Sep 30, 2021 02:05
2 yrs ago
36 viewers *
French term

hors collection

French to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Hello! Looking for a possible English translation (or explanation) of the French term "hors collection". As far as I can see, this is a term to refer to books which fall outside a publishing house's specific collections. But I'm also not too sure exactly what the 'collection' part refers to. Example sentence: "L'ouvrage, qui sera publié aux Éditions Gallimard hors collection en 1999, finira par intégrer la collection « nom de collection », en 2002".

I wasn't able to find any suggestion translations online, but I did find the term "hors collection" on a few websites:
https://www.lisez.com/hors-collection/13
https://www.quae.com/collection/8/hors-collection

Any help appreciated!

Proposed translations

+1
4 hrs
Selected

published on a stand-alone basis


Gallimard's hundreds of collections are listed here: http://www.gallimard.fr/Toutes-nos-collections-et-revues

I don't think the Anglosphere publishing world goes in for collections too much -- whether a publishing house publishes a book is about poetry or rocket science, mostly all you see on the cover is "Random House Publishing" or whatever. We less feel the need to categorise and classify, I think it's a cultural thing. (See the genres of French rock bands -- that's really some crazy stuff.)

The one big exception that comes to mind is Penguin Classics.
https://www.penguin.co.uk/brands/penguin-classics.html

You might want to think about the concept of imprint as well, but I don't think that this is an exact match for "collection":
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/imprints#

(Thanks to David H. for his explanation of "collection".)

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Note added at 13 hrs (2021-09-30 15:17:15 GMT)
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So Sara: no problem, you're welcome!

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Note added at 13 hrs (2021-09-30 15:17:35 GMT)
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To!!!
Note from asker:
I really like this solution, thank you!
Peer comment(s):

agree Ruth Hill : I like this better than my answer, it's a more natural phrasing!
18 hrs
Thanks Ruth, how very honest of you!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you very much for this creative solution!"
43 mins

outside (of) the collection

"The work, which will be published in Éditions Gallimard outside the collection in 1999, will eventually be added to the collection in 2002"

See the references - "outside (of) the collection" seems to be widely used in a similar context.
It depends on the context, but I'm guessing the book will be published in two different editions and the 2002 edition will be part of a collection of related works, such as a "Classics collection", which is something many publishers have.
Example sentence:

https://www.aibl.fr/publications-99/conferences-and-proceedings/colloquiums-study-days-tributes/?lang=fr

https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/help-info/help-and-faqs

Peer comment(s):

neutral Tony M : Note that 'will be' is the wrong tense to use here in EN, where we might more normally expect 'would be' or 'was to be' for this kind of 'future-in-the-past' construction.
3 hrs
Good point! For some reason I was reading it as if written in the past and anticipating future publication, but your interpretation is much more logical!
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+1
44 mins

(which was) not included in the 1999 collection

In the field of book publishing, a collection, or more precisely editorial collection (French: collection éditoriale; Spanish: colección editorial; Italian: collana editoriale; Portuguese: coleção de livros, lit. 'collection of books') is a set of books published by the same publisher, usually written by various authors, grouped under the same title, each book with a particular title. The collective title is the title of the collection, it must be mentioned on each book.[1]

The books that make up an editorial collection can be published in a specific order or not. When each volume in the collection has a serial number, it is called a numbered collection.[1]

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Note added at 46 mins (2021-09-30 02:51:54 GMT)
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"collection" is fine in this context
Note from asker:
Thank you very much for your explanation of "collection éditoriale", that really helped me understand the meaning. I've just realized that a more appropriate word than "collection" for this in English is "series" (a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_series). Not "series" as in a group of sequels by the same author, mind you.
Peer comment(s):

neutral Tony M : You have twisted the meaning by syaing '1999 collection' — it was published in 1999 when it did not form part of their (normal) collection' — but it's not like a fashion etc. collection for that specific year.
3 hrs
agree Verginia Ophof
12 hrs
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-2
2 hrs

uncollected

There's a reference to the term 'uncollected':
"'Uncollected' is a French publishing house or editing company founded in 1992. They publish books on music and film, classical book editions, humourous work and cartoons. At the initial phases City Press was a member of another publishing or editing company, with a group called 'living editions'. In 1988, a literary ghost writer at City Press created the uncollected editions and then became part of a publishing firm in 1991. A literary ghost writer is a subcontracted anonymous author of a text which is signed by someone else, sometimes by a famous person."

(FR: Il y a une reférence au terme 'hors colection':
"Hors collection est une maison d'édition française fondée en 1992. Elle publie des livres sur la musique et le cinéma, des beaux livres, des recueils humoristiques et des bandes dessinées. Au départ collection de Presse de la Cité elle apartient à Place des éditeurs, filiale du groupe Edites Viventi. En 1988 un nègre littéraire aux Presse de la Cité, créé la collecton 'hors collectoin' qui devient une maison d'éditions en 1991. Un nègre littéraire est l'auteur sous-traitant et anonyme d'un texte signé par une autre personne, souvent célèbre.")
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hors_collection
Peer comment(s):

disagree Tony M : 'Uncollected' in your ref. is a proper name, but cannot be used as an ordinary noun here — it sounds like an adjective describing mail or a dustbin!
1 hr
disagree AllegroTrans : This sounds like nobody collected it - totally wrong meaning
5 days
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7 hrs

Special editions

If similar to 'hors série'
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