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University of Warwick

Coventry

Buying books for the French & German Course

Hi there,

Just going through my reading list for French & German, I've realised that there are over 20 books I need to buy - including 2 dictionaries coming in at £20-30ish each :frown:

Does anyone know whether these books are likely to be available on campus for less, or if I should just take the plunge and buy them now?

Thanks :woo:

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Reply 1

Notebooksecrets

Don't buy them now!!!!!
All the books will be in the campus bookshop. They're not cheap but aren't any more expensive than anywhere else I don't think. As a language student myself, may I advise you to get hold of books as and when you need them, definitely don't buy them all yet. Things like the verb conjugation books were never used the entire year.

For french, the only books I used the entire year were...
Dictionary
French grammar and usage
FrIm books (of which I only actually read 1 in french - found the others in english. Also, all these books can be found in the library)

German is similar I should imagine.

University of Warwick

Coventry

Reply 2

smooth3k

Thanks very much Katie!

I think I'll get one or two of the first FrIm books to get familiar with before I go, and leave the rest till I'm there. About the dictionary, they seem a bit strict about which one to get ("NOT the concise version!") - do you think it's worth getting this one? Just that it's a lot of money, although I guess you'd get a fair bit of use out of it.

About the books in the library - can you take them out for long-term loan or would you just use them in the library when you needed them?

Thanks again, you've saved me a lot of stress (and money).

Reply 3

Notebooksecrets

Lol no worries.

In terms of your dictionary, you want a good, big one. It isn't essential that you have the one they "recommend", because it's just for your personal use and the lecturers will never actually see it. Several of my friends have different dictionaries. I do have the one they tell you to get, however, and it is excellent :smile:

Library books can be taken out for 2 weeks (and renewed as long as no one has reserved them). It is nice to have your own copy though, and a fiver every couple of weeks is no real burden. I never touched a couple of mine though :p:

Reply 4

username113355

Wait for the big shock they drop on you half way through your first year that you ought to have Le Petit Robert dictionary that costs £60+. Tis not right for an arts student to spend that much on books!

I'd agree with Katie about the FrIm books, the only reason you might want to buy them now is if you're getting them second hand off amazon (infact I got aaaal my text books for last year and this year from there) it really can save you a fortune, I got some of the FrIm books for 50p.

Good luck, hope you enjoy it!

Reply 5

Notebooksecrets

the_inept_one

Ooo that's a point actually. I'd completely forgotten I got all my frim books cheap on amazon!

That lecture was so funny when the lecturer turned around and said something along the lines of "How can ANYONE study for a degree in French and NOT have Le Petit Robert dictionary?!?!". I don't think anyone actually went out and bought it after she dropped that bomb on us. Totally didn't need it at all this year, hopefully won't in the future either...
Sidenote: I think that lecturer was the one I tallied to have said "yeah" as a space filler 82 times in 1 lecture :p:

Reply 6

username113355

Notebooksecrets

Ha! Well done for keeping a tally, am quite relieved not to have her for any of my modules next year, seemed like a bit of a slave driver...

I bought Le Petit Robert whilst I was out in Canada for my VacRes as it was only £20, and I thought I perhaps ought to start making more effort with French language this year... Hélas! There was no way on God's green earth we needed one this year, though; wordreference is more than enough for all but the keenest first year :p:

Reply 7

supalorlor

Has anybody else noticed that they've changed the first FrIm book we're studying to the Prosper Mérimée one now (instead of La Place)?
I know the advice is not to buy ahead, etc, but being the very first book we study, I have no problems with buying it and reading it now (in order to reassure myself before term that i -can- still speak at least a bit of French). The only problem is - it is quite literally not available to buy anywhere on the internets. It is only available in 2-3 weeks time, which is when the course starts. :|
If this books is this hard to find - are we going to be able to buy it at the University Bookshop - are we going to have enough copies in the Library? I know those probably seem very naive questions - but faced with the apparent non-existance of this book - I'm beginning to panic!

Reply 8

Simon-J

Yes - rest assured there'll be lots of copies of the Mérimée text both in the bookshop and in the library (though the library copies will soon be taken out!).

Reply 9

Simon-J

Oh, forgot to add. If you really did want it before you went - which, I know, is recommended, and if you have a debit card - you could always get it here.

Reply 10

supalorlor

Simon-J

Yes - rest assured there'll be lots of copies of the Mérimée text both in the bookshop and in the library (though the library copies will soon be taken out!).

Hehe, okay, thanks for the advice :smile:

Reply 11

Notebooksecrets

There's a book in the library which has both tales you'll need in english. It's on the same shelf as the french versions - helped me out a treat :p:

Reply 12

Simon-J

How many DID you read in French, Katie? :p:

Reply 13

Notebooksecrets

Simon-J

How many DID you read in French, Katie? :p:

Um... La Place (not that I ever finished it), one of the Merimee stories (before finding the english translation) and Guigemar (again, jsut before finding the translation).

A productive year I feel :p:

Reply 14

cookie-monster

GUIGEMAR HAS A TRANSLATION?!
Pfft when I was a first year (Gosh I sound/feel old) we could only get hands on a copy with French and old French next to it.
Oh and also, they tend to be lax in first year and ask you to read a specific amount for each week. If you have Sian Miles she usually assumes noone's read anything and gives you a plot summary. My I loved her.

Reply 15

Simon-J

cookie-monster

If you have Sian Miles she usually assumes noone's read anything and gives you a plot summary. My I loved her.

!! She was actually legendary. :biggrin:

Reply 16

Notebooksecrets

Yeah Guigemar has a translation, in some book buried deep deep within the library - I only found it like the night before the FrIm exam! To be fair, I found Guigemar the easiest book in french...

And if anyon'e stuck with Barbara Giraud for frim seminars next year, tough luck. Expect to learn nothing, I wouldn't bother going.

Reply 17

54201

Why's that? I bought a couple of the books from Amazon such as the Mérimée text and the French Grammar Usage.

I also bought 'France since 1945' in preparation for the module on contemporary france.