Top Checkouts in World Languages

The New York Public Library has an ever-growing collection of titles in a wide range of world languages, including classics old and new; fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and picture books; titles in translation, and titles in the languages in which they were originally written. This list of top checkouts reflects many of the languages most widely spoken and read in our communities, which are among the most linguistically diverse in the world.

Titles and author names are presented in their original alphabets with transliterations where appropriate.

Explore NYPL’s World Literature Festival, including free online events and everything the Library has to offer for all ages in a range of world languages.

 

Shqip (Albanian)

Arti i të gatuarit

Vangjel Kullaj & Miço Garuli

Popular Albanian cookery book containing around 600 recipes. Request Book

 

العَرَبِية (Arabic)

المجموعة الكاملة لمؤلفات جبران خليل جبران. العربية [al-Majmūʻah al-kāmilah li-muʼallafāt Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān. al-ʻArabīyah]

خليل جبران‎ | Kahlil Gibran

A collection of the works of the Lebanese-American poet and essayist Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931). Request Book

 

বাংলা (Bangla)

বাদশাহ নামদার [Bādaśāha nāmadāra]

হুমায়ূন আহমেদ | Humayun Ahmed

A historical novel about the Mughal Emperor Humayun by the popular and prolific Bangladeshi novelist and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed. Request Book

 

中文 (Chinese)

如何解套人生的種種痛苦 [Rú hé jiě tào rén shēng de zhǒng zhǒng tòng kǔ?]

苦海還願人 | Ǩu hǎi huán yuàn rén

A book of Buddhist teachings that promises to rid readers of unhappy feelings. Request Book

 

Français (French)

L'étranger

Albert Camus

Camus’s classic novella, ranked #1 on Le Monde’s list of books of the century, is a novelistic exploration of the author’s existentialist philosophy. Request Book

 

Deutsch (German)

Das große deutsche Märchenbuch

Helmut Brackert

A compendium of German fairy tales from the past 500 years. Request Book

 

Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian-Creole)

Les "Proverbes haïtiens" d'Edmond Chenet, transcrits en orthographe moderne et annotés

Max Manigat

Scholarly edition of a collection of Haitian proverbs. Request Book

 

עבר׳ת (Hebrew)

אהבת תורה: דברים על פרשת השבוע [Ahavat Torah: Devarim ʻal parashat ha-shavuʻa] 

חיים סבתו | Hayim Sabato

Commentary on the weekly portion of the Torah and relevant selections of Jewish religious poetry. Request Book

 

हिन्दी (Hindi)

भगवत की कथाएं [Bhāgavata kī kathāem]

मनुहरि पाठक | Manuhari Pāṭhaka

Stories from the life of Krishna. Request Book

 

Magyar (Hungarian)

Kard és kasza

Albert Wass

In this two-volume family saga, Hungarian count Albert Wass investigates the history of his ancient family. Request Book

 

Italiano (Italian)

Ritorna malinconia

Liala

A charming, famous young man enters the life of the rich but bored Lilia, transforming it forever. Request Book

 

日本語 (Japanese)

白河夜船 [Shirakawa yofune]

吉本ばなな | Banana Yoshimoto

An enchanting collection of stories about three women, written by one of the best writers in contemporary international fiction. Request Book

 

한국어 (Korean)

 토지문화재단에 오신것을 환영합니다 [Tʻoji]

박경리 | Pak Kyong-ni

This classic of Korean literature is the story of five generations of a wealthy family caught up in the struggle between conservative and modernizing forces. Request Book

 

Polski (Polish)

Angielski bez tajemnic, czyli uczmy się na cudzych błędach

Lidia Kosonocka-Taber

A book for teachers and students alike examining grammatical and stylistic challenges that face the native Polish speaker learning English. Request Book

 

Português (Portuguese)

O Burrinho Pedrês

João Guimarães Rosa

First published in 1946, Guimarães Rosa’s classic, set in the interior of Minas Gerais, tells the tale of a group of cowboys and a donkey. Request Book

 

Русский (Russian)

Очищение : зачем Сталин обезглавил свою армию? [Ochishchenie: Zachem Stalin Obezglavil Svoiu Armiiu?]

Виктор Суворов | Viktor Suvorov

An analysis of Stalin’s military policies and purges at the top of the Red Army in the years before the Second World War. Request Book

 

සිංහල (Sinhalese)

යුගාන්තය [Yuganthaya]

මාර්ටින් වික්‍රමසිංහ | Martin Wickramasinghe

Part of Wickramasinghe’s classic trilogy about the decline of traditional Sri Lankan life and the rise of the bourgeoisie. Request Book

 

Español (Spanish)

Hija de la fortuna

Isabel Allende

Moving from Valparaíso to San Francisco, Allende’s novel is the story of one woman’s quest to save her lover, set against the background of the 1849 California Gold Rush. Request Book

 

Türkçe (Turkish)

