicate Nicolas in Julie's death, and he is soon fighting to uncover the perpetrators and clear his name.

‘Superb Parisian detail and atmosphere that truly beguiles’The Times

Price: £11.99 ISBN: 978-1906040178 Publication date: August 2009 Format: Trade paperback Extent: 368pp Category: Historical crime French publisher: Lattès (Hachette) Rights: UK/CM/E/US

Paris is in mourning. At the firework display marking the Dauphin's marriage to Marie Antoinette, hundreds of people have been injured or crushed to death.Yet not all the victims died accidentally...The tragic incident on Place Louis XV yields a new case for Commissioner Le Floch when a strangled woman is found amongst the other corpses. The investigation takes him to the home of a furrier on Rue Royale where he must deal not just with its curious residents but also face the terrifying forces of the supernatural.

Already published:

Praise for the series: ‘A terrific debut...’ Sunday Times ‘An engaging murder mystery that picks away at the delicate power balance between king, police and state.’ Financial Times ‘Succeeds brilliantly in its reconstruction of prerevolutionary Paris, in splendid period detail, and in its philosophic asides...’ The Times ‘Reads like a cross between a Maigret mystery and Les Liaisons Dangereuses...’ Mail on Sunday

Jean-François Parot is a diplomat and historian.The Nicholas Le Floch Investigations have been published to widespread acclaim in France and are now a hit television series.

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040154 Publication date: June 2009 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 368pp

JUST OUT IN FORMB AT

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040062 Publication date: February 2008 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 418pp

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040123 Publication date: January 2009 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 352pp

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Muriel Barbery THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG Translated by Alison Anderson

JUST OUT IN FORMB AT

‘Clever, informative and moving... this is an admirable novel which deserves as wide a readership here as it had in France.’ The Observer This award-winning best-seller has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Renée is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building on the Left Bank.To the residents she is honest, reliable and uncultivated – an ideal concierge. But Renée has a secret. Beneath this conventional façade she is passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers with their outwardly successful but emotionally void lives. Down in her lodge, Renée is resigned to living a lie, with only visits from her one friend Manuela to break the monotony. Meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the predictably bourgeois future laid out for her, and plans to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday. But before this happens, the death of one of their privileged neighbours will bring dramatic change to number 7, Rue de Grenelle, altering the course of both their lives forever.

Praise for The Elegance of the Hedgehog ‘The novel wins over its fans with a life-affirming message, a generous portion of heart and Barbery's frequently wicked sense of humour’ Time Magazine ‘You might as well buy it before someone recommends it for your book group. Its charm will make you say yes’ Guardian ‘Breathtakingly singular novel...’ Good Housekeeping ‘Reveals itself as a version of the Cinderella fairytale...’ Financial Times ‘The book's attractive Amélie-esque, Parisian setting and cast of characters will appeal to many...’ Sunday Telegraph

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040185 Publication date: June 2009 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 320pp Category: Fiction French publisher: Gallimard Rights: UK/E/Non-ex ROW

‘A book of great charm and grace.’ Metro

See over for The Gourmet by Muriel Barbery [ 6

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Muriel Barbery

GALLIC BOOKS - The best of French in English

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THE GOURMET Translated by Alison Anderson ‘An ode to the pleasure of good food...mouth-watering from beginning to end’ Paris Match The Gourmet is Muriel Barbery's first novel.Winner of the top French book award for food writing, the Prix du Meilleur Livre de littérature gourmande, it has now been translated into twelve languages. Interestingly, several of the characters from The Elegance of the Hedgehog also appear in The Gourmet. France’s greatest food critic is dying, after a lifetime in single-minded pursuit of sensual delights. But as Pierre Arthens lies on his death bed, he is tormented by an inability to recall the most delicious food to ever pass his lips, which he ate long before becoming a critic. Desperate to taste it one more time, he looks back over the years to see if he can pin down the elusive dish. Revealing far more than his love of great food, the narration by this larger-than-life individual alternates with the voices of those closest to him and their own experiences of the man. Muriel Barbery’s gifts as an evocative storyteller are put to mouth-watering use in this voluptuous and poignant meditation on food and its deeper significance in our lives.

Muriel Barbery was born in 1969. Having spent many years as a philosophy teacher in France, she now lives in Japan.

(photo Catherine Hélie © Editions Gallimard.)

