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French deluxe Hobbit

18 Jun, 2021
2021-6-18 10:09:39 AM UTC

I've been looking for a nice French edition of the Hobbit, and found this one on amazon.fr. It looks more or less like a (blue, for some reason...) copy of the English 2004 deluxe.

I've read a little about it here, but there are no details about where it was printed. Is there anyone here who has a copy and can give me some more information? I understand it might have gone through multiple printings by now.

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18 Jun, 2021 (edited)
2021-6-18 12:56:30 PM UTC
Hello !
I wrote the article you linked. Please find in attachment the informations provided in my book. It's a first print (got it when it was released), and we are not sure there is more than 1 print for now.
If you need more pictures tell me what you want :)
Note that there is a mistake on the title page saying that it is illustrated by Alan Lee and some volumes have a sticker on to correct it :(
(Edit : I don't know how to reduce de size of my big picture here, sorry - Update - Urulókë fixed)

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18 Jun, 2021
2021-6-18 3:32:15 PM UTC
Thanks so much. I wasn't expecting the author of the page to respond!

If I were to limit myself (which does not come naturally to me) to one French Hobbit, is there one you would recommend above that edition?
18 Jun, 2021
2021-6-18 3:41:35 PM UTC
I bought my copy in 2019 at the BnF shop when the exhibition opened, and the copyright page is identical to what Zelphalya shared. Here is the sticker if that is interesting to anyone:

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18 Jun, 2021
2021-6-18 4:34:37 PM UTC

Thorongil wrote:

Thanks so much. I wasn't expecting the author of the page to respond!

If I were to limit myself (which does not come naturally to me) to one French Hobbit, is there one you would recommend above that edition?

Tolkiendil is always watching here

Tough question. It depends on what you are looking for.
This edition is unique and only exists in France so this might be a very good choice.
Apart from this one, you should still know that the French market is limited in readership so we have few good editions and these are mostly translated copies of the British editions.
If you want to have an overview of all the French editions of The Hobbit, you can take a look at this website which is generally up to date. If you need more details on any of these editions, I have a lot of them so don't hesitate to ask me.
I take this opportunity to say that I am currently thinking about creating a website on French editions, similar to those of Deagol and Berelach, but as I am really bad it takes a lot of time...
18 Jun, 2021
2021-6-18 4:36:18 PM UTC
I would recommand it for all french readers because it is the only "deluxe" edition that exists in french, and so I cherish it. But I'm not sure it is really an interesting piece to have for someone who have already english deluxe editions because the quality is not very good. There is the mistake about the illustrator and the slipcase is not very well made in comparison of english versions, sometimes when you slip the book in or out of it it can tear a piece of the cover or in the slipcase. But this is the best we have in french sadly (with the Jemima Catlin one).
Edit : I added two pictures so you can compare the colors and see the problem I'm talking about in the slipcase.

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88_60cccc4a2eebd.jpg 4032X3024 px
18 Jun, 2021
2021-6-18 6:21:58 PM UTC
Thanks to all who have responded.

The Catlin in French seems to be out of stock everywhere, so I might have to go for the blue deluxe version.

One last question, from a reader's rather than a collector's perspective: how is the Lauzon translation rated, compared with the Ledoux?
18 Jun, 2021
2021-6-18 7:07:29 PM UTC
Yes the Catlin is out of stock, the editor said they think about reprint it but it is not sure.

Ledoux is not a bad translator but he didn't knew the subject so he did what he could with what he had at the time. Lauzon on the other hand is a Tolkien fan for a long time so he really masters the subject. It is not perfect, no translation can be, but it's really an improvement.
On The Hobbit, Ledoux didn't translates the names, but he did on the Lord of the Rings, so it was weird to have this difference. Lauzon has worked on the names with all his knowledge and the Guide to the Names in the Lord of the Rings.
The poems and songs where litterally translated by Ledoux, there were no rimes and no rythm, Lauzon have done poetic translations to retrieve that.
Lauzon also worked on a problem that does not exist in english on "tu" and "vous".
When Tolkien used some old words, Lauzon tried to find a french equivalent to reproduce (it happens on the word 'drowned' in the story of Frodo's parents if I remind correctly).
And the way of speaking of the characters are more marked than Ledoux, there is a real difference between Frodo speaking and Sam speaking as they do not have the same education.
Finally the style is more fluide and lighter. Ledoux has a style mode "legendary"/"mythic" that can be considered old fashion, that's suitable for an old myth but it's a bit heavy for the reader.
The potential drawbacks are that the names are changed so people's habits are troubled (and Ledoux' Lord of the Rings' names were used in the film), some poetic translation slightly divert in meaning from the original, and some people find that some sentences feel more "quebecish" than "french from France" as Lauzon is from Québec.
Lauzon translations are my favorites, even if I first read Ledoux and was used to his nomenclature.
(My english is not very good so I'm sorry if it's not understandable.)
18 Jun, 2021
2021-6-18 8:36:00 PM UTC

Zelphalya wrote:

Yes the Catlin is out of stock, the editor said they think about reprint it but it is not sure.

Ledoux is not a bad translator but he didn't knew the subject so he did what he could with what he had at the time. Lauzon on the other hand is a Tolkien fan for a long time so he really masters the subject. It is not perfect, no translation can be, but it's really an improvement.
On The Hobbit, Ledoux didn't translates the names, but he did on the Lord of the Rings, so it was weird to have this difference. Lauzon has worked on the names with all his knowledge and the Guide to the Names in the Lord of the Rings.
The poems and songs where litterally translated by Ledoux, there were no rimes and no rythm, Lauzon have done poetic translations to retrieve that.
Lauzon also worked on a problem that does not exist in english on "tu" and "vous".
When Tolkien used some old words, Lauzon tried to find a french equivalent to reproduce (it happens on the word 'drowned' in the story of Frodo's parents if I remind correctly).
And the way of speaking of the characters are more marked than Ledoux, there is a real difference between Frodo speaking and Sam speaking as they do not have the same education.
Finally the style is more fluide and lighter. Ledoux has a style mode "legendary"/"mythic" that can be considered old fashion, that's suitable for an old myth but it's a bit heavy for the reader.
The potential drawbacks are that the names are changed so people's habits are troubled (and Ledoux' Lord of the Rings' names were used in the film), some poetic translation slightly divert in meaning from the original, and some people find that some sentences feel more "quebecish" than "french from France" as Lauzon is from Québec.
Lauzon translations are my favorites, even if I first read Ledoux and was used to his nomenclature.
(My english is not very good so I'm sorry if it's not understandable.)

That's incredibly helpful, and your English is superb. I have no emotional attachment to the Ledoux, so I will seek out an edition of the Lauzon that I like! Perhaps the blue.
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