Book Description
Anyone can read, write, and speak Spanish in only a few short weeks with this unique and proven method, which completely eliminates rote memorization and boring drills.
Original B & W illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Best beginner's book! Helped me a lot.......2007-09-21
I'm very happy I came across this book. It is probably the best of all 20-something Spanish learning books I own. It is FULL of information and exercises that will help anyone who wants to learn learn quickly and quite easily. Like other people have said, I am surprised I've retained so much information. Because of this book, which goes through a lot of the verb tenses and a lot of the common verbs as well as vocabulary (from the beginning of the book, you find out you actually already know hundreds of words in spanish, because they're the same in english: words with certain endings), I'm able to express myself and have conversations with others without making errors because everything is explained so well and she shows the english equivalents, and the little reminder cards the author tells us to make to glance at when we have a moment as well as the variety of exercises and tests help me a lot to remember what I've learned. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn the language. It will help get you off to a quick, solid start. Even though Magic Key is just a book, the author has a pronunciation key that is very useful. Ex) The ll (double l) is pronounced Y as in "yes". Because of that and the reminders throughout the book on where to stress syllables for different words, I'm much more confident when I speak than I would otherwise be. If you are interested in learning the language and you know either nothing or are just a beginner with some knowledge, I highly recommend that you add this book to your learning library! After going through this book, I went through the "Practice Makes Perfect" Verb Tenses and Pronouns and Preposition books which really helped me with more in depth grammar. I think those books are best to learn after a book like Magic Key though because I think Magic Key will help *prepare* you for more in depth grammar books.
The best for older ones to learn.......2007-08-31
This is the 1st review I have ever written but, this book is so good I had to tell you. I'm an older one and had bought many, many different books, CD's for computer and Car to help me learn Spanish. But they all wanted to bog me down with the verb tables. I barley remember the specifics for English verbs. This book teaches you how to use the verbs correctly without all the rules. From the very beginning to the end it gives practical help. I appreciated learning the many words I harldy know in Spanish section and how to recognize them. The best book for anyone that just wants an easy way to learn how to communicate.
Great service.......2007-08-23
This book was shipped to my missionary son who will be teaching in Spanish. Great service. Thanks so much.
Good but.......2007-07-18
The book is good, however I feel that Madrigal spent too much time on the past & present tense & not enough on the more difficult ones, the imperfect, conditional, imperative & subjunctive. Seems like she rushed through those tenses.
This book delivers everything it promises EXCEPT for one thing . . ........2007-06-10
The jacket of this book says that it will teach the user how to read, write and speak Spanish in just a few short weeks. It also promises to teach the student how to convert English into Spanish in an instant; start forming sentences after the very first lesson; identify thousands of Spanish words within a few weeks of study; travel to Spanish-speaking countries with confidence and comfort; and develop perfect pronunciaton.
I have improved my reading, writing and speaking with this book. After a few short lessons of this book, I also found it easier to form more sentences in Spanish. The book also teaches you how to increase your knowledge of Spanish vocabulary by showing you how to easily change many English words into Spanish words. One technique teaches the student to convert English into Spanish by taking words that the student already knows that end with "ist" and changing the words to end with "ista" in order to form words in Spanish. So since you already know the English words "dentist," "artist," "communist," "pianist," you also know the Spanish words "dentista," "artista," "comunista," and "pianista." I found that this technique and similar techniques that this book taught me were very helpful. Concerning the book's promise to enable the reader to travel to Spanish speaking countries with confidence and comfort, I really don't know. But I will find out later this summer when I take a cruise to Mexico.
There was only one thing that I didn't find that the book did not do a good job of as it had promised. It promises to teach the reader how to "develop perfect pronunciation" by using the book's "handy pronunciation key." The book's pronunciation key was somewhat helpful to read but don't count on it helping you to "develop perfect pronunciation." You will need a lot more that than this book to accomplish that. For developing perfect pronunciation I recommend using Learning Spanish Like Crazy Level One and Nivel Dos. The Learning Spanish Like Crazy lessons have helped me to develop close to perfect pronunciation in a natural way. I am so confident about my pronunciation in Spanish that I don't need the approval of native Spanish speakers to compliment me on my accent. When I listen to other Americans that are learning Spanish or Americans that supposedly already know Spanish, and I hear them speak my reaction is WOW! My accent sounds so much better than their accent from using LSLC. But the one drawback of LSLC is that it didn't help me much with reading and writing. For reading and writing, you will need this book to fill in the gaps. I also recommend the FSI Programmatic Spanish courses for learning how to read and write in Spanish.
