In terms of its influence on the mainstream book market, it shares a similar popularity in France as publishers like Penguin and Signet do in English-speaking territories.
But the successful reception of Le Livre de Poche was due to the combination of the new idea of consumerism with the era and the popular demand for a cheap book, presented in covers recalling cinema posters, but containing quality writing.
Henri Filipacchi supposedly had the idea after seeing an American soldier tearing up a book in order to fit it into the pockets of his uniform.
[1] Filipacchi succeeded in convincing his editor friends Albin Michel, Calmann-Lévy, Grasset and Gallimard to join his project and become the "founding fathers" of Le Livre de Poche.
The capital of La Librairie générale française, a limited company, is owned 80% by Hachette-Livre and, up to 20%, by les Éditions Albin Michel.