Product Description
Step-by-step, these twenty lessons, with charming and helpful illustrations, will enable you, regardless of previous language training, to read, write and speak in German in the shortest possible time.

The Cortina Method has been time-tested and is the quick, easy and natural way to learn a language. It has received the approval of teachers, students, schools, colleges and business firms all over the world.

Guide To Pronunciation And Spelling
Explains how to pronounce the sounds, words and phases of the language through simple phonetic symbols based on English spelling. Rules of spelling are also explained.

Twenty Conversational Lessons
These lessons include useful vocabularies and everyday conversations. Alongside of each word and sentence is given the correct pronunciation and English translation. Easy-to-understand grammatical footnotes are combined in this Method to make your language study effective and interesting.

Complete Reference Grammar
Provides a complete and clear explanation of every rule of structure. It is cross-referenced with and adds to the explanation in the conversational lesson footnotes.

Bi-Lingual Dictionary
German-English/English-German Dictionary contains all useful words and terms you need to know, so you can locate them easily.

Over 2,500,000 Cortina Method language books have been sold.

Free cassette in German to the buyer of this language book starts you speaking German almost overnight! Cortina Institute, originator of the recorded method of learning languages, would like you, as a student of the Cortina Method, to have one of their language cassettes. Therefore, you have this special opportunity.
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Customer Reviews (4)

Still very efficient language book
Although older this is a very good language book. German other than English is quite static regarding everyday conversation, idioms and expressions.Good language books like this one are rare!

Good but Outdated
In need of a thorough revision because it doesn't take into account the recent spelling changes and changes in usage over the past 10 and more years.The grammar summaries are well organized and useful.If you need a place to quickly look up German grammar, the second half of the book is excellent.

Easy & Fun way to learn German!
Just glance over the vocabulary a few of times & then go for the dialogue.(Of course, read over the translations to help you out).You'd be amazed how quickly you'll begin to pick up vocabulary and sentence patterns.After reading each lesson over a few times -- here & there -- in a matter of two to three days, you'll be ready for the next lesson. I became hooked, because it was fun to look forward to what the next lesson would be about.The dialogues are interesting and, meanwhile, you'll be gaining a wealth of knowledge in vocabulary, and also how Germans form their sentence patterns (not quite the same as English)!Read and enjoy!!

Excellent Resource
I have been trying to learn German for some time.I've used several books, but I've found that this is the one I can actually sit down and work with.It provides connected, conversational text in German.I canpractice translation to or from English with it.Each lesson provides anextensive vocabulary.At the back of the book is a detailed grammar, andeach lesson makes reference to different sections of the grammar.However,it does not force the grammar into the text.When used in conjunction withthe available cassettes, I've found this to be faster and more fun than anyother German book I've used. ... Read more

Product Description
The 27 world-famous tales in this collection have inspired countless adaptations in many languages. They have also become, for millions of people, an integral part of childhood. Included are such favorites as "Hänsel and Gretel," "The Brave Little Tailor," "Cinderella," and "Little Red Riding Hood," as well as less familiar tales such as "The Danced-Out Shoes," "The Golden Bird," "The Six Swans," and "Mother Holle."
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Customer Reviews (8)

Great, thank you!
I got my book in a very timely manner, I felt the price was reasonable, and the condition (new) was excellent. Thanks!

Learning the Language
I am VERY happy with this book as it has facilitated my learning to write in German.It is exactly what I wanted doing exactly what I needed it to do.

Unterhaltsam
Das Buch ist nicht schlecht fuer jemand der noch viel Hilfe beim lesen braucht und in der englischen Uebersetzung nachschauen kann wenn es Probleme gibt. Die Geschichten sind unterhaltsam. Die Sprache ist zwar etwas altmodisch aber die Unterschiede zu modernem deutsch sind nicht so gross das dies ein ernstes Problem waere.

Ebenfalls gut gefallen haben mir Sagen und Legenden (German Edition) und Die schönsten Weihnachtsmärchen der Welt: Christmas Fairy Tales in German (German Edition).