Average customer rating:
- Good Book- but not worth the price
- Great start to learning French
|
Magic Key to Spanish
Margaret Madrigals
Manufacturer: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Spanish
| Instruction
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Study & Teaching
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0385051204 |
Customer Reviews:
Good Book- but not worth the price.......2006-01-08
This is generally a good approach to french and could help you make some elementary progress, however by the time i got it i had already studied french for 6 months so I didn't learn a lot of new things. The book is out of print and very difficult even fing a second hand copy. In my opinion you should spend over the top to get this book and I dont believe that it is worth more than £30. There are a lot of equally good french books available on Amazon.
Great start to learning French.......2005-07-29
See the reviews for Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish; they all apply to this book. Too bad the book is out of print. I bought an out of print copy for $50.00 here on Amazon and it has been the single best entry level book I have used for learning French. Madrigal's Magic Key to French goes well with Michel Thomas or French in Action. Also check for Madrigal's book See It and Say It in French.
Edit: This is a great book at $50 or less. It's good, but not as good as some of the going prices ($200-$700). For $700 you are better off buying the French in Action videos or the Pimsleur CDs.
Book Description
" The Night Club Era should rate as a Broadway Koran. Other books on the subject are unnecessary if they agree with it, wrong if they differ from it, and in either case should be burned." -- Alva Johnston, from the Introduction
Written in the aftermath of Prohibition, Stanley Walker's The Night Club Era is a lively and idiosyncratic account of the people and places that defined New York's night life during the era of "the great American madness." Here we meet murderers and millionaires, gangsters, bartenders, celebrities of the stage, screen, and society, and a host of other colorful characters who populated the city's diverse night clubs, from El Fey to the Cotton Club. Walker relives the "night of incredulous sadness" on which the Volstead Act went into effect, visits a classic speakeasy, discussing the owner's delicate arrangements with policemen, prohibition agents, and bootleggers, and details the frequently brutal swindles practiced in the city's numerous clip joints and the tactics of the era's crime organizations, explaining precisely what happens when one is "taken for a ride." Among the larger-than-life night club habitués Walker sketches are Owney Madden, the elder statesman of the city's rackets; Walter Winchell, America's most influential columnist and the "brash historian of our life and times"; Mayor James J. Walker, who typified the gaudiness, smartness, and insouciance of the city he ran, yet was never too refined to shoot dice on hotel room floors; and Texas Guinan, the beloved entertainer, hostess, and entrepreneur who greeted customers with her trademark phrase "Hello, sucker!" Vividly told, The Night Club Era offers a singular, serious -- though never sober -- history of New York City during Prohibition.
Amazon.com
Frantic and entertaining in a guilty sort of way, Nights of Ice is like Endurance on steroids. The book presents eight true stories of disaster and survival involving commercial fisherman off the coast of Alaska (said to be one of America's most dangerous occupations). Included are tales of subzero temperatures, 100 mph winds, 60-foot-high waves, boats encased in ice and capsized, men trapped underwater, and other horrors. Author Spike Walker, who interviewed many of the survivors in compiling this book, is no stranger to such tales of the high seas; he worked as a commercial fisherman off the Alaska coast and wrote about it in Working on the Edge.
Nights of Ice begins promisingly enough but unfortunately gives way to a sensationalism that cheapens the whole affair: "At that moment, Bruce Hinman's past life flashed before his very eyes. Launched instantaneously through time, he watched the events of his life play out before him...they flashed and froze there in his consciousness, in a kind of nostalgic collage of all that had once mattered in his life." As a result, there are a lot of unintentionally funny moments. Despite its problems, though, Nights of Ice is fun to read, and lovers of true-adventure stories or those interested in the dangers of the Alaskan fishing industry should enjoy it. --Andy Boynton
Book Description
Spike Walker has spent more than a decade fishing in the subzero hell of Alaska's coastal waters. This collection--coming on the heels of his classic memoir Working on the Edge--is a testament to the courage of those who brave nature's wrath each fishing season, and to the uncontrolled power of nature herself... The crewmen in Nights of Ice face a constant onslaught of roaring waves, stories-high swells, and life-stealing ice. Tested by the elements, these seamen battle for their vessels and their lives, on every page evincing a level of courage and a will to live seldom found elsewhere in modern society.
Customer Reviews:
Deadliest Catch.......2007-10-02
A MUST READ for anyone interested in surviaval, Adventure, Commercial Fishing or just a great read! If you like the show Deadliest Catch you will love this book!
