What Ithaque does

Les Éditions d'Ithaque is a Paris-based, privately held academic publishing house specializing in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and the human sciences. The company publishes a catalog of over 100 titles organized into six scholar-directed collections: Psychanalyse Contemporaine (directed by Ana de Staal), Theoria Incognita and The Bodmer Lab (directed by Jérôme David), Philosophie & Anthropologie & Psychologie (directed by P.-H. Castel), Varia (collective direction), and Expériences Psychanalytiques (directed by Florian Houssier, emanating from the UTRPP laboratory at Université Paris 13). The Bodmer Lab collection extends the publisher's scope into Swiss academic networks via a partnership with the Université de Genève and the Fondation Martin Bodmer. Catalog output includes French-language originals and translations of international psychoanalytic and philosophical authors such as Thomas Ogden, Christopher Bollas, Franco De Masi, Antonino Ferro, André Green, and Jörg Später, with translation co-funding from the Centre national du livre, the Institut Goethe, and the Région Île-de-France.

The business operates on a one-time-unit-sale revenue model with no subscription, platform, or licensing layer. Physical books are priced €10–€36 and distributed through bookstore networks marked 'Disponible en librairie' and through the publisher's own e-commerce site. Ebooks are distributed through third-party retailers including Fnac, Amazon, and Decitre. Go-to-market is sales-led via bookstore distribution, direct e-commerce, and physical book launch events at partner venues such as Librairie Compagnie in Paris, supplemented by an active YouTube channel (@ITHAQUESMEDIA) hosting recorded launch discussions and by LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram social profiles.

There is no proprietary technology stack, no APIs or integrations, and no AI/ML capability disclosed; the underlying asset is the editorial-curated scholarly content catalog and the institutional relationships that supply it. Four named collection directors appear in disclosed management data; overall headcount, ownership structure, and financial metrics are not disclosed. The publisher appears to be an independent private company with no parent, no institutional investors, and no funding rounds evidenced in available data.

Name

Ithaque

Legal name

Les Éditions d'Ithaque

Website

https://ithaque-editions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Les Éditions d'Ithaque is an independent Paris-based academic publisher producing over 100 French-language titles in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and human sciences across six scholar-directed collections, serving academics, clinical practitioners, and graduate students via bookstores and online channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic and Scholarly Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Academic publishing
• Psychoanalysis books
• Philosophy publishing
• Human sciences
• Scholarly books

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Revenue is generated through one-time sales of physical books and ebooks. Physical books are sold directly through the publisher's website and distributed to bookstores. Ebook versions are available through third-party platforms including Fnac, Amazon, and Decitre.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Les Éditions d'Ithaque publishes and sells printed books and ebooks in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and the human sciences. Its catalogue is organized into six scholarly collections directed by named academics and developed in partnership with French and Swiss universities. Books are sold directly through the publisher's website, distributed to independent bookstores in France, and made available as ebooks on third-party retail platforms.