See my list "Great German Books".

An Engaging Way to Learn to Read German
This dual-language edition of Grimm's famous fairy tales provides an accessible, immediate translation of German and English. Also, because fairy tales often include repetition of various scenarios or actions, the reader has a chance to become familiar with new words and expressions during the reading. Use of idioms and elements inherent to German culture that are contained in the writing also contribute to a fuller understanding of the German language and perspective.

Useful, but it could have been much better
Similar to other reviewers, I bought this book in the hopes of improving my German. I've had around two years of German classes, which I think is about the right stage (i.e. intermediate student) for taking on a book like this. The stories do not use complicated words and it is convenient to have the translations on the facing page. The book helped me with vocabulary and sentence structure. It makes a nice change from a workbook or from trying to read a normal German text with continual recourse to a dictionary.

However, this book could have been much better. The editor seems to have put a considerable effort in describing the history of the stories and remaining faithful to the 1857 version of the Grimm brothers. I suppose this is nice for folklorists but it isn't so helpful for students of German, particularly those interested in the modern language. In other words, a version of the stories which uses the most modern German expressions would probably be more helpful for a student of the language.

Another annoying aspect was the editor's decision to remain faithful to the original paragraphing. At least one story (Danced Out Shoes) is only one paragraph. It is good idea to remain as faithful to the original German edition as possible, unless there is a good reason not to, such as to make smaller paragraphs for easier reading.

Finally, I saw only 7 footnotes. These appear to be directed to the student and it would have been nice to have had more. It would also have been helpful to have a section at the end of each story explaining new or difficult words/expressions.Beyond the translations and the 7 footnotes, there is nothing further in this book to help the student. That's a shame.

If you do buy this book, I suggest visiting [...], where you can download a number of the stories in mp3 format, read aloud by native speakers. The stories at vorleser.net appear to use more modern expressions than the stories in this book. Also, many if not all of these stories, English and German, can be found online for free. If you want to spend an hour or so surfing the web, you can probably put together a word document that has all the stories in this book, with English translations, and which includes some other stories as well. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the same course developed by the Foreign Service Language Institute to train diplomats and other government personnel. An in-depth course for students, this program stresses development of conversational skill, vocabulary, pronunciation and mastery of grammar. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Completed a set that lacked the book
I appreciate parts of sets being offered for sale.
We purchased a used set of Barron's Mastering German, knowing it was incomplete, but with the expectation of being able to complete the set.

Language arts
If you are thinking of buying the Mastering German series... DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK...! The Series comes complete with the book inside. I was suckered into this purchase by Amazon as a suggesteditem. "People who have bought this product also bought this too." well, let me tell you, i thought it was a lousy trick. The book itself is great, but, who needs two exactly the same books on a subject..? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Great way to purchase school books.....online!
buying books online is way better and a necessity with the skyrocketing costs of school books now!the big difference is the fact that they are cheaper online and now they are shipped super fast so it can get into the student's hands in time to study for that first assignment!

satisfactory
the product was a reasonable price and shipped on time im happy with the purchase

English Grammar for Students of German
I used this book in my begining German class in college and found it to be extremely helpful. It is easy to follow and read. English is one of my worst subjects in school however, this book helped me not only in German class but helped me get a better understanding of English grammar as well. I am more confident in my English classes when it comes to grammar just from using this book in my German class for German grammar.

Great for basic review of Grammar
This is great book if you need to go back and review basic English Grammar and a comparative study of English Grammar and German Grammar.E.G. English speakers are not accustomed to putting the verb and the end of the sentence. There are other books out there that give a better overview of German Grammar, however, this does a great job of comparing the two and just a basic review of Grammar in general.

