Italian in 32 Lessons

A very useful book for studying Italian on your own or supplementing a class. The explanations are clear, there are lots of good exercises, and it doesn't overwhelm you with the complexities of the Italian language but introduces them a few at a time.

Author Adrienne tells you in her introduction that "beginners are not imbeciles." That's both a compliment and a warning. The outstanding virtue of this book is that it is packed with exercises, some of them translation and some of them Italian-to-Italian. The presentation is concise, but if you've studied a European foreign language before Italian, nothing should be too strange here. I've found other Italian self-teaching books to be too long on cultural information. If you enjoy grammar and are serious about learning Italian, this book has all the drills you need!

I've found this book very helpful. It's very concise, straight-forward, and covers a substantial amount of material. The one downside is that it might be TOO concise for some people. It moves at a quick pace, and for someone trying to gain a fluent knowledge of Italian, this book alone is not enough.