Reviews (7)

Das ist gut!
I have really enjoyed working through this book.It does focus a lot on the vocab you'll need if you are travelling to Germany.If you are looking for basic grammar, this tries to explain it, but may not be what you are looking for.The CDs help a lot, but you really need the book in front of you if you are listening to them, because they don't give the translation on the CDs.This forces you to follow along through the book.The phonetic spellings in the book are also very good to help improve your accent.

Review
I am a native German speaker who used this for a continuing education course at the local community college.I chose it because it did seem at first to be perfect.However, some things I found were:
NOT for beginners...
Do NOT buy this book if you are a beginner in German.It starts somewhere in level two or three and goes on from there. The basics are never really explained. It's more of a complete immersion, than a learn from scratch method. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conversation and phrase books    2. English    3. Foreign Language Study    4. German    5. German language    6. Language    7. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    8. Foreign Language Study / German    9. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. English    3. Spanish    4. Spanish language    5. Specimens    6. Talking books    7. Text-books for foreign speakers    8. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    9. Language self-study & phrasebooks    10. Non-Classifiable   

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Reviews (13)

Spoken Chinese, the possible way
I'm enjoying this method every day, I'm at the end of volume II by now. I also have ended the first year of the China Academy in Brussels and volume one has certainly helped me to be the first of my class.
Addictive, and great results to boot
I wrote a good review of volume I. Now I'm on the last lesson of volume II (and I treated myself to volume III for Father's Day). Pimsleur Mandarin is wonderful in the way it teaches you sentence structure. You will need another source to accumulate vocabulary (perhaps Rosetta Stone, which I completed and is strong on vocab but weak on grammar).
If you think the script is too spartan...
To comment on the people who are calling the script predictable and not varied enough, Come on, If you are serious about learning a language with this incredible system, you should have had a good Mandarin to English and back again dictionary since halfway through Mandarin I.The Pmslr CDs teach you the language by giving you an understanding of the sentence structure and the ability to recognize and replicate the tonal system that is the single biggest hurdle to learning Mandarin for an English speaker.
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Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. Chinese    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    5. Foreign Language Study / Chinese   

Editorial Review

Look ma, no textbooks! The Learn in Your Car series treats you like a child--in the best possible way--starting with one-word phrases ("please," "good-by"), counting exercises, and simple nouns ("bus," "train") designed to imitate a child's learning process. First you hear the words in English, then they are repeated slowly in clear, unaccented pronunciations. The method is extremely effective for those who don't know a thing, or for those who want to brush up by testing themselves when the English words are spoken. The tapes emphasize the building blocks of communicating in a foreign country rather than rote phrases that only apply on the tape and not in real-life exchanges. Level 1 painlessly covers basic verb forms, essential prepositions, near future and past tenses, as well as shopping, hotel reservations, and other travel-related situations.The series includes French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish in three levels that can be purchased individually or in boxed sets. Each individual level contains two 90-minute cassettes (or CDs) and an accompanying booklet (not for use behind the wheel) with helpful explanations and scripts for the lessons. ... Read more

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Reviews (25)

Save your money!
This is probably the worst set of tapes I have ever listened to. It's no more than a list of words on one set of tapes and some verb conjugations on the other set. While I couldn't bring myself to complete the tapes they were so boring, I don't think they ever used the words in context. I bought the advanced level and it was anything but that. At least a third of the vocabulary were cognates that any beginner or intermediate student would recognize anyway. This is a huge waste of anyone's money.

I ordered CDs, not tapes!!!
Dear Amazon.com:
Dollar for Dollar One of the Best
As the editor of the Learning Spanish Products Reviews (LearningSpanishProductsReviews) site, one of my responsibilities is to review Spanish courses that are listed on Amazon. I am also a native Spanish speaker of Argentina and a professional private Spanish instructor.
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Subjects:  1. Audio - Language    2. Audio Adult: Language    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Self-instruction    5. Sound recordings for English speakers    6. Spanish    7. Spanish language    8. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    9. Spoken Spanish    10. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    11. Language teaching & learning material & coursework    12. Language teaching theory & methods   

Reviews (13)

Great Course!
As others have mentioned this book does not have pictures, games, puzzles and all that worthless junk like some other products that entertain you but don't teach you much.This book is text which means it is dense with information for learning the language which is what you want right?This one along with the advanced version goes through all of the pertinent grammar that you will need to get around in German speaking countries without an escort.The practice dialogues are contemporary and challenging.The eight hours audio is clear as a bell.In a nut shell if you need pictures and funny dialogues and other entainment gimicks to keep your attention then I would suggest you go back to grade school.Learning another language is not easy an endeavor not for light weights.

