Europa Books

Wonderful store is closing September 1. Books are 50 percent off. Mags are 20 percent off. Got maps for 50 cents each. Will miss them :-(

Love this store! Great selection of books and languages. Would have gotten 5 stars had they had some French magazines in stock. ;)

A good selection of French books. Not surprising with Alliance Francaise nearby. Good selection of children’s books too. Small Italian collection — mostly classics. Spanish and German as well.

As others have noted, this place has a great selection of books in a huge variety of languages, which is what the whole store is about. You’re lucky to even get a 3 foot section of just Spanish in most other bookstores.
I was a little disappointed about the size of the place, until I realized that there was a staircase (almost hiding in the corner) leading to the basement.
I ended up leaving with a nice hardcover edition of Don Quijote. Nice tiny place.

Stopped in here on a trip to Chicago in February and loved it. Mad props to this place for having such a large selection of foreign language books, magazines, etc. If you’re looking for something to read and you love languages, you’ll find something here. The wide selection of Harry Potter in every language imaginable was a little strange to me but I know I’m like the only person not in love with J. K Rowling.

Love the selection of foreign language books and periodicals, including the extensive collection of French literature. This seems like the perfect place to complete my collection of French and Spanish Harry Potter books, and perhaps start a new one in another language!

I’d really like to give this store a better review, but every time I visit I just don’t get particularly excited about the trip. It’s more like… well…maybe I’ll find a book I like or at least might want to have around so I can read it when I’m in the mood. Europa does carry books in a wide variety of languages, and you can certainly find magazines here that you’d have difficulty getting elsewhere, but these days it’s just so easy to get much, much more online (and for better prices) that I don’t feel any particular impetus to visit this store in person.
I’ll also admit that I was disappointed by my one special order request. The manager promised that the title I wanted would arrive in about a week, which seemed reasonable, but they never called. When I followed through to check, they had no idea when or if the book would be delivered, and didn’t much seem to care if it did at all.
I still like the store and its employees, but I just don’t see this as a «destination» store, which is a shame.

You know, I have gotten a couple of things here on previous occasions, but the reason that I cant give this place a better review is because of my experience last week. I went in looking for something for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day last tuesday. He is studying French so I thought it would be something cute. They had the book I wanted in Spanish and when I asked about a French version they said they could have it brought over by thursday. Great right?!! So when I called to see if I could pick it up on friday afternoon, I was told the book was never brought over from their other store, «But we can have it here by monday or tuesday?» Thanks for the President’s Day gift offer, but no thanks.

oh july issue of maison francaise… how i wish i purchased you at charles de gaulle airport… but i’ll settle for europa books these days, while i’m low on luxury travel funds.
i fell in love with french home design magazines when i was abroad last and was so sad to learn they don’t offer international subscriptions. europa books is my new solution to get my french mag fix.
the bookstore is a quiet, clean, charming spot, just off the beaten path of the mag mile. such a treat! in addition to «maison francaise», they also have some lovely stationary items, cute postcards, great children’s books («good night moon» en francais? mais oui! a must have!), and other books and newspapers in different languages.
le sigh… i love it all.

Just wanted to add to the positive reviews of Europa Books – I called them about a grammar book I needed (I hadn’t been able to find out via their web site whether they had it in stock), and Beatrice on the front desk ran downstairs to their basement area to do an immediate check on its availability. I thought this was an extra-​friendly bit of helpfulness (compare to character in the tv series Little Britain who always responds to customers: «Computer Says No …»)
I already love this shop for all the reasons other reviewers have mentioned …

Point d’information for sure.
Yesterday I dropped in on the way to meet my boyfriend and his mom because I really wanted a copy of Le Monde. They only had the weekly international version out for perusal so I asked where I could get a copy of the daily. It turns out they have a subscription service that allows them to print the daily copy of almost any international newspaper right for you in the store! I was able to grab a paper copy of Le Monde and Midi Libre right from their printer. They were about $ 4 (ouch considering they’re much cheaper in France) but sometimes I really just want the paper copy, not the Internet version.
So awesome! I also took the last copy of L’Express — sorry, folks! So when you’re in the mood for news from all over the world, head on over to Europa. They have Polish, German, Spanish, Brazilian, Dutch… any language newspaper you can think of, they have. They still also have a great display and collection of literature.

