While this is definitly an informative book, it is more of a reference book as opposed to a book which will teach you the language with little or no Russian background. If you're already a student in Russian, this would make a good supplemtent to your studies. It is nice to have for a quick reference in the confusing or more subtle points of Russian grammar. However, if you have no background in Russian, I doubt that this book would be a good starting point.

What no one has mentioned here yet is that there is a grammar workbook by the same author that acts as a companion to this grammar book. This was a recommended work when I was doing a degree in Russian. It is a good and thourough work on the Russian language that you will, undoubtedly, find useful. However, I think that there are some sections that really need more detail. First of all the (painful!) verbs of motion need more clarification and explanation in relation to the variations used by Russian speakers. There have been whole books written on verbs of motion so the little that has been devoted to it here is not enough in my opinion. There have been times in my own interaction with Russians when I have been corrected in my use of a verb of motion even though what I said was grammatically correct. We need to know when and where to use them. Secondly, the section on perfectives and imperfectives and the way affixes are used is just not advanced and thourough enough. If you are going to spend your money on a grammar book you want the full story, don't you? Examples used tend to be from Soviet/Russian press, which is Ok, but also from authors such as Chekhov. I think it would be better to stick to modern sources as much as possible instead of gining readers the idea that what they may be learning might be older style Russian. I think that all the examples will be perfectly OK in modern Russian, but I think you should consider the impression you give readers as well as the actual information. Still, a good book and a good combination if used with the grammar book.

Wade's "Comprehensive Russian Grammar" is no doubt the best work of its type for English-speaking students of Russian. It deals exhaustively with virtually every aspect of the language and gives copious information which should satisfy the curiosity of both intermediate and advanced students of the language. Some American learners might have a bit of difficulty with "Britishisms" such as the use of the first-person future "shall" instead of "will" and a few other such things, but this is no significant barrier. Once in a great while there are a some very peculiar usages in the English translations of Russian utterances (such as "I'll give you argue!" and "I'll give you gallivanting around!" on page 301) which are incomprehensible to Americans (and perhaps also to British people), but such problems are rare. All in all, this work is the answer to the dreams of serious English-speaking learners of Russian.

I gave it a star for the cover. Inside, there is little to draw from and would make for another coffee table book soon to be recycled. Sorry, but thumbs down.

Being an avid reader of magazines for as long as i can remember, i found that this book was very informative on the reasons why they are so appealing: with many interesting examples of avant-garde magazine designs, or just simply intelligent concepts, this book is a must for any magazine addict. A great addition to my library!

one of the best magazine design books, hands down. this book showcases the most progressive magazines out there as well as some nicely designed spreads. more than just pictorials, it goes into what each magazine is about and the concept behind it/cover. well designed and a great resource