Decent book, weak audio program
This product is better at teaching you the technicalities of the language than at teaching you to speak the language.I found the Pimsleur series both more engaging and far more effective at getting over that crucial barrier towards being able to actually use what one learns.The Ultimate text is decent, but rather dry and academic (even compared to my vintage high school german texts!).The audio program is simply ineffective; it is mostly vocabulary (a word in German, a word in English) and does little to teach one the use of the language. The book, however, uses a variety of approaches (blocks of text, exercises, diagrams and tables that document German forms, grammatical and cultural asides, etc.).I'd recommend buying the Pimsleur tapes, and complementing with this book/audio. The audio on the Ultimate German adds comparatively little, but is worth getting simply to help ensure you're correctly pronouncing the exercises in the book. Bottom line; the tape/cd is OK for pronunciation, but weak at teaching usage.

Not perfect, but probably the best bang for the buck!
I am taking German in college, and am in my 2nd semester now.I bought Ultimate German to supplement my college textbook.I agree with some of the other reviewers that the material is very 'bland'; however, for the money, it probably provides the best value.It comes with a set of CD's to use with the book, and another set that you can use w/o the book (ie. in your car).The material in the book, while no frills, appears to be accurate and gets straight to the point.The cultural notes are a nice, but the book could use some color and pictures.I've looked through several other 'inexpensive' german course, and I believe this one to be the best for the money.Sure there are probably better courses out there, but they are very expensive.The college textbook I am using is very good (its called "wie geht's", but the book alone was $107, and it only comes with a single CD.I would recommend Ultimate German to anyone who wants to learn German.I would recommend picking up some other reading, as you might get bored with only this course. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Language    2. Audio Adult: Language    3. Foreign Language Study    4. German    5. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    6. Foreign Language Study / German    7. Language learning: audio-visual & multimedia    8. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Career/Job    3. Careers - General    4. Documentary    5. Education    6. Video - Non-Fiction   

Editorial Review

In this upbeat look at a world that isn't as far removed from us as we might think, Sylvia Browne answers the big questions we all ask at one point or another: "What are angels?" "What happens when we die?" and "What are ghosts?" While Read more

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Reviews (191)

The Other Side And Back
I loved this book and all of Sylvia's other books. It has
Demonic? I think not!
I read this book.It's helped me understand my purpose and that we're not all here for the same reason. Keep an open mind...
Actually, I am in the process of listening to this book on tape and am getting a really good vibe from the actual author as she reads.She definately says "take what you can and leave the rest behind.Unfortunately, conservative Christians come off as "holier than thou" and bascially to me their concepts of the Bible detaches from everyday life.What good is a religion in my opinion if it doesn't teach you how to be a better human being.As far as the Bible goes, there has been edits made by those in position to do so to disempower the people for their own selfish means.Sylvia goes into this in speaking of reincarnation as an example of the corruptness of religious authoritarians.Remember slavery was deem appropriate by so called Christians at one time.However, Christianity isn't the disease, but those who interpret and misuse its teachings are the culprit of evil and that goes for any religious belief. I believe we have so much to learn about ourselves, life, the afterlife and the basic truth of all existence and to think there is only one way of thinking hinders us as human beings and our awarness of the eternity of life.When our beliefs limits our thinking or actions how great is that, I ask?I say stop preaching damnation and the wrath of God, and show by example the power of what it means to truly human and to love your fellow person. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio - Nonfiction    3. Audio Adult: Other    4. Audiobooks    5. Conduct of life    6. Miscellanea    7. Parapsychology - General    8. Spiritualism    9. Spiritualism - General    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Editorial Review

Perhaps the most important Mozart biography ever written, this book is subtle, rich-textured, endlessly stimulating and provocative -- just like the man's music. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

"An Accountant's Dream" or "Mozart on the Couch"
I read up to chapter twenty (about 300 pages) and stopped reading the book, realizing I had more important things to read.My major complaints are (1) that there is too much discussion of the Mozart family finances, which I'm sure would be fascinating to economists and accountants, however tedious to someone concerned about music; and (2) too much retroactive Freudian analysis of the subject, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.Think about this:Solomon uses an obsolete, and now debunked, system of psychoanalysis to describe a subject that cannot be interviewed.The best discussion of music is concerning the Salzburg serenade style in chapter eight.Other than that brief section (pp. 125-133), I was not impressed.Short of reading Mozart's letters and making your own analysis, I recommend Stanley Sadie's "Mozart: The Early Years, 1756-1781" for starters.