It’s one of these great places who bring you a little piece of home away from home…
Every time I feel like I want to know more about the French jet-​set/​fashionistas/​rock stars (yep, we have them too!!) I go to Europa books and their selection of French magazines. It’s lovely to be able to read or at least leaf through French stuff other than Le Monde and such. It’s not what you need when you crave home…
…or when your non English speaking mom comes to visit you and need some entertainment for her transatlantic flight!
They also have an impressive collection of literature in the basement, a decent amount of language teaching related materials and the cutest postcards ever. It’s like a wonderful gingerbread house with no wicked witch and lots of Old World charm.

Stop in for a peek at the periodicals, and the excellent selection of children’s books, then head downstairs for a decently impressive collection of literature and philosophy.

Since I am a self-​proclaimed Citizen of the World (unabashedly taken from a season 1 Sex and the City episode… I really am just kidding about that) I love that this shop is all about foreign language materials.
I feel as if I’m in a small shoppe in Europe when I pop into this place, even if it’s to just browse the spread of foreign language magazines.

Quiet, worldly, and intellectual, where nude art books are daily special orders. Another long-​time fave spot of mine that carries me back to art school days and transports me back to living in Italia — well, almost. Great spot to meet multi-​lingual Chicagoans and nab a copy of La Repubblica, Amica, or if you’re lucky, Carnet. It’s also quite possible to eavesdrop in on a French or Italian conversational group/​meetup here.

After reading the reviews I was a little concerned that there would not be much selection. I was pleasantly surprised, however. On the main level there is an entire section of foreign language periodicals and new arrival books. On the lower level is the greatest selection of French novels and poetry I’ve seen (I haven’t ever been to Europa’s sister-​shop Schoenhof’s in Mass.) The selection was so fantastic. There were also pretty large sections for Italian and Spanish, and smaller sections for Russian and slavic languages. Anyhow, if I lived in Chicago I would be a regular here. Very helpful staff!

Great place for those learning languages or wanting literature in foreign languages. I used to go to a monthly Italian conversation hour here. It was a mix of beginners and advanced speakers who had lived there for many years. It was also a mix of nice people and rich ladies who only want to talk about their second home back in Italy.
«La mia casa e’ più’ grande che la tua casa… biotch.»

Great book store right near my French class.
They have a small selection of items for each language, but you can get things ordered. There is a French woman that works there. She was super helpful in assisting me with finding resource books for my courses.
It’s also a great resource for the husband as he is French. He can catch up with this magazines, read TinTin and just browse around.
They have things in many other languages as well.

Service REALLY sucks. It’s convenient if either a) they’ve got a book on sale that you like or b) they happen to have a book that you need right this instant on their shelves. Otherwise it’s so overpriced it’s worthless –just go online.
Newspapers come in late, but they can print the newspaper du jour upon request –killing massive amounts of rainforest in the process and creating a not-​so-​practical item to peruse, but good fun once in a Sunday morning.

International books & magazines, but also gorgeous notebooks, writing paper, and unusual gifts. Get a Jean-​Paul Sartre or Kafka finger puppet/​refrigerator magnet for the budding young intellectual in your life. Or a graph-​paper notepad for your homesick European pal. Some items meant for travelers (sleek guides, maps, and map-​themed accessories) also make terrific presents for your friends who are planning a trip, or just dreaming of a place far from the office.
You can also pick up magazines on art, design, music, and fashion from around the world, balancing a bit of self-​indulgence with a bit of cosmopolitanism. And near the magazines, you’ll find an assortment of comic books, graphic novels, and childrens’ books. All of these are good for building your foreign language skills or for surprising the bi-​national families you know with useful presents. Downstairs you’ll find large collections of Spanish, French, German, and Italian fiction and non-​fiction, including the latest best-​sellers.
And if you feel your language skills need some face-​to-​face practice, Europa is now organizing social hours for speakers of Spanish, French, and German. Stop in or call and sign up!