Kürk Mantolu Madonna

Sabahattin Ali

A shy young man leaves his home in rural Turkey to learn a trade in 1920s Berlin, where he meets a woman who will haunt him for the rest of his life. Request Book

 

українська (Ukrainian)

Свіча в свічаді : поезії [Svicha v svichadi: poeziï]

Васи́ль Семе́нович Стус | Vasyl Stus

In this poetry collection, the Ukrainian activist Vasyl Stus seeks to resolve the contradictions of the human experience. Request Book

 

اُردُو (Urdu)

قرآن کا مطلوب انسان [Qurʼān kā ma̤tlūb insān]

ریحان احمد یوسفی | Rehan Ahmed Yousufi

Study of Islamic religious life according to Qur’anic teaching and guidance. Request Book

 

Shqip (Albanian)

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes...: Albanian & English

Annie Kubler (illustrator)

Babies act out the familiar song. Request Book

 

العَرَبِية (Arabic)

العادات الجيدة [al-ʻĀdāt al-jayyidah]

Hakan Şan Borteçin (designer)

Bilingual Arabic-English title showing how children can make life easier for their parents. Request Book

 

বাংলা (Bangla)

Plants গাছপালা [Gāchapālā]

Christangelos Seferiadis

Guaranteed to enrich a toddler's vocabulary, this title from a series of bilingual board books introduces readers to words for their favorite plants. Request Book

 

中文 (Chinese)

我會折摺紙：綜合篇 [Wǒ huì zhé zhé zhǐ: zòng hé piān]

張晉霖 | Zhāng jìn lín

Get creative with this guide to the world of origami. Request Book

 

Français (French)

Martine fait ses courses

Gilbert Delahaye, illustrated by Marcel Marlier

Martine and her little brother go shopping for their mom. Request Book

 

Deutsch (German)

Mit Jule durch den Tag

Ulrike Schultheis, illustrated by Petra Probst

A day in the life of Jule and her family from breakfast to bedtime. Request Book

 

Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian-Creole)

Hap, Hap

Catherine Hnatov

Playful pictures of friendly animals hopping and splashing, tweeting and purring. Request Book

 

עבר׳ת (Hebrew)

אני בעצמי [Ani be-ʻatsmi]

כתבה ואירה טויה טאולו ; עריכה, עמנואל בן-סבו | Ṭuyah Taʼulo, illustrated by ʻImanuʼel Ben Sabo

Lion cub Ari sets out to show his parents that he is able to succeed without their help. Request Book

 

हिन्दी (Hindi)

13 वीं पहेली [13 vṃī pahelī]

कहानी नडीन डिसूज़ा, चित्र अजंता गुहाठाकुरता | Nadine D’Souza, illustrated by Ajanta Guhathakurta

A fun picture book celebrating riddles and riddlers. Request Book

 

Italiano (Italian)

Le famiglie Topini va a schuola

Haruo Yamashita, illustrated by Kazuo Iwamuro, translated by Su Kumura

A family of mice goes to school in this charming picture book. Request Book

 

日本語 (Japanese)

14ひきのかぼちゃ [14 hiki no kabocha]

いわむらかずお | Kazuo Iwamura

A family of 14 mice grows a pumpkin. Request Book

 

한국어 (Korean)

과자 마녀를 조심해! [Kwaja manyŏ rŭl chosimhae!]

정희재, 김영수 | Hee-Jae Jung, Young-Soo Kim

The cookie witch, jealous of beautiful and healthy children, cooks delicious but unhealthy food for them. This picture book includes information on snacks to avoid and recipes for homemade sweets. Request Book

 

Polski (Polish)

Rogaś z Doliny Roztoki

Maria Kownacka, illustrated by Janusz Grabiański

A story about a young stag and his adventures in the forest. Request Book

 

Português (Portuguese)

Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal

J.K. Rowling

In the first volume of the best-selling series, our hero enrolls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Request Book

 

Русский (Russian)

Вавилонская башня и другие библейские истории [Vavilonskaya bashnia i drugie bibleiskie istorii]

под редакцией Корнея Чуковского | Korney Chukovsky (ed.)

Biblical tales retold for children. Request Book

 

Español (Spanish)

¡Perros! ¡Perros! Dogs! Dogs!

Ginger Foglesong Gibson

Where are all the dogs going? Find out and improve your language skills at the same time. Request Book

 

Türkçe (Turkish)

Vahşi Ormanda Spor Günü

Jill Newton, translated into Turkish by Rina Bakis

Monkey teases Sloth because he is too slow to join in the jungle games. Request Book

 

українська (Ukrainian)

Азбука для малюків [Azbuka dla malukiv]

Г. Я. Шевчук

Early learning fun with letters and numbers. Request Book

 

اُردُو (Urdu)

Taste ذائقہ [Ẕāʼqah]

Erdem Seçmen, translated from the Turkish by Alvin Parmar, illustrated by Chris Dittopoulos

A bilingual picture book about taste aimed at younger readers learning Urdu and English. Request Book