Must Read for fans of "The Most Dangerous Catch".......2007-07-28
Better than anything that could be shown on TV - you feel each and every up and down of the ship as Spike Walker spins the yarn of the life of each and every Berring Sea fisherman... must purchase "Working the Edge" also by him FIRST before reading this book. Like to see it available in a normal paperback format also for easier reading.
For "Deadliest Catch" junkies!.......2006-06-19
As a huge fan of "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel I'm very interested in learning the true stories of these fishermen. Watching the show reminds me how easy my life is and kinda boring too! Spike Walker's "Nights of Ice" is a non-fiction compilation of stories about rescues of fishing ships in the waters around Alaska.
He does a good job painting a picture of the dangers involved for both the stranded fishermen as well as the rescue workers. Reading this book gave me a better insight into the world these men live in - and the daily dangers they face. It reads rather quickly - and is a very easy to read book.
My one complaint about "Nights of Ice" is that the author tends to lean toward melodrama when describing much of the action. It just seems exaggerated to slightly beyond belief. My other caution would be, the stories start to sound alike. Boat in trouble, men in trouble, rescue made.
I would have liked more of the day to day living experienced onboard, as well as the actual near-death (or in some cases death) faced by the fishermen.
entertaining subject--marginal writing.......2002-09-05
I read this on a trip to Alaska, so I got into it's "spirit" on location. The stories are quite entertaining, but when writers make junior-varsity comments and mistakes, it makes me wonder about the veracity of the actual stories:
1) Does everyone see their entire lives flash before their eyes when they are near death?
2) Some guy's one-year old child asks him if he is Santa Claus upon his return from an ordeal at sea. Clearly Spike has never spent time with a one-year old; not only can very few of them speak more than a word or two, but this one is so eloquent and knowledgeable that he thinks the old man is Kris himself!
3) The helicopter pilot makes it to a "small village airport" just before running out of fuel (which means it must have been between 5-10 minutes from the rescue locale since they only had 30 minutes of fuel left before the rescue attempt(hmmmm), but somehow a C-130 can get in and out of there to send them home while the chopper gets an inspection (hmmm hmmmm).
I'll leave it at that...
Nights of Ice ... Spike Walker is great read.......2001-04-04
Having lived my entire life in and around Seattle, In March 2001, I ventured North to Alaska to visit my daughter and her family. While there I picked up "Nights of Ice".
Spike Walker's subject matter is, first of all, relevant to anyone who has lived near the sea. The Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, as one non-fisherman said, "I can't drink it all and I'm damned sure I can't swim that far."
Life at sea in a boat, rolling and plowing through the next wave, gets into some folks blood. I'm sure it's that way with fishermen and women but the money don't hurt either. In any case its a perilous life.
Nights of Ice takes us along for a ride with people, real people, who have experienced the worst the sea has to offer. Walker's intimate knowledge of workin' the boats has us searching for lights in a "can't see your hand in front of your face" stateroom, attempting, frantically, to pull on the survival suit. We are terrified of the boat goin' down with us still on board. We gasp for air and our heart seems to stop when we hit the 37 degree water. We, along with actual survivors, use every ounce of strength and resource our bodies are able to muster in order to survive.
Nights of Ice and its individual, sometimes heroic, stories are an adventure in itself.
Customer Reviews:
Red Blooded Commies and Southern Belles...I Declare!.......2007-08-15
I like HARD CASE CRIME. I love it. I love that they not only publish superb new fiction, but also reprints of classics by such authors as Cornell Woolrich, Lawrence Block, and Charles Williams. Which is why I can't understand why they would reprint this very far-fetched and dated pulp about a guy who, very stupidly, gets involved with a strange mix of desperate characters with an even more desperate plot.
Without spoiling anything (and it's hard to even use that term here because if you read the first 50 pages you can figure out the ending for yourself) I'll try to sum this book up for you. It seemed like Donald Hamilton tried to play off the big "red scare" of the '50s and incorporate this halfcocked premise into a thriller about a naval reserve officer (who isn't much of a hero or anti-hero, but just a guy thrown into a bizarre situation) who is hitchhiking to his base and wakes up in the hospital with bandages on his face and an annoying southern belle who's referring to him as her husband.
The southern belle is easily one of the most poorly written characters I've ever read. You know how you know she's from Georgia? In NIGHT WALKER she says "I declare" and "I reckon" more times than Samuel L Jackson lets off f-bombs in his flicks. Apparently she's very dirty too (not sexually...of course she's a tramp, but she also wears dirty clothes and such)...not appealing at all. Less appealing is the other female in the book: a red-headed tomboy who doesn't let anyone do anything for her. Between her and the trashy southern belle who considers the kitchen her only TRUE place, I don't think Donald Hamilton had a high regard for women at this time.
