German: How to Speak and Write It

This is probably the most delightful, useful and comprehensive elementary book available for learning spoken and written German, with or without a teacher. Working on the principle that a person learns more quickly by example than by rule, the author has put together a book that abounds in immediately usable German sentences and phrases on a wide variety of subjects.

The student will find pleasure in the amusing sketches and drawings used to imbed new vocabulary firmly in the student’s mind, in the many excellent photographs of cities and landmarks in German-speaking countries, and in the glimpses of German culture and custom subtly interwoven into the conversational material.

This book, though eminently useful for self study, is especially amenable to classroom use or study with a private tutor. The variety of teaching aids that this book places at the teacher’s disposal is remarkable. The lessons contain dialogues, grammar and idiom studies (replete with examples), and extensive practice exercises. In addition there are 28 full-page and double-page sketches of specific scenes (a harbor, a zoo, a theatre, etc.) with pertinent items numbered and identified in German and English; sketches and photographs, which the student is asked to describe in German; German proverbs, jokes, etc.

The dialogue and reading material encompass an exceptionally wide range of real-life situations, and are extended to include most of the basic vocabulary one would need in each situation. It is a very comprehensive book.