Looking for an online store to easily find and purchase popular/classic books translated/written in European French. Mag subscriptions too!

December 4, 2007 10:34 AM

I'm looking for popular books, novels, magazines, comic books...in European French (not Canadian French). I'd also like to be able to easily order/purchase them from home (preferably from places like Amazon.com).

Searching for books on Amazon.com is time-consuming...it would seem I need to think of a book I want, and search for it individually. I'd love to be able to find a list of popular books, etc. available for purchase somewhere. I'm looking for classics, short stories, current and past best sellers, and magazine subscriptions.

Some examples of the ultimate finds would be:
1984, or other George Orwell stories (except for Animal Farm)
Catcher in the Rye, Ordinary People, The Great Gatsby
Snow Crash, Geek Love, The Corrections
Any book or magazine about surfing
Fashion magazines

I could probably figure this out myself with some extensive googling, but your suggestions and experiences would free up the rest of my day and save me a lot of headache. I know there's got to be a compiled list somewhere, but I can't seem to get to it on my own. Merci!

posted by iamkimiam to shopping (8 comments total)

For French-language comic books, you can't go wrong with the classics...
Les Aventures de Tintin
Asterix et Obelix
Les Schtroumpfs
Lucky Luke
Quick et Flupke

I'm a bit confused by your list of suggestions - are you looking for European French translations of works written in English?
posted by LN at 10:41 AM on December 4, 2007

FNAC and Amazon will both ship worldwide. FNAC even has a handly English translation service on their site to make it easier to order.
posted by fire&wings at 10:46 AM on December 4, 2007

Yes I'm looking for great stuff translated into French. But if the books happen to have been originally written in French (ex. The Stranger, by Camus) I'm not going to rule it out.

French-language magazines I find are likely originally written in French and pertain to topics going on across the pond, so I don't expect to find let's say, this month's Vogue from America translated in French and sent back to me.
posted by iamkimiam at 10:49 AM on December 4, 2007

Going to amazon.fr > Livres > Littérature > Littérature américaine brings up a list of American literature sorted by "Meilleures ventes" (best-selling). Aside from the no-names unaccountably popular in translation - who is Douglas Kennedy and how did he conquer France? - the list seems to be along the lines of what you're looking for. Catcher in the Rye (L'Attrape-Coeurs) is the fifth result; Gatsby le magnifique is number twenty.

The shipping is a little steep (9 Euros per shipment plus 1.90 Euros per item), but not too horrifying if you order a pile of books.
posted by dyoneo at 10:57 AM on December 4, 2007

Sorry but your question hit a pet peeve of mine.

There are *no* differences between written "European" French and "Canadian" French. Of course, if a story is written in the local slang ("argot", "joual", etc., depending on the region...), there will be some differences in the popular expressions that are used.

By comparison, there are many differences in written "British", "American" and "Canadian" English.
posted by aroberge at 3:15 PM on December 4, 2007

There are *no* differences...
...there will be some differences...
posted by aroberge at 3:15 PM on December 4

So, which is it?
posted by iamkimiam at 4:20 PM on December 4, 2007

Well, the differences are when you have stories/quotes with local characters - but you will get differences between stories/quotes from different regions or cities of France (Marseille, Normandie, Paris, etc.) and/or other European countries (Belgium, Switzerland) just as you would in English from different regions of England, or the U.S. (quick question: do you use "pop", "soda", "soft drink" or "coke" as the generic term for carbonated beverage? I've heard all four so far - there are most likely others.)

Stories that are meant to come from "generic France" will be virtually indistinguishable in terms of the written French as those from "generic French Canada".

Now, if you were talking about the spoken French ... that's something completely different! :-)
posted by aroberge at 4:53 PM on December 4, 2007

Thanks for clarifying. I get what you're saying. Assuming that I want to read these magazines and books to strengthen my French reading skills, as well as pick up on slang, colloqualisms, and culture of France, why shouldn't I stipulate that I'm specifically looking for reading from France and not Canada?
posted by iamkimiam at 6:13 PM on December 4, 2007