I still do not have the faintest idea as to why Disney could possibly make this book into a children's movie. First of all, I would rate the unabridged book itself "PG-13"...but anyway. This book, more popularly known as "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" (even though the plot circles around the Cathedral, not Quasimodo) is like a twisted "Romeo and Juliet" story sans star-crossed lovers. The real protagonist (in my opinion) is Esmarelda, the sixteen year old gypsy dancer. She falls passionatly in love with the chauvanistic stuff-shirt Captain Pheobus whotakes advatage of her love while meanwhile courting a young, rich noblewoman. Meanwhile, both Quasimodo the deaf bell-ringer and Claude Frollo the fanatical archdeacon fall madly in love with Esmerelda. So naturally things get quite chaotic when the gypsy is sentanced to death for "murdering" the captain. The action so is spectacular, especially the siege of Notre Dame, that I almost forgot I was reading it, not actually standing in Place de la Greve watching it all happen. Hopefully I don't give too much away when I say yes, there is a heck of a lot of dying going on throughout the book. This book, unfortunately, does have its long, slow, boring parts too...such as the beginning--just get through it and you'll be alright. And unless you are an ardent scholar of mideival architecture or French history, go ahead and skip the chapters titled "Notre-Dame" and "A birds eye view of Paris". P.S: my favorite part...Esmarelda's "marriage" to Pierre Gringiore, and also Gringiore's unhealthy obsession with the gypsy's goat

I still do not have the faintest idea as to why Disney could possibly make this book into a children's movie. First of all, I would rate the unabridged book itself "PG-13"...but anyway. This book, more popularly known as "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" (even though the plot circles around the Cathedral, not Quasimodo) is like a twisted "Romeo and Juliet" story sans star-crossed lovers. The real protagonist (in my opinion) is Esmarelda, the sixteen year old gypsy dancer. She falls passionatly in love with the chauvanistic stuff-shirt Captain Pheobus whotakes advatage of her love while meanwhile courting a young, rich noblewoman. Meanwhile, both Quasimodo the deaf bell-ringer and Claude Frollo the fanatical archdeacon fall madly in love with Esmerelda. So naturally things get quite chaotic when the gypsy is sentanced to death for "murdering" the captain. The action so is spectacular, especially the siege of Notre Dame, that I almost forgot I was reading it, not actually standing in Place de la Greve watching it all happen. Hopefully I don't give too much away when I say yes, there is a heck of a lot of dying going on throughout the book. This book, unfortunately, does have its long, slow, boring parts too...such as the beginning--just get through it and you'll be alright. And unless you are an ardent scholar of mideival architecture or French history, go ahead and skip the chapters titled "Notre-Dame" and "A birds eye view of Paris". P.S: my favorite part...Esmarelda's "marriage" to Pierre Gringiore, and also Gringiore's unhealthy obsession with the gypsy's goat :-)

The novel which is so poorly mistranslated as "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" is one which sadly few people have read. Disney has done this novel a great injustice. Hugo paints an elaborate and incredible picture of 15th-century Paris. The main character is not Quasimodo, the infamous hunchback, but rather the cathedral of Notre Dame itself. It is a complex and powerful character who shifts dramatically depending on who percieves it. Hugo is a brilliant writer; each image is beautiful, each line a poem. The book is four hundred pages of pure poetry. I highly recommend this novel for anyone who appreciates good literature.

The depth of material covered in this set is great, HOWEVER, I quickly discovered that this set is NOT for listening to in the car. That's the reason why I got it and this set just flat out REQUIRES you to read the book. After Chapter 1 on the tapes they basically just stop giving out definitions and explanations for things. There's still some degree of English in it, but it's mostly just to lead into the next chapter/section/exercise.

Seems like it would be a good set to study Japanese as long as you can read along with the book and don't need to have "both hands on the wheel."

