If there were ever a case that illustrates the quality, diversity, and innovation of Québec publishing, it’s the Dictionnaire Visuel, or Visual Dictionary, published by QA International. Since its first French edition in 1986, the Visual Dictionary has been published in more than 35 languages, in more than 100 countries, selling more than eight million copies. What’s more, the world’s largest publishers, including Merriam-Webster, have become QAI’s international partners.

The dictionary has been praised by the international press: “There has never been such a playful dictionary. You want to open it just to look at it”: Madame Figaro, France; “An assortment of visual delights”: USA Today. It has also earned such prestigious prizes as Best Reference Source 1987 (School Library Journal) and Best Reference Books published in the ’80s (Booklist). The Visual Dictionary continues to receive great feedback and distinguished awards. And ever since it went online (www.ikonet.com/en/) and developed its own apps, the Visual Dictionary has made a splash in the virtual world by quickly becoming the App of the Week in more than 15 countries and by being part of the App Store Essentials’ Hall of Fame.

Listing the international press’s enthusiasm for QA International and its products or enumerating the prizes and awards received by the publisher throughout the years could easily fill up these pages. QAI and its products distinguish themselves in three ways: the quality of the illustrations, the confidence readers have in the content, and the flexibility QAI shows when collaborating with its partners and adapting the dictionary. QAI leads in this corner of the industry.

But the Visual Dictionary is not QAI’s only product. This way of presenting reference information is available for such topics as the Junior Visual Dictionary; Sports: The Complete Visual Reference; The Visual World Atlas; a series of reference books for children, including The Living Earth and the Atlas series; the Visual Food Encyclopedia; The Visual of the Human Body (also with an app) and Family Guide to Health.

What does QA International have in store for the future? Caroline Fortin, publisher at QAI, says that new developments are planned for the MultiDictionnaire, a popular reference book on the French language and its traps. Literary books for adults and children, published nationally, will have international rights offered. Fortin adds that the digital world will be at the heart of its international strategy for the next decade.