Product overview

Les Éditions d'Ithaque is a French academic publishing house specializing in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and the human sciences. The company publishes books organized into six themed collections — Psychanalyse contemporaine (directed by Ana de Staal), Theoria Incognita (directed by Jérôme David), Philosophie & Anthropologie & Psychologie (directed by P.-H. Castel), Varia (collective direction), The Bodmer Lab (in partnership with Fondation Martin Bodmer and the University of Geneva), and Expériences Psychanalytiques (emanating from Paris 13 University, directed by Florian Houssier). Books are distributed through bookstores and the publisher's own online catalogue, with titles covering clinical psychoanalysis, psychopathology, psychosomatics, literary theory, philosophy, and biographies of key intellectual figures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Les Éditions d'Ithaque Catalogue A publisher catalogue of academic and clinical works in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and the human sciences, organized into themed collections and available for purchase in bookstores and online.
• Psychanalyse contemporaine Collection A book collection exploring new avenues of psychoanalysis facing the challenges of contemporary clinical practice, directed by Ana de Staal.
• Theoria Incognita Collection A book collection exploring the philosophy of literature and the arts from singular experimentation, directed by Jérôme David.
• Philosophie & Anthropologie & Psychologie Collection A book collection studying the mind and its disorders through anthropological, philosophical, and moral approaches, directed by P.-H. Castel.
• Varia Collection A general collection encompassing philosophy, history of psychoanalysis, sociology, literary criticism, art books, biographies, and paperback editions under collective direction.
• The Bodmer Lab Collection A book collection published in partnership with the Fondation Martin Bodmer and the University of Geneva, directed by Jérôme David, exploring literature and cultural heritage.
• Expériences Psychanalytiques Collection A book collection emanating from the 'Unité transversale de recherches : psychogenèse et psychopathologie' (UTRPP) laboratory of Université Paris 13, directed by Florian Houssier, focused on exchanges between psychoanalysis and related sciences.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université Paris 13 (UTRPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 'Expériences Psychanalytiques' collection is an emanation of the 'Unité transversale de recherches: psychogenèse et psychopathologie' (UTRPP) laboratory at Université Paris 13. The collection is directed by Florian Houssier with scientific committee members Dominique Mazéas and Amos Squverer, and is described as 'résolument tournée vers le monde de demain' (firmly turned toward the world of tomorrow).
• Université de Genève / Fondation Martin BodmercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 'The Bodmer Lab Collection' is directed by Jérôme David in partnership with the Fondation Martin Bodmer and the University of Geneva (Bibliothèque Bodmerienne). This collection explores aesthetics, literary theory, and criticism.
• Centre national du livreminorOthersTranslation published with support from the Centre national du livre (CNL), contributing to the publication of international works such as 'Kracauer, une biographie' by Jörg Später.
• Institut GoetheminorOthersTranslation published with support from the Institut Goethe, contributing to the publication of German-language psychoanalytic and philosophical works in French.
• Région Île-de-FranceminorOthersPublication supported by the Région Île-de-France for works such as 'Kracauer, une biographie'.
• Université Sorbonne Paris NordminorStrategic or Co-development Partner'Questions de genre' by Laurie Laufer & Serge Hefez was published with support from Université Sorbonne Paris Nord and the UTRPP laboratory.
• Librairie CompagnieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBook launch events are regularly hosted at Librairie Compagnie in Paris, including presentations for 'La Clinique du pas de porte' by Florian Houssier and 'Malaise, souffrance et symptôme' by Christian Dunker.
• CNRS (France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeveral publications received support from CNRS, including 'L'Esprit malade' by Pierre-Henri Castel, published with the concours du CNRS.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Éditions Payot & Rivages: Independent French publisher with a strong catalog in psychoanalysis, psychology, and humanities, including translations of international authors. Closely matches Ithaque's subject focus and scholarly trade audience.
• Presses Universitaires de Paris-Sorbonne (PUPS): University-affiliated French academic press focused on humanities and human sciences. Comparable as a similarly-positioned scholarly publisher leveraging institutional ties and a humanities catalog.
• Presses Universitaires de France (PUF): The flagship French academic publisher, covering philosophy, psychoanalysis, psychology, and humanities broadly. Comparable as the dominant French university-press competitor for the same library and academic reader base Ithaque targets.
• Éditions Verdier: Independent French literary and philosophical press with strong humanities catalog and similar collection-based editorial structure. Comparable size, editorial model, and target readership to Ithaque.
• Presses de Sciences Po: University-affiliated French academic press covering social sciences, humanities, and political philosophy. Comparable scholarly imprint operating with similar institutional affiliation and humanities readership.
• Éditions Hermann: French academic publisher with a long-standing catalog in philosophy, epistemology, and human sciences. Comparable in academic orientation, French-language scholarly audience, and library distribution profile.

Broad incumbents

• Éditions Gallimard: France's largest literary publisher with significant humanities and philosophy output (including the NRF imprint). Comparable broader competitor with vastly greater distribution scale and library penetration.
• Éditions du Seuil: Major French literary and humanities publisher with substantial philosophy and psychoanalysis catalog. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same French scholarly trade audience.
• Éditions Flammarion: Large French general publisher with significant humanities and essay output. Comparable as a broader incumbent overlapping in French-language humanities readers and bookstore distribution.
• Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Global academic publisher with major humanities and psychoanalysis catalog. Comparable as a broader incumbent competing for the same international scholarly authors and library market, though operating at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ITHAQUESMEDIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/editions.dithaque
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/les-editions-d'ithaque-7046a8101
• Instagraminstagram.com/dithaque

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ithaque