I cannot recommend this book enough! If you are thinking of learning Japanese you may glance at this book, pass it up and go looking for the more recognised commercial courses. Don't! Admittedly, the title smacks of a gimmick "...In Three Months" but I don't think you are meant to take this literally, although with the right mindset you may be able to work your way through it in that time. This book used to be marketed under the title "Japanese Simplified" which may also be misleading and it certainly doesn't do this course justice. What do you get? In short, you get a useful 1000 or so word vocabulary which is, for the most part, presented in sentences rather than in word lists. All the basic, idiomatic grammar points are covered in a no-nonsense way. In fact, the focus is on grammar rather than on vocabulary. You learn the vocabulary through the example sentences in each grammar section. You get the chance to consolidate your knowledge with translation exercises, and finally, in each chapter you get a couple of idiomatic dialogues with language and culture notes. In short, I think this is the best course you could choose if you want to learn spoken Japanese and you are serious about it. That is an important point, because if you are serious, you will be motivated to work through the grammar. Don't fall into the trap of believeing you don't need grammar. To study a language properly you need the grammar. If you want a book that will teach you the Japanese writing system then this book is not for you, although it does include an appendix with basic street signs etc, and hiragana. This is what the "Simplified" in the original title means. You will learn god spoken Japanese here. Finally, if you really want to study a language properly you need tapes, and HUGO provides! There is a four tape series with this book that I strongly recommend you buy, especially if you are studying on your own. The only negative comment I have to make is about the English announcer on the tapes. If the tapes are the same as the original version, then you will feel as though you are a little child being admonished by an old fashioned public school headmaster! I find it irritating the way the voice talks down to you but maybe HUGO have changed that for the version you see here. Still, all in all, a very good programe.

This book is one that I have found very useful for learning the language, especially with the cassettes. It is a no-nonsense approach that provides many sentences to illustrate the context and meaning of a word or structure. Although the vocabulary may be considered limited by some people I think that it constitues a great approach to learning the spoken language seriously. It can give a great head-start before or whilst working on the script from other sources and by the end of the course the student can expect to have a reasonable working knowledge of the language.

The story is totally written in the first person, of a man condemned to the scafold, never the reader being told about who was the man and which crime did he commit. As the days passes, the end approaches and we begin to feel ourselves in that man's skin, suffering with him, groping for some way out of his whole misery. I suppose this is a book which must have caused a lot of controversy and anguish at the time of its first publication, but I am afraid that the impact is not the same today, with a lot of books and films showing the same theme, only changing the dreaded guillotine for the terrible electric chair. The book is a libel against the death penalty, something Victor Hugo did not manage to achieve in his lifetime.

After reading Les Miserables I bought The Last Day of a Condemned Man, I was not expecting an masterpiece like Les Miserables and, because of that, I had such a great surprise, it's a short book but with an energetic message, it shows the horrors of the condemned, the psycological efects in his person when hes own daughter do not recognize him, everiday expecting only death, and with feeling, truth and talent, Victor Hugo show us why the penalty of death is horrendous to anyone.

I originally read the French version of this book, with a preface (which is probably in the English translation, no doubt) that is an essay of the reasons to abolish the death penalty. Abolishing "la peine de mort" was the point of this book, published in 1830, a year before Hugo published Notre-Dame de Paris (a.k.a. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame); Hugo was 27. The essay logically spells out why the death penalty should be abolished; the actual narrative of the story - a journal that the main character keeps of his every thought and feeling in the six weeks from his sentencing to the moment before he is taken to the Place de Greve to be guillotined - moves the reader emotionally. What was relevant in France in the 18th cent. is relevant in the U.S. today.

How do I know this book is not as good as it should be?
Well, I have a very similar DK "ultimate" book for bicycles. That one covers everything from all the different bikes & accesories to the skills & techniques required for good riding, as well as general maintenance.

THIS motorcycle book has none of that. 90% of the book covers various motorcycles, most of them old cruisers, with just a few points on each one. It has only about 18 brief pages at the end to discuss the workings of a motorcycle and other things such as tyres, clothes, etc. That is just not enough.