A nice addition
I've been learning German with Rosetta Stone which is an immersion method and doesn't go into explaining the grammer (at least not yet anyway).This book was very helpful in explaining the German grammer, and easy to understand.I could see how this would be a very useful book for anyone in a German class. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

simply wonderful!
This is great stuff! I developed better-than-decent proficiency at both French and German, starting from ground zero, working with these books for only a week or so. I would prefer a few more rules frankly stated as such: I found that I had to infer rules from what at first seemed like irregularities or surprises in a sample text. I don't know how the author(s) managed, but the odd assortment of dialogues is evidently sufficiently ingeniously chosen that one builds a strong practical vocabulary--certainly to make oneself clearly understood and to have educated foreigners truthfully tell you that they're most impressed with the extent of your command of language X. Warning: German will prove somewhat more difficult than French, as the conjugations are more detailed, the genders are more numerous (three versus two), and the declensions of adjectives and nouns will definitely present an onerous burden that one never fully gets used to. (BTW, the older printings were preferable--I'd rather have an honest green overcoat with the German or French text than have a black-and-white overcoat with an arrow pointing to it that says in English, "Um, er, pretend that this thing here is colored green.")

Helpful
This is a good book as long as you have someone that you can work with. I had a partner but no longer and my friends can tell I haven't gotten much better since then, can't hear out loud.

Not what I expected, and NOT for new students of the language
I recently jumped head-first into learning German, and purchased this book along with the Pimsleur Conversational German 16-CD set. I cannot get enough of the CD's, but this book is really poor in my opinion. I was hoping the book would be a good reference companion to the CD's in order to help clarify some things, but no dice. It should be noted that the copyright date on this book is 1950, which becomes very evident within the first few pages. Much of the phrases and words are very outdated and are barely used in Germany anymore. Some of the phrases presented in this book didn't even make sense to my German friend who lived in Germany most of her life! For instance, WHY would I need to learn "I shall get up early, so to speak with the chickens"? or "In the department store, you ask for the department store you are looking for"? I'm not kidding, this and other useless, outdated phrases are liberally strewn throughout this book. If you want to take a trip back in time, and already know German, this book 'may' be refreshing. If you're trying to learn the language on your own, and want to actually understand how to speak German like someone born within the last 40 years, I would look for something else. (I'd HIGHLY recommend audio tapes or CD's where you can HEAR someone speaking the language and practice with them. It worked wonders for me!)

Besser gibt's nicht!
I have lived in Germany about 10 years now and this is without a doubt THE best book I have found. As a person still learning (aren't we all?) and a German instructor the format used in the book is very fitting. You learn German like a young child would. The horrible grammer is slowly interjected as you progress. Certainly a two-thumbs-up book!

Sehr Gut!
This book is very good.I am currently learning German with a friend and am a complete beginner.This starts off well, teching you feminine, neuter, and masculine tenses and throwing in vocabulary, and 5 new numbers a lesson.All the lessons are formatted around a theme.However, the pronunciation guide in the beginning is a little lacking and, if you are teaching yourself, you will need to get a couple other books. I also recommend Joseph Rosenburg's German:How to Speak and Write it, German in 10 minutes a day by Kristine Kershul, and a good dictionary. ... Read more

Product Description

Unlock the riddle of speaking and interacting in German

German Demystified provides you with a solid foundation for building conversation skills in that language. You can go at your own pace as you are guided through thefundamentals of communicating in German. Organized around everyday themes such as meeting people, making plans, and talking on the phone each chapter features an in-depth dialog presented both in the book and on the audio, coverage of essential communication skills (such as asking a question or making comparisons), review of key grammar points, and written and verbal activities to reinforce new communication skills.

Product Description

Product Description

See it. Hear it. Speak it.

Turn your iPod into a portable translator and put 1,500 German phrases in your pocket.

Instead of just listening to the latest hits, you can use your iPod to hear and see 1,500 essential German phrases. It's as simple as listening to a song by your favorite artist:

1. Go to “Artist”--Choose the theme you want.
2. Go to “Album”--Select your topic within the theme.
3. Select the phrase you want to hear—you will not only hear the phrase but see it on your iPod screen!

