Grammaire Progressive Du Francais Textbook + CD-ROM (Beginner) [French]

My beginning French class at the Sorbonne, and I believe all the other beginning classes, used this workbook. That, in itself, says something about the quality of this book. It is all in French, so you are forced to think in French from the beginning, but it is simple enough that you won't get lost for the lack of English explanation. Each lesson contains just enough new grammar rules without too much, and exercises to reinforce your study. It also has pictures and a layout that's okay on the eyes. I absolutely love this book and brought it back with me to the States, even though I'm well beyond the level, just to have it around. This book is perfect for the complete beginner, but if you studied French in a previous life or are a motivated learner, you may want to get the blue "niveau intermediare" book instead of this one, as there is much overlap of material. Having said that, I was very motivated when I started studying French, yet I'm glad to have used the yellow, not blue, book at the start. I found French quite daunting at first and found the slower pace of the yellow book suited my needs well.

This challenges you to figure out French from the first--as a native speaker did. No English, but you can deduce what to do with just a little effort and common sense. My French friend recommended it--she teaches adults privately, and it is excellent!

The volume is one in a series of interestingly presented grammar exercises which definitely build on themselves.