Considering the majority book is back and forth between the southern belle and the naval reserve officer, it's all very uninteresting until you get to the final three chapters and everything is revealed in the only action packed scene in the book. I honestly can't understand why this was reprinted at all. I'm sure one of Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm books would have been a more fitting and interesting addition to the line.
The only plus side is I finished this one in less than a day, so it moves pretty quickly. Which is good cause you really don't want to stay with it for too long.
Just not very good.......2007-05-25
So far this is my least favorite of the Hard Case Crime books that I've read (of 12, I believe). Just didn't work for me...
Stalking the Night.......2006-05-13
A friend turned me on to Hard Case Crime books and this is the first one I read. I could not figure how a writer could write an entire book about a man with a bandaged face mistaken for a dead man while taken in by the dead man's wife. But Donald Hamilton pulled it off. I had trouble putting the book down and still keep thinking about it.
What I also liked, beside the interesting characters, was the way the writer kept switching thing, neat twists and turns. I don't want to give away the plot any more but this is a very good book.
As good as ever -.......2006-04-22
I really thought I'd probably read this book the first time around. I certainly read a lot of Hamilton's non-Matt Helm books when they were first new, but this story didn't ring any particular bells for me. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable reading all the way through. Maybe having lived through that era of Communist paranoia renders the story more believable now, when other forms of paranoia are even more rampant.
It's wonderfully well-written, with enticing, believable characters and a plot that makes as much or more sense as anything newer, so what's not to like? To be sure, I was a bit taken aback by the ending, but it's merely one variation of many that were possible. Really, I think it's a 4 1/2 star book.
Kudos to Hard Case Crime for keeping these older gems polished and lively!
A slow-going soft-boiled novel.......2006-03-09
The excellent, gripping first chapter of NIGHT WALKER is sadly the best part of the book. The tale slows down considerably and shifts into a rather muddled mess afterward. A Navy officer is called back to active duty and gets a ride while hitchhiking only to be attacked by his presumed samaritan. With a battered, bandaged face he is forced to play the role of his attacker, a ruse he goes along with for no good reason other than the fact that he just doesn't want to go back into the military.
A vague mystery unfurls as he's drawn into a web of deceit by his "wife", a nefarious doctor, and his innocent neighbor who suspects the truth but doesn't know what to do about it. There's some hooey about communists, drop-off points for Washington attaches, and other dubious plot points, but the worst is the psychological hokum used to explain away a major contrivance.
Average customer rating:
- I have given this book to so many friends!
|
The New Middle of the Night Book: Answers to Young Parents' Questions When No One Is Around
Anne Walker Smalley
Manufacturer: MELD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Marriage & Family
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Babies & Toddlers
| Parenting
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
Child Care
| Parenting
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Parenting
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Parenting Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0967647002 |
Book Description
Meld's most popular book has been completely revised and expanded - and now speaks to both young moms and dads.
This handy reference guide offers over 165 illustrated pages of clearly written, up-to-the-minute information about parenting during the first two years of life. Over 28 personal planning worksheets and checklists are included.
Topics include:
Preparing for parenthood (Thinking back, looking ahead, new roles, shared parenting plans, communication, support, etc.),
Pregnancy (What to expect, prenatal care, decision-making, getting ready for baby, labor and delivery, birth control plans, etc.),
Newborn care (attachment, infant development, basic newborn care, soothing crying baby, postpartum issues, etc.),
Feeding Baby (All the basics and more for babies six months through toddlerhood.),
Health and Safety (Well baby checkups, preparation for illness, emergencies, working with baby's doctor, childproofing, etc.),
Growth and Development (Parent-child interaction, child development, learning, temperament, security, self-esteem, play and toys, independence, guidance and discipline, literacy, child care, etc.)
The New Middle of the Night Book helps young parents and parents in general build on their strengths and opens the door to leaning more by anticipating their questions and offering encouraging and respectful answers.
The easy to use format makes this a helpful reference for parents as they ponder those middle-of-the-night parenting questions.
Customer Reviews:
I have given this book to so many friends!.......2002-05-10
The Middle of the Night book is the most comprehensive guide to parenting that I have found. It is a valuable tool, not just for young parents, but for new parents of any age. The information is so practical and easy to read... I have given this book to every friend that I have who I hear is expecting.