A Must Read!
A bit on the dry side but so well written and researched that this is the best book on Mozart at present.

Deep and thought-provoking
Solomon's books have obvious strengths--the depth of his research and his analysis of the music. What seems to divide readers is his use of psychoanalysis. I'm on his side, as his book created a thought-provoking examination of a great figure whose art was a tonic for the fraught relationship he had with his father. But Solomon also shows us that Mozart was neither an idiot savant nor a psychological mess--in his relationship with his wife and his ability to manage a successful career he was remarkably normal. Rather than the center of the book, the psychoanalysis is a useful contextual tool. This really is the best single book on Mozart. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Nonfiction (Unabridged)   

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Reviews (3)

Shootout - From class to book to TV to DVD
Delta brings Shootout to disc
Do Nothing BOOk
Peter Guber has no business telling people this take on Hollywood,His huge ego is present on every page.Several more harder working people in the business found him to be a foul mouth jerk who complained all the time.I would go so far as to say the movies he bankrolled are shallow pieces of trash, put together by someone who belongs in the garbage

A Very Interesting Hollywood Book
I enjoyed reading "Shoot Out". It is filled with behind the scenes stories of how movies were made. This is really how the business of movies really happens.Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Fiction/Suspense Thriller    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. Business Aspects    5. Film & Video - History & Criticism    6. Motion picture industry    7. Motion pictures    8. Performing Arts    9. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    10. United States   

Editorial Review

Think of it as Read more

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Reviews (347)

This book annoyed me.
Ok so when I first started reading the book I thought all right this is ok.And the book went along and I still thought it was ok good at times but just a decent book.Then I finished the book and I realized something.Nothing had happened really.There was nothing to tell you what the overall plot would be for the triolgy it was just them going from once place to the other.Its like oh there is a ghost we should follow it, yeah because that is such a smart thing to do.This book just annoyed me so much because nothing happend in it.I don't really understand why so many people love this book.This book is average at best and not much else.

For the fifth time...
I was first introduced to Dragonlance my senior year in high school.I had spent the previous summer reading many Forgotten Realms novels, while at the same time listening to my friends rave about the world of Dragonlance.Dragons of Autumn Twilight was actually my second Dragonlance novel I read (the first one being Kindred Spirits) and from beginning to end, I enjoyed it.Dragons of Autumn Twilight is a great start to a wonderful trilogy.It was unforgettable characters, unique landscapes, and powerful villains.
Might be good if written by a high school student
I would really like to know the average age of the reviewers who rated this book favorably.
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Subjects:  1. Audio - Science Fiction / Fantasy    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Science Fiction - General    4. Non-Classifiable   

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Reviews (97)

Shakespeare is Full of Quotes
A careless reading of "Amusing Ourselves to Death" will reveal a string of cliches about the modern era of industry and sense of participation in it: that our politicians are image-focused, "news-of-the-day" is typically useless, and our preachers and teachers are entertainers primarily. This book is hack, if only in the sense that the ideas he presents were of grave concern to Plato. Postman takes that (1) truth is given form by rhetoric, (2) which is defined by the mode of expression, (3) and although historically authors were aware of the distinction between speech, image and text, with the rapid accumulation of new forms of meda we are no longer conscious of how they shape our dialogue, (4) and via the transformation of discourse into image-driven entertainment we are losing the context of content.
Desperate Networks
The cover art of headless viewers watching television says it all. My only brush with the late Neil Postman came when he spoke at the university I was attending in the northwest. A breezy east coaster, he was unaware of the need to step on eggs. During the questions, one woman said, "Mr. Postman, how can we help children have self-esteem?" to which he replied, "I don't want them to have self-esteem; I want them to esteem something other than themselves."
Interesting, but...
This is a very interesting book where the author builds a solid argument about the "downfall" of culture as we know it ever since we've had access to any sort of communication technology that came after the printing press (he condems the use of the telegraph and anything that came after it, but in his point of view, the TV is the worst invention ever created).
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Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Audiobooks    3. Influence    4. Mass media    5. Media Studies    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. United States   

Reviews (64)

