Newspapers, Journals & Magazines

The Library’s Serial and Government Publications Division maintains one of the most extensive collections of newspapers, current periodicals, comic books, and government publications. With over 25,000 non-US titles, it is the largest collection of international newspapers in the world. These materials are served in the Library’s Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.

This collection includes thousands of French newspapers, magazines, and journals which are either on microfilm or bound in the general collections. For those without access to the Library of Congress directly, a list of currently published French-language newspapers and news sites with links can be found at French newspapers Online. External Digital archives of select French newspapers and periodicals (late 18th century to mid-20th century) can be found at Gallica’s Presse quotidienne. External Current newspapers at the Library can be found by using this newspaper finding aid. The following finding aids and inventories are also helpful for locating French newspaper holdings at the Library of Congress.

• Foreign Newspaper Collections at the Library of Congress
• Historical Newspapers and Collections on Microfilm
• 17th & 18th Century Foreign Newspapers
• 19th and 20th Century Bound Volumes Inventory

Subscription databases also allow access to French language publications, and can be accessed onsite in any of the Library’s three buildings. Popular literary magazines such as Lire (formerly Magazine Littéraire) and Livres Hebdo can be ordered at the Library, as well as numerous Fashion magazines such as French editions of Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Elle. Current events and news magazines such as Le Point, Le Figaro Magazine, Paris Match, L’Express, L’Obs, and La Revue are also available.

There are hundreds of French and English-language journals, mostly scholarly in nature including popular titles such as: Revue des deux mondes, Critique: revue générale des publications françaises et étrangères, Nouvelle revue française; Expressions Maghrébines, L’Esprit, Nineteenth-Century French Studies, Women in French Studies, and Yale French Studies. Journals are usually bound in hard copy and held in the general collections, but an ever increasing number of titles are also available from our subscription databases. For full-text online searching use other searching tools such as Serials Solutions for electronic journals in both subscription (e.g. JSTOR) and open access (e.g. Persée External ). EZB (Electronic Journals Library) links to electronic editions/archives in open access and subscription databases. A list of print and electronic indexes External to, guides External for, and websites External for Western European periodicals from the 17th to 21st centuries is available from the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). External

The Library is also beginning to provide access to French e-books from our Electronic Resources Online Catalog. Currently these items can only be viewed while onsite, and they may be printed or downloaded from the Library. Current issues of the titles listed below can be viewed in the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room at the Library of Congress.

The Main Reading Room holds a comprehensive microfilm collection of telephone directories from France, including overseas departments, published by the French national library and the French post and telecommunications office, may be found under the title Annuaires téléphoniques, 1883-1959, [microfilm] reproduits sur microfilm avec le concours du Ministère des Poste et Télécommunications. Sable-sur-Sarthe : Bibliothèque Nationale, 1988. The collection is available in the Microform and Electronic Resources Center under the call number Microfilm 2000/54. A guide to that collection is available in the Main Reading Room: Microform Guide 530.

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The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Popular French Newspapers at the Library of Congress

• Le MondePublished/Created: 1944Le Monde is the premier center-left newspaper in France. It was founded under Charles de Gaulle after WWII and is the most widely-read paper, especially outside of France.
• Le FigaroPublished/Created: 1826This publication is considered center-right, somewhat more conservative compared to Libération. It was founded in 1846, making it the oldest newspaper in France that is still in print.
• LíbérationPublished/Created: 1973This publication is considered center-left but is more leftist than Le Monde. It was founded by Jean-Paul Sartre, the famous French philosopher, in 1968.
• Le ParisienPublished/Created: 1986This newspaper is a continuation of Parisien Libéré, which was founded in 1942 as the newspaper of the French Resistance. It covers Paris primarily but has another edition that covers national news, Aujourd’hui France.
• Le Canard EnchainéPublished/Created: 1915This is one of France’s satirical newspapers. It is published weekly and the name is translated as “the chained duck”. This is not a good newspaper for non-native speakers unless they are very advanced as it contains puns and cultural references that make it harder to understand.

Popular French Magazines at the Library of Congress

• Le PointPublished/Created: 1972Le Point was founded in 1972 by journalists who had worked for L’Express. It covers news, politics and cultural events.
• LiREPublished/Created: 1975This literary magazine publishes book reviews, lengthy interviews with well-known literary figures and retrospectives on famous figures from the past. Formerly known as Magazine Littéraire.
• L’ObsPublished/Created: 2014This is currently the most popular magazine in France. Politically it is considered center-left and covers news and culture. It is a continuation of Le Nouvel Observateur which was often shortened to L’Obs by readership.
• L’ExpressPublished/Created: 1966This publication is known to be more on the right side of the political spectrum. It focuses on news, world events, finance and economics.
• Vogue ParisPublished/Created: 1920Vogue Paris was launched in 1920 and since that time it has continued to celebrate creative excellence. It is universally established as a key source of inspiration for the fashion world. Vogue Paris is recognized for its distinctive perspective and stunning visuals. Vogue Paris is published monthly.
• France-AmériquePublished/Created: 1941This long-standing completely bilingual publication looks like a high-end magazine in its current iteration but has origins in the French Resistance and was endorsed by Charles de Gaulle as a way to build popular support for France from America during WWII (under Nazi rule). France-Amérique has easy to read and entertaining bilingual articles on cultural icons (think Simone de Beauvoir, who also wrote for F-A, or Albert Camus), gastronomy, publishing and literature, travel, the arts and politics. It is an exceptionally helpful publication for Francophiles and language learners.