Designed for use with iPod.
Also compatible with Zune and most MP3 players. See manual for details.
Contains one MP3 audio disc and 64-page booklet.
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Customer Reviews (2)

iSpeak German Phrasebook
Another very good iSpeak Audio Phrasebook for the iPod or Zune from Alex Chapin. Again, as with the iSpeak Spanish Audio Phrasebook, installation is quick and easy with very detailed instructions.And, you do not need an iPod or a Zune to use this on your home computer.I purchased this for help with learning basic German and I highly recommend this product for it's content, organization and the overall quality of the product itself and the packaging.

Great pronunication guide...
The iSpeak series works well to assist you with pronunciation... on the German product, the speaker is a very neutral female.

Not by any means the definitive way to learn a language, but this material can be invaluable bc of it's portability.I purchased the Spanish version also to refresh my skills for my next trip to Latin America.

Good stuff.Inexpensive.Highly recommended!
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Product Description
German Quickly: A Grammar for Reading German is a thorough, straightforward textbook with a sense of fun. It teaches the fundamentals for reading German literary and scholarly texts of all levels of difficulty. It can be used as an introductory text for scholars with no background in German, or it can serve as a reference text for students wishing to review German. The grammar explanations are detailed and clear, addressing common problems students encounter while learning to read German. This book includes thought-provoking and entertaining reading selections consisting mainly of aphorisms and proverbs. There are also twelve appendices, including a summary of German grammar, descriptions of German dictionaries, a partial answer key, strategies for learning German, and a humanities vocabulary section of about 3,800 words. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Better for teaching yourself than German for Reading Knowledge
My purpose is specifically to compare this product with Korb/Jannach German for Reading Knowledge, 4th edition. I first purchased German Quickly and read it through twice. I found the explanations clear and thorough and the exercises and reading selections enjoyable. Then I started reading academic (Biblical Studies) German and found that my vocabulary was insufficient. Several months later I am nearly finished reviewing German for Reading Knowledge, 4th edition. I find that it provides many of the key abbreviations and scholarly words that I had teach myself over the last few months. Overall, I am very happy with the way this worked out. Wilson's text is more user-friendly if you are teaching yourself (because it spells out grammatical points a little more and has easier practice), but the vocabulary and reading selections will not prepare you as thoroughly for academic German. If you are teaching yourself and have a little extra time, why not get Wilson first and then use Jannach as a review/supplement? There's no question that you will learn the language better by using both books than by using only one, whichever it is.

There are two primary reasons that Wilson is easier. First, in the reading practice she gives you difficult vocabulary in parentheses in the text, while Jannach gives it in footnotes. Second, Most of Wilson's sample sentences and readings deal with the humanities, including many German proverbs and stories. The sentences and readings from Jannach cover a wider range of topics, and in general seem more scholarly. Jannach is also, therefore, a little more boring in my opinion.

I can understand why most teachers prefer Jannach - because the reading selections and vocabulary are better, and they can make up for the slightly-less thorough grammatical explanations by expanding on them in class. Plus, there are a handful of serious typos in Wilson which are corrected on an insert rather than a new printing of the book. If you purchase Wilson, make sure you add the corrections as you go along so you don't end up puzzling over a typo for a half-hour like I did.

This book needs some work!
The book covers essentials and a diligent student 'could' learn a lot from it.BUT there are far too many errors in even the latest edition.Furthermore, the author appears to have a rather low opinion of Germans and the German culture; she constantly utilizes quotes and proverbs that paint the German mindset as unwaveringly depressed and negative.Also, who ever heard of Fritz Martini?Citations from his writing appear in most chapters but his writing is obtuse and needlessly difficult.It's not as though every German knows him and his work.I suspect the author studied with him at some point and is attempting to keep his name alive... a name that would otherwise be quickly forgotten!

There must be a better book that does the same thing as this one more effectively.

Too Many Errors
Before purchasing this rather expensive aide to reading in German, people should be aware that the text is riddled with errors. While a two-page list of Errata is included, the situation is frustrating and directly affects the usefulness and reliability of the text.