Eternal truths (and lies)
This is the most candid and honest record of Trump's deals by the great master to date, or so it seems. This impression can be attributed, however, to the great job Tony Schwartz did on this book. Compare this to Trump's "How to get rich" and you know what I mean.
Written After The Early Years: Good Trump Entertainment
Let us give him his due. He has great style and tenacity and the nerve. This book was written in better days before his fall. I have visited a number of his buildings - which I understand that he was closely and personally involved in the design and construction - and they are beautiful.
For What Its Worth
You never know whether to ever really trust what Trump says or not. I actively avoided reading this book for some time. I just resisted it. I must have felt that it is a propoganda piece and I was right. It is just another win for Trump. Another chance to boast about himself and his competence. And the ironic thing is the lesson to be learned by the man on the street is exactly that. In real estate, it is simply connection and bravado after a certain level of core competencies have been achieved. This book does not go into the details of how to do what he has done.....as step by step approach beside being boring would have been ridiculous. First thing to do is go back in time and be born in a family where your father is a wealthy builder. And be born to a father who was historically in the right situation himself--building homes when the soldiers came home and started families. The second thing is go to the premier business school in the nation. After that, you do a few deals with your father and learn the business inside and out. After that make some connections through your father's friends. And the most important thing is to start your career and venture when the real estate market is absolutely deppressed. You can't help but make money.
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Subjects:  1. Audio - Nonfiction (Unabridged)    2. Business    3. Personal Memoirs    4. Rich & Famous   

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Reviews (3)

A very usefull method for pronunciation pratice
This book is very useful for students who want to improve their fluency in American English. The usage of sounds in contrast is a powerful tool for those that have some difficult for distinguishing English sounds. The authors go depth on American pitch and intonation, driving the student towards the achievement of true American accent, just like a native has!

An excellent pronunciation guide for any level!
I discovered this book in the library, and have since used it to teach classes as well as individuals.Some of my students have even used this book as a self-teaching guide.It is an absolutely wonderful pronunciationguide for any level of ESL student! THE GOOD: The book employs awonderful system for helping students learn the sounds of English.It haslists that differ by only one sound (ex. Sip & Zip) to illustrate thedifferences between similar sounds.It then tests the learners' hearing byhaving them choose which word they hear in a sentence where either wordwould fit!It goes on to provide practice with many words, sentences anddialogues.Then, after an activity, it summarizes all the ways that thesound can be spelled. THE BAD: There really isn't much!If anything, Iwould say that the mouth illustrations at the beginning of each chapteraren't really that helpful.And sometimes my students question me aboutthe phonetic spelling that is used to introduce a sound. OVERALL: Thisis an absolutely wonderful book that can be used with anyone - from truebeginners to advanced students!I would recommend it to anyone teaching orlearning pronunciation.If you are going to use it to learn on your own Iwould recommend getting the cassette tapes.

pronunciation pairs
I would like to know this book.Only the cassettes ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Language    2. Audio Adult: Language    3. English as a Second Language    4. Foreign Language Study    5. Language    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. ELT: specific skills    8. English    9. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

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Reviews (1)

An Amazing Deal for the Price!
This is a really comprehensive CD set - 6 cd's that take you from the basics to almost an intermediate level. Native speakers, clear concise dialogue, interesting cultural facts, VERB CONGUGATIONS (!) and enough time for you to listen and repeat after the prompts (eschuca et responde!)- I was pleasantly surprised! There is a little book with this set, although it does not cover all the 'dialogues' or lessons, it gives you just enough of the right information to see you through the next lesson. I have already recommended this to several friends! Just got through the 1st cd and I already feel more confident speaking!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Spanish    4. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    5. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    6. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    7. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Editorial Review

Among his many gifts, Joseph Campbell's most impressive was the unique ability to take a contemporary situation, such as the murder and funeral of President John F. Kennedy, and help us understand its impact in the context of ancient mythology. Herein lies the power of Read more

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Reviews (104)

What a Wonderful Book
Joseph Campbell knows his subject, mythology and religious stories, so well that you can tell it has become instinctual for him to tie all the world's imagery and symbology together in a way that connects human beings in a truly transcendent way. This book clarifies how similar we all really are, at the core of our beings, despite where we live and in what millenia we are living in. So full of rich, thought-provoking conversation, I would recommend this to everyone, from young to old. It is just an awesome book that makes you fall in love with humans and human nature -- bad and good alike.

Brilliant
Both Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyer create a must read from their historic interview.This book has become my blueprint.

