"Books of photographs for the general public": editorial strategies behind countries' portraits at the the Guilde du Livre

The Guilde du Livre, a Lausanne book club founded in the 1930s by Albert Mermoud, enjoyed considerable success until it ceased to exist in 1977. The Guilde's publishing model, a pioneer in the French-speaking world, is based on a subscription that entitles subscribers to books in a variety of genres, which are initially sent exclusively by post and then, as their popularity grows, made available in bookshops at slightly higher prices. If they join the club, readers receive at least four books a year at cost price, with a particular focus on Swiss literature, as well as volumes on history and art and high-quality photographic albums, a significant proportion of which are devoted to portraits of countries and cities. The aim of this paper is to sketch out the nature of these portraits of territories, as well as the editorial discourses and strategies underlying the development and distribution of this series.