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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Stress-reducing color


Guess what is a big seller in French book shops.


Coloring books!


Apparently, Frenchwomen have taken to them in a big way. According to The Telegraph, France now leads the world in coloring book sales.  How did the publishers do it? By putting the words "anti-stress" or "art therapy" on the covers.

The market is dominated by women, who have formed a Facebook group that has rapidly gathered more than a thousand members.  The administrator, Cynthia Riviere, says that coloring in makes her headaches go away, and relaxes her breathing.  She spends at least one hour a day working on her pictures.

She has lots of imitators, whether in the Facebook group or not. Seven of France's current bestsellers in the "practical" category are coloring books.  Mon Dieu, they are even outselling cookery books!

Favorites are pictures that challenge the pencil, like medieval art, complicated gardens, or psychedelic designs.

1 comment:

Vanda Symon said...

I'd have so much fun with an Illuminated Manuscripts colouring book!