Foreign literature: where to find foreign language books in Paris?

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Updated on 29/04/2025

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If French isn't your mother tongue, or if you'd like to perfect your language skills, the City of Paris libraries have many books in foreign languages on their shelves.
If you're interested in learning a new language, explore the various available methods, particularly in libraries designated as 'pôle langues'.

Language hubs: a rich offering of foreign language material

Eight "language hub" libraries offer language methods, books, magazines and reading materials in foreign languages. To find out more about what they have to offer, pay them a visit:
Bibliothèque Buffon
15 Bis rue Buffon 75005 Paris
  • language learning methods: Arabic, Chinese, English, French (FLE), German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
  • books, audio books and magazines in foreign languages: English, Spanish
Bibliothèque Valeyre
24 rue de Rochechouart 75009 Paris
  • language learning methods: German, English, Spanish, French (FLE), Italian
  • books and magazines in foreign languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Russian
Bibliothèque Drouot
11 rue Drouot 75009 Paris
  • language learning methods: German, English, Spanish, French (FLE), Italian
  • books, audio books, magazines in foreign languages: English
Bibliothèque Saint-Eloi
23 rue du Colonel Rozanoff 75012 Paris
  • language learning methods: Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
  • books in foreign languages: German, English, Spanish, Italian, Russian
Bibliothèque Benoîte Groult
25 Rue du Commandant René Mouchotte 75014 Paris
  • language learning methods: Arabic, Chinese, English, French (FLE), German, Italian, Russian, Spanish
  • books in English and Portuguese,
  • magazines in German, Spanish, English and Portuguese
Médiathèque Marguerite Yourcenar
41, rue d'Alleray 75015 Paris
  • language learning methods: Arabic, Chinese, English, French (FLE), German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish
  • books, magazines and texts in foreign languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
Bibliothèque Germaine Tillion
6 rue du Commandant Schloesing 75016 Paris
  • language learning methods: Chinese, English, French (FLE), German, Italian, Russian, Spanish
  • books and magazines in foreign languages: German, English, Spanish, Italian, Latin, Russian
Médiathèque Edmond Rostand
11 rue Nicolas Chuquet 75017 Paris
  • language learning methods: Arabic, Chinese, English, French (FLE), German, Italian, Russian, Spanish
  • books and magazines in foreign languages: English
  • Comics and reading material: English, German, Italian, Spanish
Many other language learning methods are also represented in the "language hubs", from Norwegian to Thai, Swahili, Hindi or Creole. You'll also find regional languages (Corsican, Basque, etc.) and dialects (Picard, Chleuh, etc.).
The other libraries in the network also offer a range of learning methods.

Learn a language online

Directly from your home, discover our interactive language learning modules, based on the ASSIMIL method, and learn one of the fifteen languages available (English, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Danish, Swedish, etc.).
Méthode Assimil
To take advantage of this free service, all you need to do is register with your library, log in to this site with your reader account (blue button at top right of this page) and click here.

Read the original version

You'll find books in English in the vast majority of the city's libraries, especially in certified "language hubs".
Discover the different languages available in large quantities in Paris city libraries. For the clickable version, go to this page.
Good to know: Many other languages are also available: Polish, Japanese, Latin… You can discover them by browsing the catalog and selecting the language filter on the left.

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