[ See over for The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery 8

Price: £9.99 ISBN: 978-1906040260 Publication date: September 2009 Format: Hardback 198 x129pp Extent: 160pp Category: Fiction French publisher: Gallimard Rights: UK/E/Non-ex ROW

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Anna Sam Translated by Morag Young

GALLIC BOOKS - The best of French in English

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CHECKOUT Can you scan 800 barcodes an hour? Can you smile and say ‘thanks’ 500 times a day? Do you never need to go to the toilet? Then working on a supermarket checkout could be just the job for you. Anna Sam spent eight years as a checkout girl. She poured out her frustrations about the job in a blog that soon developed a massive following. CHECKOUT A Life on the Tills is a witty look at what it’s really like to work in a hypermarket: the relentless grind and less-than-perfect working conditions, along with the people-watching and encounters with every kind of customer from the bizarre to the downright rude. Sam’s story has won her fans all over Europe, turning CHECKOUT A Life on the Tills into a huge international best-seller, published in ten languages.

Praise for Anna Sam: ‘The checkout girls of Europe have found a figurehead. Her name is Anna Sam’ The Times ‘Compelling reading’ Daily Telegraph ‘Ignored, abused and underpaid, the unsung heroines of the food chain are suddenly in the spotlight thanks to French till tapper Anna Sam.’ The Sun

Price: £6.99 ISBN: 978-1906040291 Publication date: September 2009 Format: A format 178x110mm Extent: 192pp Category: Nonfiction French publisher: Stock Rights: WEL

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François Lelord

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Hector’s Journeys HECTOR & THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS Translated by Lorenza Garcia Can we learn how to be happy? Hector is a successful young psychiatrist. He’s very good at treating patients in real need of his help. But many people he sees have no health problems: they’re just deeply dissatisfied with their lives. Hector can’t do much for them, and it’s beginning to depress him. So when a patient tells him he looks in need of a holiday, Hector decides to set off round the world to find out what makes people everywhere happy (and sad), and whether there is such a thing as the secret of true happiness… Over a million readers worldwide have engaged with psychiatrist François Lelord’s modern fable. Narrated with deceptive simplicity, its perceptive observations on happiness offer us the chance to reflect on the contentment we all look for in our own lives. The feature film of Hector and the Search for Happiness is to be released in 2010. ‘More like Tintin than Freud’ François Lelord on Hector ‘Intelligently naïve’ Marie Claire ‘Thought-provoking entertainment’ L’Express

Coming in 2010: HECTOR AND THE SECRETS OF LOVE

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040239 Published October 2009 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 320pp Category: Fiction French publisher: Odile Jacob Rights: WEL

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Armand Cabasson The Quentin Margont NEW Investigations TITLE MEMORY OF FLAMES Translated by Isabel Reid "The Tsar had long dreamt of taking Paris in revenge for Moscow..."

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040130 Publication date: October 2009 Format: B format Extent: Category: Historical crime French publisher: Univers Poche Rights: UK/CM/E

March 1814. With the allied armies of Russia, Austria and Prussia advancing, Paris is in real danger of falling to occupying forces for the first time in 400 years. But at a moment when all efforts should be directed towards the defence of the city, Joseph Bonaparte is concerned with the murder of a retired colonel, and orders Major Quentin Margont to conduct a secret investigation into his death. Once again Armand Cabasson marries his phenomenal knowledge of the Napoleonic period with his psychiatric expertise to create a gripping and totally convincing narrative.

Already published:

THE OFFICER’S PREY

WOLF HUNT Translated by Isabel Reid

Translated by Michael Glencross

Winner of the 2005 Fiction Prize by the Napoleonic Foundation

Winner of the 2003 Gendarmerie National thriller prize. Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040031 Publication date: October 2007 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 432pp French publisher: Robert Laffont Rights: WORLD

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040086 Publication date: May 2008 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 352pp French publisher: Univers Poche Rights: UK/CM/E

Praise for Armand Cabasson: ‘Cabasson skilfully weaves an intriguing mystery into a rich historical background’ Mail on Sunday ‘With vivid scenes of battle and military life...Cabasson’s atmospheric novel makes a splendid war epic’ Sunday Telegraph

Armand Cabasson was born in 1970. He is a psychiatrist working in northern France. Armand is a member of the Souvenir Napoléonien and has used his extensive research to create a vivid portrait of the Napoleonic campaigns.