This book is simply a summary of various motorycles from a historical perspective (with hardly any included from the "sports-bike" category). Not only that - all the bikes are old ones starting from 100 years ago. None of the newer sports bikes are covered in any sort of real detail. But aren't they one of the most popular [if not THE most popular] types of bikes? (I don't know, because I'm new to this) Any book worthy of using the word "ultimate" is the title must be both well-balanced and very thorough. This book is neither.

If you want my opinion, do not buy this book if you have not seen it. I can't believe everyone else rated it so highly, unless of course they're the sort who get nostalgic reading all about a bunch of old cruisers!

This book has great photos, no dark areas or confining borders to the photos, and intelligent text that always complements the main features--the motorcycle photos. Though mainly an exposition of the many types of motocycles in the world, this is also a history book touching on vintage bikes, famous racers, and facts about changing technology that have made certain bikes pathbreaking achievements of engineering. There is only a two-page section on motocross, the same volume of pages allocated to scooters. No elaboration into the sub-phyla--or sub-classes--of arena cross or supercross. But that's not a big deal, because what you have here is well worth it on its own. Wilson includes a great layout of "Electrics and instruments" which is reminiscent of Gray's Anatomy, in that it looks like a dissection scene from biology class. He lays out the electrical system of a motorcycle (street bike), looking like nerves branching out of a spinal cord. This is an innovative way to present this, with the amber, red, and white light covers and the battery cell covers still on. Only someone obsessed with this subject matter could have done this, which has the benefit of rubbing off on less-devoted adherents of the sport and the products who still need to be motivated by reading this book. And by simply studying it. Way more than words here. This is the lifetime achievement superstar reception room table favorite book in our law firm. Amazingly, no client has stolen it yet.

"The best spin-off from the invention of the wheel is, without any doubt, the motorcycle."

Whether you are a rider, someone who likes to admire motorcycles, or are curious to learn more, this book is for you. The book balances the "lure of the open road" mystique of motorcycles, with solid history, and gorgeous photographs of important and well-known models.

The first few pages look at how Gottlieb Daimler developed the first motorcycle. You will also see impressive photographs of a replica made from the original drawings. From there, Mr. Wilson teaches us about how engines developed, and where they were located in the design. Then, the issues of other needed technologies are explored (like brakes, suspension, and safety features). Original black-and-white photographs vie with color advertisements and beautiful color side views of motorcycles for your attention.

The main section of the book looks at the history of the world's motorcycles, by geography. Each page is crammed with views of motorcyles from ever angle, photographs of riders, and lots of specifications and other interesting details. Major parts of this section cover the United States (Harley-Davidson, Police Motorcycles, Henderson, Custom Bikes, Indian, and Other Classics), Germany (BMW, DKW, Sidecars, MZ, Munch, NSU, and Other Classics), Great Britain (AJS, Brough-Superior, BSA, Norton, Triumph, Speed Records, Velocette, Vincent HRD, and Other Classics), Italy (Benelli, Ducati, Gilera, Scooters, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, and Other Classics), Japan (Honda, Touring Motorcycles, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha), and a few bikes from Austria, Czechosloakia, France, Scandinavia, and Spain. The strength of this section is that many brands are covered. The corresponding weakness is that not very many models can be displayed for each brand.

The most exciting part of the book for me was the section on Motorcycle sports. These include Grand Prix racing, Superbikes, endurance racing, T T racing, Motocross, trials, speedway, desert racing, American racing, drag racing, and sidecar racing. Just looking at these exciting bikes is enough to make you wake up, and sit and stand up taller.

The final section displays key points about how the various parts of a motorcycle work.

Mr. Wilson is lucky to have been able to draw upon the Motorcycle Heritage Museum in Westerville, Ohio for models to illustrate the book. We are fortunate to be able to see them also.

If you just want to see Harleys, you will prefer Mr. Wilson's outstanding book, The Ultimate Harley-Davidson.

