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Intellectuals say they suck but readers love books for dummies

Vincent Barbare&apos;s 994 For Dummies titles proved a surprise success
Vincent Barbare's 994 For Dummies titles proved a surprise success

The concept had everything to make a Parisian intellectual wince: a glitzy collection of reference books For Dummies.

So when Editions First, the Gallic publisher, suggested importing the idea, it faced howls of outrage and accusations of dumbing down the French mind. Now, however, Vincent Barbare, its chief executive, is being hailed as a visionary responsible for one of the most striking French literary phenomena of the past decade.

Pour Les Nuls — the French version of the American For Dummies series — has overcome deep-seated snootiness to win millions of readers. Indeed, the French collection has proved more popular than any of the other 34 languages in which it is published.

Last week La Poésie Française Pour Les Nuls (French Poetry For Dummies) was…

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