‘Enthralling’ Morning Star

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Napoleon Bonaparte CLISSON & EUGÉNIE

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With an introduction by Armand Cabasson Translated by Peter Hicks ‘Their eyes met… and they soon knew that their hearts were made for each other.’ Triumphant on the field of battle, Clisson turns his back on worldly success. He falls in love and marries Eugénie, but how long will their love survive? The tragic story of Clisson and Eugénie reveals one of history’s great leaders to also be an accomplished writer of fiction. Completed when he was only 26, the story contains parallels with Napoleon's own life and offers a fascinating insight into the young man's view of love, women and military life. Peter Hicks and Emilie Barthet have created the definitive version of Clisson and Eugenie from original fragments of manuscript.This edition includes their notes and commentary on Napoleon the writer, and an introduction by Napoleonic specialist,Armand Cabasson, on the man behind the legend.

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040277 Publication date: October 2009 Format: B 198 x 128 Extent: 128pp Category: History/fiction French publisher: Fayard Rights: WEL

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THE MONTMARTRE INVESTIGATION

BACKLIST FICTION

Claude Izner The Victor Legris Mysteries

The third Victor Legris Mystery Translated by Lorenza Garcia and Isabel Reid Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040055 Publication date: June 2008 Extent: 320pp

Belle-époque Paris comes vividly to life in this best-selling series of fast-paced thrillers featuring Parisian bookseller and amateur sleuth,Victor Legris.

MURDER ON THE EIFFEL TOWER The first Victor Legris Mystery Translated by Isabel Reid Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040017 Publication date: May 2007 Extent: 304pp Format: B Format 198 x128 French Publisher: 10-18 (Univers Poche) Series Rights: UK/CM/E/ME

“Isabel Reid's seamless translation captures the novel’s many period charms.” The Independent

THE PÉRE-LACHAISE MYSTERY

THE MARAIS ASSASSIN The fourth Victor Legris Mystery. Translated by Lorenza Garcia and Isabel Reid Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040147 Publication date: March 2009

“Full of pungent period detail…a satisfyingly convoluted yarn.” The Observer.

The second Victor Legris Mystery. Translated by Lorenza Garcia and Isabel Reid

Claude Izner is the pseudonym of two sisters, who are booksellers on the banks of the Seine in Paris. They are prolific authors, writing for both adults and children and experts on nineteenth-century art and literature.

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040048 Publication date: October 2007 Extent: 320pp

“An extremely enjoyable, witty and creepy affair.” Independent on Sunday. Coming in January 2010:

THE LEOPARD OF BATIGNOLLES

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Yves Jégo and Denis Lépée THE SUN KING RISES Translated by Sue Dyson ‘Has all the spirit and momentum of the best historical novels’ Le Figaro

The Best of French in English

1661 is a year of destiny for France and young Louis XIV. Cardinal Mazarin, the prime minister, lies dying. And as a fierce power struggle develops to succeed him, a religious brotherhood, guardian of a centuries old secret, also sees its chance to influence events. Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040024 Publication date: March 2008 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 474pp Category: Historical thriller French publisher: Timée Editions Rights: UK/CM/E/US

Fact and fiction combine in a fast-moving story of intrigue, conspiracy and love set in seventeenth century France. Yves Jégo is a member of the French parliament. Denis Lépée is a local politician and environmental advisor.

A NICOLAS LE FLOCH INVESTIGATION

Jean Teulé THE SUICIDE SHOP Translated by Sue Dyson ‘A suicide shop that is full of life…’ Le Figaro With the twenty-first century just a distant memory and the world in environmental chaos, many people have lost the will to live. And business is brisk at The Suicide Shop.

Price: £7.99 ISBN: 978-1906040093 Publication date: July 2008 Format: B Format 198 x 128 Extent: 160pp Category: Fiction French publisher: Robert Laffont Rights: WORLD

Run by the Tuvache family for generations, the shop offers an amazing variety of ways to die. The Tuvaches go mournfully about their business, until the youngest member of the family threatens to destroy their contented misery by confronting them with something totally unexpected: a love of life. Jean Teulé is an illustrator, filmmaker and television presenter. In researching a book on Verlaine, he discovered that a group of nineteenth-century poets had founded a review called The Suicide Shop and this inspired his novel.

‘Superb Parisian detail and atmosphere that truly beguiles’The Times