First French Reader: A Beginner's Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language French) (English and French Edition)

Wonderful collection of dual-text passages. This is not an introduction to the French language - many of the texts would be challenging to French high school students. I have studied French on-and-off for over twenty years, but I never felt sufficiently equipped to take on the literature. This volume is intended for a student with a solid grasp of the language, but who is really a beginner as far as literature and academic writing are concerned. I'm very happy to have stumbled upon this gem of a book. Perfect for an intellectual autodidact looking for their next challenge!

This would be for an intermediate to advanced French reader. It is a mix of French authors from the 1600's to the 1900's. There are short selections by many well-known classic French authors. It is NOT easy reading. However, the dual language English translation facing each page of French helps tremendously. This would be great for an AP French class or college class or the individual who really wants a challenge. Because the selections are short, you don't get too bogged down. Reading a selection a week would be an exercise which would improve your French translation skills. I like that there are so many short and diverse selections from leading French authors over 400 years.

Outstanding book As others have pointed out, that "First" in the title is misleading. I've made my way through several of the Dover French dual-language books, and FFR is more difficult than some. However, I’ve come to love this book more and more, and it’s been the one that I continually go back to in my reading of French. At first I was a bit put off by the fact that the selections are two-page excerpts from various works, but now I see this as one of the book’s strengths. For one thing, the excerpts are skillfully chosen -- and in most cases constitute the opening pages of their respective works -- so there’s rarely a sense of being plopped down in the middle of a story. Also, the brevity of the selections brings a huge payoff in variety. You’re able to sample 50 different authors, most from the 18th and 19th centuries, and most of whom you will never see in another dual-language edition. This exposes you to a wide range of styles and gives a basis for choosing writers you'd like to read more fully. As an example, here’s a passage from René, an 1805 novel by François-René de Chateaubriand. These lines follow the death of the narrator’s father: J'accompagnai mon père à son dernier asile; la terre se referma sur sa dépouille; l'éternité et l'oubli le pressèrent de tout leur poids; le soir même l'indifférent passait sur sa tombe; hors pour sa fille et pour son fils, c'était déjà comme s'il n'avait jamais été. (I accompanied my father to his last refuge; the earth closed over his remains; eternity and oblivion bore down on him with all their weight; by evening indifferent feet passed his grave; except for the memories of his daughter and his son it was already as though he had never existed.) Haunting and beautiful. Yet how many English speakers have even heard of Chateaubriand? I certainly never had, but I love his two-page excerpt so much that now I’m determined to read the whole novel someday. And lots of the other selections have struck me the same way. So FFR is a great help in enlarging your French universe so that you’re not solely fixated on the usual big-name authors. Again, the only caveat is that this is a book for somewhat later in your studies, not the beginning when you're truly in need of a "first" reader. Actually, ANY book of unadapted original material is going to be tough going if you’re just starting out. But as a somewhat easier title among the dual-language readers I recommend "My Uncle Jules and Other Stories" by Maupassant (also edited by Stanley Applebaum). That seems like a good starting point when you’re ready to graduate from textbook French to real literature. Finally, there's nothing wrong with the print size in this book; it's completely normal. The paper quality is also excellent. As a last bonus, at the beginning there are detailed introductions of all 50 writers and their excerpts.

I am at a pre-intermediate level and so I definitely cannot read this without referring to the English side, but it will be an excellent source for learning whenever I get to a higher level. Meanwhile, it does help me learn vocabulary words and study some of the grammar structures, but at the moment I am just reading the English side for the pure pleasure of enjoying such authors. Until my french improves, this book will be a mini-French literature course for me. You will enjoy the works of Dumas, Voltaire, Rousseau, George Sand, and many French legends with an additional French lesson for a great price.

I am fairly new to the French language which I am learning on my own. I am a passionate linguist and it's so far my fifth language. English is not my first language either, but after many years in this country it is now almost like my native one. I am still reading this book and I am enjoining every bit of it. It is a collection of short stories by famous French writers of the past spanning over 400 years of French literature. It gives me an opportunity not only to broaden my French vocabulary, but also to learn about great French novelists of the past. I am not giving this book a 5 because I find that often the translation is not "word by word", but rather contextual. I still often need to look up words in the dictionary, which I hoped I could avoid by purchasing a dual language book. I do understand however that literal translation into another language is sometimes just impossible, you just have to get the meaning of the sentence as a whole rather dissect it word by word because it would not make sense if it would be translated that way. A humble suggestion to future readers of this book would be to first read the entire story in French without looking at the English version, then read it in English, then read it again in French. When you read it in French the second time you then can "guess" at the meaning of most words you missed at first saving you the time to use the dictionary.

This is not a primer level book, it is actually quite advanced French language book. You will need to be almost fluent in French to read this.

The selections are all comfortably short and also surprisingly straightforward in the language. Also the great variety of topics and writers is refreshing.

I am trying to brush up my French language skills. I found the dual language reader a help. It provides immediate reinforcement and I don't have to look up every word that I cannot remember. I liked some stories better than others. For a returning reader to french this is a good way to start.

While this is probably useful anthology of general French Literature, its title, particularly when compared to other First Readers published by Dover, is misleading. Other books in this series come with a glossary at the back. Some have the readers ordered by difficulty, and some give biographical information on the authors. This (French) collection only includes the latter. I believe that the absence of a glossary really compromises the usefulness of this book as being truly a "First Reader".

bought for my dad to improve his English, he loves it.

印刷版の「なか見検索」で見ると、左右ページに仏文英文が配置されていますが、 Kindle版では、各章ごと、仏文の後に英文が来る、というレイアウトになっています。 これでは使えません。欠陥商品と言っていいでしょう。サンプルをダウンロードしてご確認ください。 (実はサンプルをダウンロードするつもりで、「1-clickですぐ買う」を間違って押してしまったのでした。 購入直後ならばキャンセル出来ることを知りませんでした。)

Kindle version not as practical as hard copy,hard copy has pages opposite each other,so relatively easy to translate,kindle has translation separate.

the title was not connected to the subject matter was an advanced book