Looking at these marvelous machines made me think about other ways we can enjoy the wind in our hair and a feeling of freedom. If you like those experiences, have you ever tried other means to enjoy them? How many can you find? Which ones are even more fun than motorcyles? For me, a small boat on a choppy ocean going full throttle racing to get close enough to identify a humpback whale is an even better joy.

Now, consider what experiences are even more enjoyable than "wind in the hair" and "feeling free" in the form you like best . . . and are safer. How can you enjoy them more often? Can you enjoy any of them just by looking at a book?

Exercise your imagination to open up more possibilities for seizing all the juice life has to offer!

If you expect a book about sex and people, this ain't it. This is pretty much just a story about soldiers in the wooden ships and muskets age, with some women thrown in for bonadage slave sentiment, with a few sex scenes - those mostly sordid. The art is okay. See his other titles for truely sexy books - Gullevera is a quick, neat, sexy, fairly clean romp for adults who like naked women but also enjoy women who aren't always naked.

I have always enjoyed the marvelous line of Manara; it's so simple yet exquisite. And admittedly this is my first experience with anything by Pratt. The story has a lot of potential given the setting and the characters, and moves along rather well, but everything sure seems to end abruptly. So, I enjoyed it, but it shouldn't be rated 5 stars.

You could just pick the up the book, browse and enjoy the art of Manara.
After you settle down, the story is engaging and it makes you feel for the characters: Tom Browne, an english drummer boy; Molly Malone, an irish prostitute; Matthew the hunchback and Aureliana, an argentinian girl.
All these while Argentina dreams of freedom from Spain and the British empire profits from it.
Manara does superb art, teasing the eye while Pratt keeps the story going.
A must have for Manara lovers!

What more can you say to attract a reader than this book is the story of a southern lawyer who begins as a member of the Ku Klax Klan in Alabama and ends his career as one of the most respected members of the United States Supreme Court. WOW! The truth IS stranger than fiction.

This book was written by one of Justice Black's former law clerks on the Court. It is well-written and gives great insight into the man, his methods, convictions, passions, and flaws.

Highly recommended for those who are fans of the Court's jurisprudence during the era of expanding protection of individual rights.

Justice Black was (and is) a fascinating study in American constitutional theory -- an unabashed and lifelong Democrat, Black surprised many, especially toward the end of his life, when he often refused to join in the Warren court's adventures into judicial activism. Newman's biography is comprehensive, touching on all the key points of Black's life both on and off the bench, including a lenghty examination of his now-famous First Amendment jurisprudence. Black emerges in three dimensions, as a complicated and passionate advocate and jurist. Three minor flaws: first, Newman, obviously in awe of Black, occasionally misses an opportunity to fairly criticize some of his opinions; secondly, the book does not always flow smoothly, but often advances in a rough, staccato fashion (a venial flaw, considering the complicated subject matter). Finally, toward the end of the book, Newman becomes somewhat overly-sentimental - hardly a page goes by without Newman describing the "tears pouring down Black's face" as he recalls his youth and public service. Again, given the author's clear love of his subject, this is forgiveable.

Overall, a fantastic book - a must read for any Supreme Court scholar.

This is a towering work on the life of Justice Black, who, more than any other man, shaped our concept of what civil liberties were in the late 20th century.

While author Roger K. Newman clearly worships Justice Black, he isn't blind to the almost inexplicable inconsistencies in Black's thinking: how, for example, the civil libertarian who fought to extend the prohibitions of the Bill of Rights to state action could dismiss the importance of the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable search and seizure! Newman's account of Black's voyage from lifetime membership in the Ku Klux Klan to champion of equal rights is a much more clear-eyed look at the inherent contradictions thereof than Black's own fumbling efforts to explain his paradigm shift.

The author strikes a delicate balance between the intricacies of legal reasoning (of probable interest only to law students like myself) and simple storytelling which will fascinate the uninitiated. He tells you enough, but not too much!

This book amply fulfills the primary purpose of all recent histories--it gives the reader a much clearer understanding of how we got where we are today from where we were at the turn of the last century.

