French collections | Cambridge University Library
Source: https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/departments/french-collections
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:35
French collections | Cambridge University Library
skip to content
Study at Cambridge
About the University
Research at Cambridge
Search site
Home
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Undergraduate courses
Applying
Events and open days
Fees and finance
Postgraduate
Postgraduate courses
How to apply
Postgraduate events
Fees and funding
International
students
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the
University and Colleges work
Term dates and calendars
History
Map
Visiting the University
Annual reports
Equality and diversity
News
A global university
Events
Public engagement
Jobs
Give to Cambridge
Research at Cambridge
For staff
For Cambridge students
For alumni
For our researchers
Business and enterprise
Colleges & departments
Email & phone search
Give to Cambridge
Libraries
Museums & collections
Home
Collections
All collections & departments
Cambridge University Library
Home
Using the Library
Using the Library overview
Your library membership
Your library membership overview
Online resources and services
Remote services
Remote services overview
Visit the University Library
Visit the University Library overview
Library service updates
Accessibility and disabled library users
Accessibility and disabled library users overview
Research
Research overview
University Library Research Institute
University Library Research Institute overview
Digital Preservation
Digital Preservation overview
Digital Humanities
Digital Humanities overview
Open Research
Research Data management
Futurelib Innovation Programme
Futurelib Innovation Programme overview
Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning overview
Information Literacy Teaching at Cambridge
What's On
What's On overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
Events
Events overview
The Really Popular Book Club
Google Arts and Culture
Search and Find
Search and Find overview
LibGuides - Subject guides
eResources and eJournals
iDiscover
ArchiveSearch
Reference Management
Other catalogues
Collections
Collections overview
Special Collections
Special Collections overview
All collections & departments
All collections & departments overview
Recommend an item for our collection
Recommend an item for our collection overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
About
About overview
Governance
Governance overview
History of the Library
History of the Library overview
Statement of Collecting Policy
Prizes and Fellowships
Prizes and Fellowships overview
Library Storage Facility
Press and media
Support Us
Support Us overview
Ways to support us
Contact
French collections
Cambridge University Library
Collections
All collections & departments
French collections
About the French collections
French Special collections
French Electronic resources
Contact us
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives
Bible Society's library
Chinese collections
Collections and Academic Liaison
Conservation
Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory
Darwin Correspondence Project
East Asian Reading Room
Germanic collections
Inter-Library Loans
Italian collections
Japanese collections
Korean collections
Latin American & Iberian Collections
Legal Deposit
Maps
Modern Greek collections
Music
Near and Middle Eastern Department
Official Publications
Open Research
Papyrus Collections
Periodicals
Rare Books
Reading Room
Royal Commonwealth Society
Slavonic collections
South Asian, Tibetan and Southeast Asian Department
Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit
The French and Francophone collections at Cambridge University Library exist to support the curriculum and research needs of the university in the Humanities and the Social Sciences. The collections contain a comprehensive selection of works by major French writers, with a special emphasis on authors currently taught or researched at the University of Cambridge.
There are many original academic works in the humanities and the social sciences which are written in the French language. As a result, there is French language material relating not only to France and French studies, but also to all subject areas covered by the Library's acquisition policy.
The geographical coverage of the collections is particularly wide, including not only France, but areas that are or have been under French influence, such as French overseas territories and former French colonies. The Library actively continues to acquire works which are significant in the contemporary Francophone world. The collections include monographs and serials (both in paper and/or microform) and an increasing number of electronic resources (e-books, e-journals and article databases). A significant amount of printed material is available on the open shelves (see
Classification
).
The collection is estimated to contain over 280,000 items in French. This figure includes approximately 800 items published in the 16th century, 6000 items in the 17th century, 14,500 in the 18th century, 38,000 in the 19th century, and nearly 140,000 in the 20th century. As of October 2017, books held by the UL published in the 21st century number over 71,000. The Library also holds many items relating to French studies in other languages, including English, German, Italian and Spanish. There is extensive coverage of subjects such as history, literature, linguistics, as well as social sciences, philosophy, fine arts and sciences.
A variety of historical sources covering various periods in French history can be found in specialised departments (Maps, Manuscripts, Rare Rooks and Royal Commonwealth Society).
We try to feature a range of material from our collections on our blog-- please take a look at
our posts featuring French material
. To see our previously featured material, see our
spotlight archive
.
