Hachette

(La Librairie Hachette), French joint-stock society for the publishing and distribution of books and periodical publications. It was created in 1919 in Paris and was based on the book-publishing and trading firm of L. Hachette, which was founded in 1826. Hachette issues over 50 million books and distributes 80 million books annually and controls two major daily newspapers, France Soir and Paris-Presse-L’lntransigeant. It owns 49 percent of the shares of the press distribution company Nouvelle Messagerie de la Presse Parisienne. Hachette finances the firm Monopresse, which produces musical phonograph records, as well as a firm producing telefilms (Tele-A). Hachette has affiliates in other Western European countries and in a number of countries in Africa.