This is an *adaptation* of the original Les Miserables by Victor Hugo that has been streamlined and simplified. It is arguably "dumbed-down." At any rate, it's not the real thing, so if you are looking for Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, move on. As for Les Miserables, it's an incredible book. So, for folks who wouldn't otherwise pick up as thick a tome as the original Victor Hugo classic, or any of its more judicial abridgements, this adaptation serves its purpose--to tell Hugo's timeless story of Jean Valjean, who spends ninteen years in prison after stealing a loaf of bread and who spends the rest of his life trying to become a better man. However, for readers with a little fortitude, the real thing is recommended. Why? Because there's just too much in the story to condense into this 287-page volume. While some long, irrelevant tangents (such as the description of Waterloo) will turn off some readers, and are excluded or downsized in abridgements that hover at around 600 pages, there is too much that is missed in editor Jim Reimann's albiet it mostly faithful version. Little things. Things that add detail and depth and impact to the canvas on which the story unfolds. For example, Fantine, the poor woman-turned prostitute in desperation whose daughter Valjean adopts, keeps her disreputable profession, but Hugo's stark and moving summation of her burial in a paupers' cemetary--"Her grave was like her bed--public."--is not included. This is probably in the cause of keeping the story focused on the movements of Valjean, but not to get to know the other characters is a loss. Another caveat, this adaptation is a "Christian" book, designed to be marketed to a religious audience. While the original also contains much of God, there is less of a specifically religious agenda behind it. Particularly a Protestant point-of-view. For example, a woman who emerges from a "cathedral" in the original Hugo exits from a "church" in Reimann's version. Does it affect the story? No. Readers are just being coddled by being given only terms which they themselves use and identify with. Ironically, Les Miserables doesn't need to be marketed to a specific group: people the world over--from the Western world to Communist China where Les Miserables is immensely popular--find it resonates in their own lives. Though it is a daunting book because of its length, there are accessible translations (look for the Penguin Classics edition, translated by Norman Denny, for more "modern" language), Reimann's adaptation is only one of a range of options. If it brings people who wouldn't otherwise experience the story, it's doing a good thing, but it's still a shadow of the real thing. Be aware that an adaptation is significantly different from a translation in that more material is cut than from a simple abridgement and editorialization or molding of a story to fit an interpreation can occur. So, if you've already tried and just can't do it, this edition does contain the basics of the story, but for the actual factual Les Miserables, take on the complete original, or failing that, a longer abridgement (not adaptation).
Two and a half stars for this adaptation.
Five stars for Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

Victor Hugo authors a controversial and exciting novel based on the journeys of the escaped convict, Jean Valjean. While freeing himself from imprisonment, Valjean creates a new life for himself as the mayor of a small town in France. During his reign, he befriends a prostitute by the name of Fantine, who is on the brink of death and desperately needs to see her fatherless child, Cosette. Valjean's identity is being questioned. He is torn between maintaining his reputation and dooming an innocent man. Because of his decision Valjean and Cosette are forced to retreat to a convent where Cosette is raised. As she matures, Cosette is intrigued by the outside world and persuades Valjean to move into the city. While in her new environment Cosette falls in love with a revolution leader, Marius. With the threat of abandonment Valjean forbids the relationship from developing. A revolution is brewing in the backround of the story, causing character and plot shifts. As the story develops each character bestows their own twist on the plot. What interested me most in the novel was how each event revealed the struggles and irony of humanity.

Les Miserables is a masterpiece. That goes without saying.

But I must pause to disagree with Nicole Wood's 'description' of the story. Have you, Ms. Wood, ever even read the novel? Perhaps you read a 25 page children's tale resembling the story. Or possibly, you merely watched the movie.

I have recently read the entire, unabridged version of Les Miserables, and though I must admit it was a translated version, I have read the book by two different translators and therefore have been able to discern the differences between the two translations. I have also seen the popular movie, with Liam Neeson starring as the infamous Jean Valjean, and Uma Thurman depicting the doomed Fantine.