Contact us
Dr Irène Fabry-Tehranchi
french@lib.cam.ac.uk
Phone (external line): 01223 333094
Phone (internal network): 33094
Collections and Academic Liaison
Cambridge University Library
West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR
United Kingdom
Contact us
Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, UK
Email:
library@lib.cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 333000
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Social Media
Library blogs
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Join us
Job opportunities
© 2026 University of Cambridge
Contact the University
Accessibility
Freedom of information
Privacy policy and cookies
Statement on Modern Slavery
Terms and conditions
University A-Z
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the University
and Colleges work
Give to Cambridge
Jobs
Map
Visiting the University
Research at Cambridge
Research news
About research at Cambridge
Public engagement
Spotlight on...
skip to content
Study at Cambridge
About the University
Research at Cambridge
Search site
Home
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Undergraduate courses
Applying
Events and open days
Fees and finance
Postgraduate
Postgraduate courses
How to apply
Postgraduate events
Fees and funding
International
students
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the
University and Colleges work
Term dates and calendars
History
Map
Visiting the University
Annual reports
Equality and diversity
News
A global university
Events
Public engagement
Jobs
Give to Cambridge
Research at Cambridge
For staff
For Cambridge students
For alumni
For our researchers
Business and enterprise
Colleges & departments
Email & phone search
Give to Cambridge
Libraries
Museums & collections
Home
Collections
All collections & departments
Cambridge University Library
Home
Using the Library
Using the Library overview
Your library membership
Your library membership overview
Online resources and services
Remote services
Remote services overview
Visit the University Library
Visit the University Library overview
Library service updates
Accessibility and disabled library users
Accessibility and disabled library users overview
Research
Research overview
University Library Research Institute
University Library Research Institute overview
Digital Preservation
Digital Preservation overview
Digital Humanities
Digital Humanities overview
Open Research
Research Data management
Futurelib Innovation Programme
Futurelib Innovation Programme overview
Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning overview
Information Literacy Teaching at Cambridge
What's On
What's On overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
Events
Events overview
The Really Popular Book Club
Google Arts and Culture
Search and Find
Search and Find overview
LibGuides - Subject guides
eResources and eJournals
iDiscover
ArchiveSearch
Reference Management
Other catalogues
Collections
Collections overview
Special Collections
Special Collections overview
All collections & departments
All collections & departments overview
Recommend an item for our collection
Recommend an item for our collection overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
About
About overview
Governance
Governance overview
History of the Library
History of the Library overview
Statement of Collecting Policy
Prizes and Fellowships
Prizes and Fellowships overview
Library Storage Facility
Press and media
Support Us
Support Us overview
Ways to support us
Contact
French collections
Cambridge University Library
Collections
All collections & departments
French collections
About the French collections
French Special collections
French Electronic resources
Contact us
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives
Bible Society's library
Chinese collections
Collections and Academic Liaison
Conservation
Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory
Darwin Correspondence Project
East Asian Reading Room
Germanic collections
Inter-Library Loans
Italian collections
Japanese collections
Korean collections
Latin American & Iberian Collections
Legal Deposit
Maps
Modern Greek collections
Music
Near and Middle Eastern Department
Official Publications
Open Research
Papyrus Collections
Periodicals
Rare Books
Reading Room
Royal Commonwealth Society
Slavonic collections
South Asian, Tibetan and Southeast Asian Department
Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit
The French and Francophone collections at Cambridge University Library exist to support the curriculum and research needs of the university in the Humanities and the Social Sciences. The collections contain a comprehensive selection of works by major French writers, with a special emphasis on authors currently taught or researched at the University of Cambridge.
There are many original academic works in the humanities and the social sciences which are written in the French language. As a result, there is French language material relating not only to France and French studies, but also to all subject areas covered by the Library's acquisition policy.
The geographical coverage of the collections is particularly wide, including not only France, but areas that are or have been under French influence, such as French overseas territories and former French colonies. The Library actively continues to acquire works which are significant in the contemporary Francophone world. The collections include monographs and serials (both in paper and/or microform) and an increasing number of electronic resources (e-books, e-journals and article databases). A significant amount of printed material is available on the open shelves (see
Classification
).
The collection is estimated to contain over 280,000 items in French. This figure includes approximately 800 items published in the 16th century, 6000 items in the 17th century, 14,500 in the 18th century, 38,000 in the 19th century, and nearly 140,000 in the 20th century. As of October 2017, books held by the UL published in the 21st century number over 71,000. The Library also holds many items relating to French studies in other languages, including English, German, Italian and Spanish. There is extensive coverage of subjects such as history, literature, linguistics, as well as social sciences, philosophy, fine arts and sciences.
A variety of historical sources covering various periods in French history can be found in specialised departments (Maps, Manuscripts, Rare Rooks and Royal Commonwealth Society).
We try to feature a range of material from our collections on our blog-- please take a look at
our posts featuring French material
. To see our previously featured material, see our
spotlight archive
.
Contact us
Dr Irène Fabry-Tehranchi
french@lib.cam.ac.uk
Phone (external line): 01223 333094
Phone (internal network): 33094
Collections and Academic Liaison
Cambridge University Library
West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DR
United Kingdom
Contact us
Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, UK
Email:
library@lib.cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 333000
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Social Media
Library blogs
YouTube
Join us
Job opportunities
© 2026 University of Cambridge
Contact the University
Accessibility
Freedom of information
Privacy policy and cookies
Statement on Modern Slavery
Terms and conditions
University A-Z
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the University
and Colleges work
Give to Cambridge
Jobs
Map
Visiting the University
Research at Cambridge
Research news
About research at Cambridge
Public engagement
Spotlight on...