Popular French Journals at the Library of Congress

• Critique : revue générale des publications françaises et étrangèresCall Number: Z1007 .C8Critique is a leading French literary, philosophical, and artistic journal. Published monthly, it often contains multiple articles from different contributors focused on a particular theme. Originally published by Editions du Chêne beginning in 1946, it now is published by Les Éditions de Minuit (since 1950). Explores themes around democracy, specific national cultures, translation, and artistic movements, for example, making it a leader for French and global cultural commentary.
• Expressions MaghrébinesCall Number: PQ3988.5.N6 E98ISBN: 24752401Expressions maghrébines is a peer-reviewed journal publishing new, cutting edge research in French and English on literature and other cultural forms rooted in the Maghreb and its diasporas. The journal publishes guest-edited special issues on relevant topics and maintains a Varia section for articles submitted to the editorial board. It is published twice a year. Revue de la Coordination Internationale des Chercheurs sur les Littératures Maghrébines.
• French Historical StudiesCall Number: DC1 .F69French Historical Studies, the leading journal on the history of France, publishes groundbreaking articles, commentaries, and research notes on all periods of French history from the Middle Ages to the present. The journal’s diverse format includes forums, review essays, special issues, and articles in French, as well as bilingual abstracts of the articles in each issue. Also featured are bibliographies of recent dissertations and books and announcements of fellowships, prizes, and conferences of interest to French historians. Available onsite via Project Muse and Jstore.
• French Politics, Culture and SocietyCall Number: DC417 .F73FPC&S is the journal of the Conference Group on French Politics & Society. It is jointly sponsored by the Institute of French Studies at New York University and the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University. French Politics, Culture & Society explores modern and contemporary France from the perspectives of the social sciences, history, and cultural analysis. It also examines France’s relationship to the larger world, especially Europe, the United States, and the former French Empire. The editors also welcome pieces on recent debates and events, as well as articles that explore the connections between French society and cultural expression of all sorts (such as art, film, literature, and popular culture). Issues devoted to a single theme appear from time to time. With refereed research articles, timely essays, and reviews of books in many disciplines, French Politics, Culture & Society provides a forum for learned opinion and the latest scholarship on France.
• International Journal of Francophone StudiesCall Number: P35.5.F83The International Journal of Francophone Studies offers a critical preview for a new development in the understanding of ‘France outside France’, with a thorough insight into the network of disciplinary issues affiliated with this study. The peer-reviewed journal complements the thriving area of scholarly interest in the French-speaking regions of the world, bringing a location of linguistic, cultural, historical and social dynamics within a single academic arena.
• Journal of North African StudiesCall Number: DT160 .J68North Africa has been understudied despite its significant historical, political, social, economic, and cultural legacies and its links to Europe, West Asia, and Saharan and Sahelian Africa. Its principal constituent countries stretch from Mauritania in the west to Egypt in the east and include Morocco (along with the disputed Western Sahara), Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. North African revolutions initiated and inspired the “Arab Spring” and current interest in the region and its strategic importance has grown exponentially. The Journal of North African Studies provides an interdisciplinary forum for scholars of and from the region. Its contents cover both country-based and regional themes, which range from historical inquiries to political, sociological, cultural, anthropological, and economic studies. It is the first academic journal in English to analyze historic and current affairs of an important region of the Mediterranean basin linking West Asia, Africa, and Europe.
• L’EspritCall Number: AP20 .E78Espirit is a French literary and news journal based in Paris. It is an independent journal that is supported by subscriptions and sales. Founded in 1932 by Emmanuel Mounier, Espirit aims to cover French events (as well as key international developments) with hindsight and context to make sense of global modernity. It contains editorials, a selection of articles on a major theme, and reviews of recent cultural works. Historically, it has helped to develop existentialist and personalist theories, has been involved in anti-colonial activities, supported Eastern European dissidents during the Cold War, and assisted in the creation of France’s non-Marxist left wing.
• Les Temps ModernesCall Number: PQ2 .T28Le Temps Modernes was a French literary journal that dealt with current events and various existentialist themes. Founded by Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty through Éditiones Gallimard in 1945 to replace the Nouvelle Revue Française after French authorities shut that journal down for collaborating with the Nazis, it published its last articles in 2019. While relying on a diversity of writers and philosophers from across the political spectrum, Les Temps Modernes explicitly wanted to take sides in contemporary issues and influence French and global society. It commented on topics such as lynch mobs in the American south, the Algerian War of Independence, and military conflicts in Indochina, embracing anti-colonial causes and the perspectives of women, foreign writers, dissidents, and existentialist thought.
• Nineteenth-Century French StudiesCall Number: PQ1 .N55Nineteenth-Century French Studies provides scholars and students with the opportunity to examine new trends, review promising research findings, and become better acquainted with professional developments in the field. Scholarly articles on all aspects of nineteenth-century French literature and criticism are invited. Published articles are peer-reviewed to insure scholarly integrity. The journal has an extensive book review section covering a variety of disciplines. Onsite Access via Project Muse.
• Nouvelle revue française ; revue mensuelle de littérature et de critique.Call Number: AP20 .N85Nouvelle Revue Française is one of the leading French journals of literature and the arts. Published every other month by Éditions Gallimard, its editions have editorials and reviews of various artistic and literary works by notable authors. Since 1909, it has constituted a critical, independent voice, with the exception being during the German occupation of France when it delivered pro-fascist messaging. Reestablished in 1953, Nouvelle Revue Française strives to emphasize aesthetics and welcome a wide range of voices and perspectives. Microfilm 39159.
• Revue des Deux MondesPublished/Created: 1982The Revue des deux Mondes is a French-language monthly literary, cultural and current affairs magazine that has been published in Paris since 1829. According to its website, “it is today the place for debates and dialogues between nations, disciplines and cultures, about the major subjects of our societies”. The Review of the Two Worlds has gone through various title changes including La Nouvelle Revue des Deux Mondes(1972-1982); Revue des Deux Mondes (1829-1971); Hommes et mondes (1946-1956) and Journal des voyages, découvertes et navigations modernes (1819-1829).
• Women in French StudiesCall Number: PQ1 .W66Women in French exists to promote the study of women writers and women in civilization in the French-speaking world. An additional purpose of the organization is to share information and concerns about the status of women in Francophone countries and in higher education in North America. Women in French is an Allied Organization of the Modern Language Association and a member of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. Women in French Studies is a publication of Women in French. It is published once a year. Women in French also publishes special volumes at regular intervals. Available onsite via Project Muse.
• Yale French StudiesCall Number: DC1 .Y3ISBN: 00440078Yale French Studies is the oldest English-language journal in the United States. It has a long tradition of promoting and discussing French and Francophone literature and culture, being recently enriched with interdisciplinary and cross-national perspectives. It is generally edited by a host editor and has a theme such as cinema or bandes déssinées.

