This book is a window through which you can view a selection of the enormous amount of information available on France, arranged as a ready reference for new residents or long-term visitors. It’s not a narrative, so it’s not a book to be read cover-to-cover. It is a collection of the bits and pieces of information needed in everyday life and work, but it is not a tourist guidebook (though tourists may find it useful). It’s intended to be read before you depart for France as well as after you arrive and settle there.

The approach is bottom-up. This is a book about France and the French as they are, not as they might be seen from somewhere else. So, save for international statistical rankings, there are no comparisons of the country or its inhabitants with other countries or peoples. Yet, even facts need context. So, each of the 47 chapters begins with an introduction to set it in perspective. From automobiles to cross-borders initiatives, French contributions are greater than realised by the world at large.

The topics are arranged in alphabetical order, grouped by subject into 47 chapters, which also are in alphabetical order. All facts presented are available in France from the organisations and the printed and online sources mentioned. So this book is also a starting point for finding further information.

As its title indicates, the aim is to ease and speed your access to essential information, whether your search is triggered by thinking of a topic in English or by encountering a term in French. Consequently, there are two indexes, one in English and one in French.

British English is the language of this book, because it best suits the majority of new residents from other countries, many of whom have English as a second if not first language. A glossary of British English - American English is included for the convenience of American readers.

I compiled this book at the suggestion of colleague Nick Hutchins, who, like me, is a long-time Francophile. I am grateful to him for that suggestion and for his vetting of the manuscript as I compiled it. And to Olivia Ney, a young, polyglot native French speaker, I am grateful for the meticulous yet sensitive editing of the French terms and expressions in the book. Finally, I am grateful to colleague Michael Rogers for his assistance with many illustrations.