Best German Textbook I Ever Bought.
By J. Hahn (daughter)

I am currently reading "German Quickly" a third time, for my self study, and because I have benefited from it so much, plan on continuing to refresh with it a few times over.
Any foreign language is difficult, but there are ways to make study easier and "German Quickly" is definitely the way for German. I rely on it very much and it has really started me reading in German.
Everything in the book is useful and necessary, without complicatedly unnecessary explanations -this is because of the helpful layout and order of the book.
While studying "German Quickly", the exercise sentences were a pleasure to do. They are proverbs and passages from real German writers and poets. The book really does cover (even complex) German grammar for reading thoroughly but still quickly. By the end of my first reading of "German Quickly" I was able to read the provided passages of the Bible, Nietzsche, Kafka, Kleist and so on.

Also, April Wilson recommends in "German Quickly" some German books for further reading practice -I found the recommendation "Dichter, Denker und Erzahler" (by Ehrlich and Heller) extremely useful and between the two books, I found I was able to teach myself to read quite proficiently.

I absolutely hope you purchase "German Quickly" if you have not already, because it will save you a lot of troubles and give you a lot of enjoyment.

Great book / better than Jannach's / April can tutor you

In this review I wish (1) to explain why April Wilson's German Quickly is an excellent book, (2) to mention why it is better than Jannach's and Korb's German for Reading Knowledge, and (3) to make some comments about why April herself is also very helpful (I don't know about Jannach and Korb!).


(1)Why April Wilson's German Quickly is an excellent book

In general the great merit of German Quickly is the way in which April introduces new words or grammatical concepts in the context of other ideas and words that you already know.This approach is crucial because it allows you to focus precisely on what needs to be learned right now without having to look up every other word in the sentence.Whereas most books throw you on the bike and say, "Ride," German Quickly provides you with training wheels first; the result by the end of the book is successful riding without training wheels and without having crashed and burned months before.Very practical.Also, this method of contextual learning most closely mirrors what it is like to translate a passage in "real life," where your understanding of the parts of the passage give you a sense of the whole, and your sense of the whole sheds light on how you should translate the other parts.

One example of such "contextual learning" is the way in which German Quickly helps you acquire the newly learned vocabulary or grammatical principles by setting those items in the context of proverbs or adages so that you can guess at the meaning of the second half of the sentence by means of comprehending the first, or vice versa.So, for instance, in the sentence, "Haste is the mother of imperfection," your understanding of one part of the sentence helps you guess at what kind of words occupy the other part of the sentence.Contrast this adage with a sentence like "My mother is hasty and imperfect," where understanding one half of the sentence sheds almost no light whatsoever on what words might occupy the other half of the sentence.

Another way in which German Quickly provides you with training wheels before making you ride is by couching new words and principles in an ongoing story about one Fraulein Meier (FM) and her mailman.As you learn more about FM and the mailman from exercises, you come to understand their relationship, and that allows you in later, more complex exercises, to have some sort of an idea of where the sentence you're working on is going, thereby allowing you to focus on the principle at hand.

A third way in which German Quickly does the same is by asking you to translate passages with which you might already have some familiarity, such as some passages from the Bible.


(2)Why April Wilson's German Quickly is better than Jannach's and Korb's German for Reading Knowledge

The main reason why German Quickly is better than German for Reading Knowledge is because German Quickly makes use of the above-described contextual learning to an extent that German for Reading Knowledge does not.In German for Reading Knowledge, the sentences used in exercises tend not to have an internal relation (as in proverbs), nor a relation to other sentences in the book (as in the story between FM and the mailman), nor to other passages with which you might already be familiar (as in passages from the Bible or quotes from Shakespeare).Each sentence tends to be a world unto itself, and consequently you have no foothold in trying to translate it.This requires heavy use of the dictionary and, accordingly, you often miss precisely what the sentence is trying to make you learn.

