Editions du Félin is set to launch a new book collection titled Lighting on October 16, 2026. The collection is designed to offer short books made up of independent chapters that readers can choose to read in order or randomly. This format aims to provide an accessible way to explore historical and cultural topics without requiring continuous reading. The first volume in the series is Lighting on the Middle Ages, written by historian and novelist Laurent Decaux. Each book in the Lighting series will feature short, self-contained texts, giving readers the freedom to start anywhere and move between subjects as they wish. This approach is intended to respond to modern reading habits, which are increasingly influenced by screen use and fragmented attention spans. Lighting on the Middle Ages focuses on various aspects of the medieval period, highlighting figures and themes that are often overlooked. The book covers subjects such as surgeons, learned women, travelers, bankers, builders, and doctors during the plague. Rather than presenting the Middle Ages as a static or uniform era between Antiquity and the Renaissance, the book emphasizes the period's movements, innovations, and contradictions. The content is structured around themes such as daily life, the relationship to the body, plague medicine, baths, cooking, science and technology, the role of women, power and violence, art, literature, religion, and cross-border exchanges. A "Read Map" is included in the book, functioning as a navigation guide that connects the different themes and allows readers to choose their own path through the content. Laurent Decaux, born in 1981 in Paris and a graduate of Sciences Po, is a well-known author of historical novels. He has written several books, including Le Seigneur de Charny, Le Roi fol, and Avant la Fin du Monde. Since 2023, he has presided over the Honoré de Balzac Prize, a literary award that honors French fiction. His upcoming novel, The Mask of Iron, is scheduled for publication in the autumn by Albin Michel. Lighting on the Middle Ages will be released on October 16, 2026, with 198 pages and a price of 16.00 €. The book is part of a broader effort by the publisher to make historical knowledge more engaging and adaptable to contemporary reading preferences.