Women’s French Press: Holdings at the Library of Congress

• FeminaCall Number: AP20 .F3Femina-illustration. For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record. Request from: General Collections
• Journal des damesCall Number: AP21 .J75New-York, 1810. For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record.
• Journal des dames; ou, Les souvenirs d’un vieillardCall Number: Microfilm 01104 no. 115Published/Created: 1810Microfilm 01104 no. 115. For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record. Request in: Microform & Electronic Resources Center (Jefferson, LJ139)
• Journal des dames et des demoisellesCall Number: AP20 .J76For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record.
• Journal des dames et des modesCall Number: TT500 .J7 LANDOVRPublished/Created: 1912-1914For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record.
• Journal des dames et des modesCall Number: Microfiche (w) 82/12Published/Created: 1912-1914Microfiche (w) 82/12. For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record. Request in: Microform & Electronic Resources Center (Jefferson, LJ139)
• Journal des dames et des modesCall Number: GT500 .J687For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record. Request in: Rare Book/Special Collections Reading Room (Jefferson LJ239)
• La Vie HeureuseCall Number: AP20 .V58Published/Created: 1903-09For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record. Request from: General Collections
• La Voix des femmesCall Number: Microfilm 03791 reel 22[Paris] : [publisher not identified], 1848. For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record.
• Le Journal des femmes : organ du mouvement féministe by Maria MartinCall Number: HQ1102 .J6Published/Created: 1891Microfilm (w) 82/12. For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record. Request in: Microform & Electronic Resources Center (Jefferson, LJ139)
• Le Journal des femmes : organ du mouvement féministe by Maria MartinPublished/Created: 1891Microfilm 38750. For details on the exact holdings of a given title please contact the reference librarian in the appropriate research center. This can be determined by the format (microfilm, bound volume or special collections) and is indicated on the bibliographic record.
• Le Journal des femmes; organe du mouvement féminin by Maria MartinCall Number: HQ1102 .J6Published/Created: 1891Microfilm 38750 HQ
  Request in: Microform & Electronic Resources Center (Jefferson, LJ139)