The events you describe in your review of the book, Ms. Wood, are inaccurate. They simply did not occur. They did, however, occur in the movie. Did you, then, merely watch the movie, and review the movie as one who would review a book? Or are you slightly confused as to the events that occurred in the movie, and those that occurred in the book?

Dear reader, I advise you to read the book for yourself, in its full, unabridged form, and untranslated if at all possible. I won't disclose what happens -- that is a part of the joy of reading, to not know what will happen next! But I will say that Victor Hugo is a master storyteller, and this is one of his books that proves it. I can not blame the movie for taking liberties -- how can a two hour movie describe the events and feelings that occur within a 1200 page book? But, I do ask, that if you have not actually read the book, please do not contrive to know and understand Hugo's storyline and the sparkling personalities that he has given to the characters in the book.

Only by actually reading the book, will you know and appreciate the true story of Les Miserables. I tell you now, that it is not the movie, just as it is not the book described in Ms. Wood's description. Read it for yourself, and find out exactly what it really is. It's worth it.

I felt sorry for the duke, he must have been such a lonely man.....He never got any compliments from his father or his family. They all seemed so far away from each other. No wonder he fell in love with Wallis, she paid attention to him, this is what he needed, someone to treat him with respect and high regard, no wonder he abdicated....He wouldn't have to abdicate,but the P.M. at that time was a very vicious and ugly person who was JEALOUS of King Edward, he wouldn't even allow the king to speak to the other members on his own behalf...Queen Mum was also jealous and vicious, she did not like Wallis, because she was divorced and an american, she would not allow King George to communicate with the duke after he was exiled. The people all wanted King Edward to become King, they all loved him because of his charistma and his feelings for the common people.Edward and Diana were very much alike and treated VERY BADLY by their so called "royal families". Edward and Diana had more "guts" than all the royals together. King Edward would have been a "great" king, thanks to Queen Mum and her coldness toward Edward and Wallis caused him to live in an empty wrld. All the worl loves "lovers"and the Duke and Duchess were the lovers of the 20th century. How many people can have such a love????????I really loved this book and read it over and over.....

I can't help it. Even though I believe that the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor were probably two of the most self-serving people ever to exist on the face of the planet, I find them totally fascinating. And this book lets us into their domaine. Imagine a man so totally mesmerized by this woman, that not only did he leave her a fresh flower on her pillow every night of their married life, he slept surrounded by photos of her (separate bedrooms). There were 10,000 photos of them in his bathtub (covered with a mahogany top. He ONLY showered.) that were discovered after her death. That means for the duration of the time that they were married, they were photographed approximately 300 times a year. Every year. The photographs of the refurbished decor in the Paris house were fascinating. Too bad everything was sold after Dodi & Diana's death. This book is truly a window into a lifestyle that no longer exists.

I was very impressed with the photography and the information contained in this book. Wallis Simpson is amazing, she comes off as more chic and more royal than any of the royals. Fascinating inside look into that very glamorous era, and it's most powerful couple.

Science-fictional dragons were popular in the 1960s. The decade also saw the first of Anne McCaffery's Pern stories, and Avram Davidson's "Rogue Dragon". The dragons of Davidson and McCaffery are very different from each other, and Vance's dragons are different from either again. To be honest, their connection to the dragons of mythology is minimal, which is fine, because they're solid enough beasts in their own right: frightening, murderous juggernauts which ... but I touch upon a plot point. -And Vance's world of Aerlith is as substantial as McCaffery's Pern or Davidson's Earth. It certainly shows off Vance's fecund creativity: in one short novella we are introduced to two utterly different human civilisations, a genuinely alien race of aliens different again from either, plus the beasts, and behind it all we feel the weight of the centuries and centuries and centuries with millenia in between that separate these people from us. If anything their is too much background for the story.