A book that seems to make religious nuts bitter.
Well versed and thought out, this book stands out and has been used in many of todays religion studies.Though some of his points can be perceived as "stretched", he is still a scholar in his field.It seems that the people that often criticize him and his works have little to no experience or education on the subject at hand and do it solely on the fact that it sometimes criticizes the monotony of modern and ancient religion.I recommend this book to everyone. Read the book and make your own educated determination. It could open your eyes and your mind.Or you can close your mind, avoid the book, and start a "crusade" against the author for speaking his opinion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1904-1987    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    4. Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Campbell, Joseph,    6. Comparative Religion    7. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    8. Inspiration & Personal Growth    9. Interviews    10. Myth    11. Specimens    12. Talking books    13. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    14. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    15. Bargain   

Reviews (1)

A Very Useful and Practical Resource
I direct a language school, and speak Spanish already, but I bought this program because of some children who attend a total immersion program and who have been coming to me for exposure to Spanish outside the classroom. In other words, I have been using this program for non-native speakers of Spanish, not for Hispanics. Read more

Subjects:  1. Conversation and phrase books    2. Conversation and phrase books (for school employees)    3. Language    4. Spanish    5. Spanish language    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. Foreign Language Study / Spanish   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (164)

a true eye opener for personal safety
I think what I took away from reading this book was really a lesson in personal safety. I found myself really paying attention to everything going on around me and walking a little bit taller. This isn't for everyone but I found it a critical read living and working in the city at night. I actually was able to identify a bad scene unfolding in front of me and got my feet moving to avoid it. John Douglas presents the facts in a non-alarmist way while still putting great emphasis on what bad dudes are all about. This is a must read for anyone in law enforcement and anyone who likes to gain power through knowledge.

Good insights into human nature
This was a very interesting book describing the rise of criminal profiling in the F.B.I.John Douglas pioneered the combination of psychology and crimaal catching which has become so popular today, especially since Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs, which showed the public how this new science works (in an exaggerated form, of course).This book details how that science developed, what it's benefits are, and why it should be used, but unfortunately Mr. Douglas doesn't really tell us a whole lot about how exactly it works.He looks at case files, examines autopsy reports, then comes up with a profile of the killer.All of the cases he records in this book are cases he got right (one wonders how many he has gotten wrong, since he mentions having done hundreds and hundreds of cases, and he only mentions a few dozen), yet he never really bridges the gap between case file analysis and criminal profiling.Perhaps he doesn't want us to know, so that criminals cannot use that information to their advantage.If so, he should have explained himself, as the books cover and intro are rather misleading.
I CONFESS! I READ THIS BOOK!
Hey, I am not looking for a plea bargain here. I plead guilty to reading Mindhunter by John Douglas.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. Forensic Science    5. General    6. Investigation    7. Serial murders    8. United States    9. Popular psychology    10. True Crime / General   

Reviews (3)

French A Bit Rusty?
I hadn't taken French since high school (over 20 years ago!) and needed to brush-up quickly for a New Year's trip to Paris. After discovering French 3 (4 audio cassettes included) at the local library, I was so happy with itthat I decided to buy it. Incorporating helpful and natural dialogues forthe traveler, idomatic usage, verb conjugation and grammar, this book willget you there in a hurry!

Not an absolute turkey; Could be LOTS BETTER!!!
This product continues FRENCH 2.Wheras FRENCH 2 teaches "all the grammar you need to know", French 3 concentrates on understanding spoken dialog. Not an absolute turkey.Could be LOTS better!!!
This course in Advanced Conversation consists of 4cassettes.It comes with a 343 page book!Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. French    3. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    4. Foreign Language Study / French   

Reviews (11)

Japanese Language - Good book
The Japanese complete course as exceptionally good value. Well written, great audio and a dictionary to complete the needs of a beginner.
Boring without good grammar explanation
Although a lot of people seemed to have liked this book, for some reason I found it exceedingly boring and hard to work with. After all the pronunciation explanation, the first real lesson teaches you months and days of the week. That isn't really important...greetings etc. would be more important in my opinion. Besides the fact that remembering names of months and days is fairly difficult as they are abstract type things(12 months and 7 days makes 19 foreign phrases to remember right off the bat), and how often do you really reference them in real conversation? They then teach the compass directions north, south, etc. which i found completely pointless. How often do you say those in convesration? It's Useful for the Very Basics, but...
This is the book set I started with a year ago when I started learning Japanese. I have since looked at many basic grammar books, and I hesitate to say that this is the very best. It starts out slow and teaches the very basics of Japanese grammar very well, but once you get into topics like conjunctions, conditional phrases, etc., which I consider to still be basic grammar topics, the book starts to lack.Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. Audio-visual aids    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Japanese    5. Japanese language    6. Self-instruction    7. Sound recordings for English speakers    8. Study and teaching    9. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    10. Foreign Language Study / Japanese    11. Language self-study & phrasebooks