Of vital importance in this issue is the opening article by Benhamou/Peltier who propose a methodology to measure cultural diversity and apply it practically to the assessment of diversity of the French book industry. The authors understand cultural diversity as a multidimensional concept which means that it cannot be analysed with a unique criterion or a synthetic indicator. The three properties of diversity - variety, balance, disparity - are applied to various categories of the publication of books - title, genre and original language - and complemented by the distinction between supplied and consumed diversity. The analysis of the evolution of the French book sector according to this complex measurement provides a differentiated  picture and shows that policy should target several levels, too.

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