But I don't think that's it: I think there's too little story for the background. There's almost constant warfare; and while I wouldn't want any of it removed, I would have liked something else besides, such as humour, and the feeling that behind the warfare there is such a thing as everyday life, two things which are easy to find elsewhere in Vance's writing. I think Vance could have included this and *reatained* the feeling of relentless savagery that is one of the novella's strengths.

Worth more than three stars if you find it collected with something else; and if you like anything else at all by Jack Vance, you shouldn't hesitate before reading this, as well.

I admit it. . .this book is not much into details and I was left with the feeling of wanting more. However, there is a lot crammed into a small number of pages that can be easily read in one sitting. I enjoyed the inability of two completely different races trying to comprehend each other. Each thinking the other is superior. Each enslaving the other. Dragon's breeding humans into war machines and vice-versa. All very interesting.

Joez Banbeck is the cool headed leader of Banbeck Vale. Ervis Carcollo is his brash nemesis. On a world far from home, leading an army of battle hardened dragons, Joez must defend his people from the ambitious Carcollo, and the threat of alien invasion.

If anyone knows where I can get a copy email me.

This book is a good road map to Danish...it does an excellent job of explaining grammar and sentence structure.

What makes it frustrating for a beginner like me, however, is the way it approaches vocabulary. I've learned several other languages, and I like to learn new nouns in groups ("animals" "professions" "rooms of the house")

This book throws huge groups of unrelated words at you as it goes about explaining sentence structure, and I found them almost impossible to keep straight.

I ended up keeping a separate notebook to organize them myself!

Another important point: Pronunciation is the most difficult part of Danish, so I'd recommend buying this book WITH the cassettes. I bought the book alone, and now to get the cassettes - which are really necessary - I'm going to have to buy another copy of the book!

This book is an excellent introduction to learning the Danish language. However, several misspellings are present within the text. As this can be a problem, I would recommend to EVERYONE to get the accompanying cassettes which compliment the course. This would also act as a good precautionary due to the fact that at the beginning, Danish is often very difficult to understand until your ear has been finely tuned to the sounds of the language. Aside from the mistakes, the text gives a simple and easily understandable approach to grammar and also to the vocabulary. The course uses such things as humor and fairy tales to teach the language, along with several model sentences and short dialogues to hear the language spoken at a normal rate of speech. Having the cassettes comes in handy the most with these dialogues. All in all, this is an excellent intro to the language, and one can deal fairly well with Danish after completing the course, as it expresses both formal and informal usage of the language.

I have tried just about all of the beginning Danish language courses on the market and this one is my favorite. It moves quickly and covers a lot of material, so I'm glad I tried some of the other courses first, to give me a basic introduction. This program does a good job of teaching conversational Danish while introducing the essential grammar rules a little at a time. The authors have a good sense for what is essential and what can wait. It teaches many colloquial expressions and rules of Danish sentence construction, so I am now able to create my own expressions and not just parrot back the ones I have memorized. The book has a few misspellings, as other reviewers have mentioned, such as "hi" in chapter one--it should be spelled "hej"--but I catch the occasional errors because I also work with a dictionary. (There are very few). The four cassette tapes are an absolute must. We English speakers will never get Danish pronunciation right unless we hear it spoken by a native. You will find that native speakers in Denmark slur their final t's more than the speakers on the tape (Danes make a a sound on some d's and t's that only Danes can make--it is NOT "TH," as all the books claim). But the extra careful pronunciation on the tape is useful for learning the language. This is the only tape that enunciates carefully enough so that I can tell the difference between words like "dansker" and "danskere." Another reviewer complained that the word lists are not grouped by topical subject type. That reviewer missed the fact that the words are grouped according to which spelling and conjugation patterns they follow. That is very useful for memorizing all those confounded endings on Danish nouns and adjectives. This program makes me hopeful that learning a foreign language is possible and easy with a little daily effort on my part. It is fun! I'm driving my family nuts, talking in Danish around the house. The other excellent beginning course that I am using is from Rosetta Stone--but it is a lot more money.