French Literature and Linguistics : Books

Reference books are usually dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, handbooks, etc. They provide quick, reliable information, summaries of complex matters, or lists of works in a certain subject or field.

Can't find the book you need in our library? Find it in a library near you with WorldCat, a global catalog of library collections.

Do you need to handle first editions prior to the 1850s?  The Department of Special Collections contains manuscripts, pamphlets, and rare books.

These collections are of unique research value, because they concentrate on a particular author, publisher, topic, or genre and thereby permit scholars to explore a subject in great depth. 

For instance, check out Encyclopédie; ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers below.: 

See here how to use Special Collections Materials.

Click here to check the online catalog. Select "Special Collections Library" under "Limits" on the right side.

AND, OR, NOT (Keyword Boolean)

• Use AND, OR, NOT to combine search terms
• Use quotation marks to indicate phrases: "Comédie humaine"
• Use opening and closing parentheses to group search terms
• Use ? or * to truncate: femme? or femme*  (will find singular and plural forms). Note that the use of truncation symbols vary in each database or catalog.
• There is no need to write with diacritics (accents, tildes, etc.)

Examples:

Balzac AND (thème? OR critique?)

Balzac AND “Comédie humaine”

“ XIXe siècle” AND roman AND France

“social aspects” AND “19th century” AND "French literature"

French AND "pronouns"

If we do not have the book you are looking for, you can request to have it brought from another library through Interlibrary Loan service. Click here to access the form.