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In the spring of 1998, the Government of Québec, led by Lucien Bouchard, adopted the Politique de Ia lecture et du livre (The Reading and Book Policy). Nearly a decade later, it is appropriate to recall how the policy was put together, to understand its components and, especially, to evaluate its impact. Over the course of time, evaluations were undertaken, adjustments made and parts of the policy abandoned. Measures, put in place for a limited period (3 or 7 years), were cancelled at the end of the prescribed period and others were abandoned as the result of a shift in priorities of a new government. The purpose of this article is to provide a broad review of the policy since 1998 and to compare the objectives with the results. A general portrait can be made that underscores some of the more remarkable and long-lasting results, such as the creation of the Grande Bibliothèque and the Observatoire de Ia culture et des communications du Québec, while outlining a few interesting projects that were put aside for various policy reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]