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.
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From the Publisher
First Readers: Beginner's Dual Language Books
Especially designed for beginners, these handy volumes help students strengthen their foreign language skills by presenting simple, easy-to-read adaptations of classic stories and other material — with complete faithful English translations on the facing pages.
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Top reviews from other countries
Jamshyd Bersaph
While this is probably useful anthology of general French Literature
Reviewed in Canada on April 30, 2016