Average customer rating:
- Ridiculous collection of drival
- Girls' Night In
|
Girls' Night in
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| Classics
| Contemporary
| General
| Historical
| Humor
| Letters & Correspondence
| Middle
| Old
| Poetry
| Renaissance
| Shakespeare
| Short Stories
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Girls' Night Out/Boys' Night in
ASIN: 0006514855 |
Customer Reviews:
Ridiculous collection of drival.......2007-09-03
This has to be one of the most boring collection of short stories around. I read the first book like this & it was somewhat better, but this one is droll. Not worth the penny that I paid for it, even.
Girls' Night In.......2004-11-29
An excellent collection of stories by women. Great British humor! It is a great way to discover authors I did not know before. A good read, great for a night in!
Average customer rating:
|
Night Walker
Jean Hager
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| African American
| Asian American
| Classics
| Collections & Readers
| Drama
| General
| Hispanic
| History & Criticism
| Humor
| Jewish American
| Letters & Correspondence
| Native American
| Poetry
| Short Stories
| Women Writers
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Hager, Jean
| ( H )
| Authors, A-Z
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Grandfather Medicine
-
Ghostland
-
Seven Black Stones (Molly Bearpaw Series , No 3)
-
Masked Dancers
-
The Fire Carrier (Mitch Bushyhead Mystery)
ASIN: 0312051387 |
Average customer rating:
- This is a great book!
- Grandparents delight!
|
Little Monkey Says Good Night
Ann Whitford Paul , and
David Walker
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Bedtime & Dreaming
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Apes & Monkeys
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Circus
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Music
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Picture Books
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!
-
You See a Circus, I See...
ASIN: 0374346097 |
Book Description
Never has saying good night been so much fun
Before he goes to bed, Little Monkey insists that he has to say good night to all the performers under the Big Top tent: Ringmaster, Elephant, Strong Man, the Clowns, and, of course, Mama. In the process he becomes part of the performance himself – until finally even Little Monkey can’t delay bedtime any longer, and there is only one last good night to be said – “Good night, Me!”
Pictures packed with funny antics, whimsy, and affection capture all the charm of Little Monkey – while this simple, playful text will have even the youngest listeners chiming in with their own “Good Night!”
Customer Reviews:
This is a great book!.......2005-03-03
Both of my kids love this book - it is fun and simple, a "good night" favorite at out house. We liked the illustrations so much we purchased a second one to frame the pages for the baby's room.
Grandparents delight!.......2003-08-14
We are always looking forward to Ann Paul's next work and stock up on them as gifts for our grandchildren. Little Monkey is another winner, might be the best we've seen for the age group!
Average customer rating:
|
Jazz Blues Guitar Solos (book and CD)
Larry McCabe
Manufacturer: Santorella Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Guitar
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1585606618 |
Product Description
The excellent solos in this book are performance-quality improvisations on jazz-blues standards. If you are a rock, folk, country, or blues guitarist looking to advance to the next level, these solos will help you develop more variety in your phrasing, improved familiarity with the fingerboard, a vastly improved ear, and enhanced conceptual abilities.
The solos are for guitarists with intermediate, or better, skills. Each tune is arranged in standard notation and tablature, and recorded note-for-note on the companion CD.
Solos: Alberta; Careless Love; Corrine, Corrina; Every Night When the Sun Goes In; Hesitation Blues; Jada; Lonesome Road; Make Me a Pallet on the Floor; Nobody's Business; St. James Infirmary; Sporting Life Blues; Willie the Weeper.
Books:
- Map of Maui: The Valley Isle (Reference Maps of the Islands of Hawai'i)
- Mastering German Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach (Mastering Vocabulary Series)
- Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Laminated Cover) (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Laminated))
- Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary
- Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, Freshly Updated
- Mount St. Helens: The Eruption and Recovery of a Volcano
- New Concise World Atlas
- NEW PRACTICAL CHINESE READER TEXTBOOK 4CDs Vol 1
- Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook
- Philip's Pocket World Atlas, Fifth Edition
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- This Is Not the Life I Ordered: 50 Ways to Keep Your Head Above Water When Life Keeps Dragging You D
- New Perspectives on Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Comprehensive, Second Edition
- Harrison Ford
- James Dean: American Icon
- Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture
- Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the People's Temple
- Maya Nature : An Introduction to the Ecosystems, Plants and Animals of the Mayan World
- Miller GAAP Practice Manual 2005: Levels B, C And D
- Knowledge Management: Concepts and Best Practices
- Welding with Children: Stories