Also, I find that German Quickly does a better job of graduating your understanding so that you are constantly equipped for the increasingly difficult passages that you must translate as the book progresses.In German for Reading Knowledge, by contrast, the beginning of the book is very easy, but then the later parts of the book are nearly impossible.

Finally, and anecdotally, as a doctoral student in philosophy I worked my way through German for Reading Knowledge twice, each time also taking a class on reading German.After the first round I took and failed my program's six-hour German translation test.After the second round I took and passed the test, but only at the master's degree level.Then I worked my way through German Quickly, finally passing the exam at the PhD level.Whether I would have passed the first time around having just used German Quickly I cannot say, but I am qualified to say that German Quickly is a superior book.


(3) April herself

April provides her email address on p. vi of the book.Early on I emailed her to ask if by chance I could get a complete answer key for all of the exercises in the book.(German Quickly includes a partial answer key, but for people like me studying on their own, I highly recommend the complete answer key, which I used in checking all of my answers.)She replied promptly with the complete answer key and asked me to keep in touch about my progress.

A couple of months later I wrote her again to ask if I could hire her as a tutor, the idea being that I would translate passages similar to the ones I would face on my program's exam, email the passages and my translations to her, and then speak with her over the phone, during which time she could correct my translations and tell me what further study I ought to do.For a very reasonable fee she agreed to help me out in this way, and her tutoring was extremely helpful in terms of working with me specifically on tough philosophical passages and pinpointing my weaknesses so that I knew where to focus my effort.Before writing this review I asked April if I could mention that she sometimes takes on tutors (even long-distance tutors like me), and she said yes.So you could contact her if you need some extra help, and she might be able to work with you for a reasonable fee.

I am very grateful to April for a good book, for tutoring me, and for helping me to complete the last step on my way to becoming ABD: the German translation exam! ... Read more

Product Description
Contains over 1200 phrases and 2300 words, organized by situation and colour-coded for ease of reference by both holidaymakers and business travellers. The book includes: a phrase-linked dictionary; an easy-to-use phonetic system to assist pronunciation; and the basic rules of grammar. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Magnificent German Phrase Book!
Worth every penny.I had this book a long time ago,but lost it.I am pleased to have it back now.If you are looking for a good phrase book with Basic expressions,discriptive diction (check out the reference section),and ease to read Pronounciation,then this book is for you.

GREAT BOOK!
GREATL AYOUT, GREAT BOOK, VERY EASY TO BROWSE THROUGH, CD IS ALSO GOOD, REGARDLESS OF WHAT PEOPLE SAY, YOU'LL LEARN ENOUGH TO GET BY...

SER GUT!
WOW!, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK, IT'S VERY UP TO DATE, AND THE PICTURES ARE VERY NICE, AND THE BOOK IN GENERAL IS VERY PRACTICAL, PERFECT FOR TRAVEL!

didn't even use it
I wish I'd spent the money for this book on something else.I never even cracked it open.It is very easy to get around in Germany without it--even a single traveler with no real plan in mind can communicate with relative ease.I'd probably only need this book if I were taking a German Language class.

Not an easy learning tool
This is more of a reference book designed for walking around Germany andbeing able to flip through the pages and hold a basic conversation.Iexpected it to be a lesson, but it was just lists after lists of words. Not very helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
All the grammar really needed for speech and comprehension. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Great companion to Rosetta Stone
I completed all 5 levels of Rosetta Stone but still didn't quite understand some of the grammar and rules for word usage.This book is excellent for clearing up confusing concepts and with teaching compound words.Additionally, you don't have to remember what each tense (present perfect, accusative, past participle, etc.) means from English classes taken long ago.There are plenty of examples of forms in English and their German counterparts that don't require you to revisit high school English to get.After 5 levels of Rosetta Stone, I was still confused with when to use war and wurde because they both seemed to mean "was" to me.This book made me understand it instantly!!Some have remarked the lack of use of the du/ihr forms, but I applaud the author for keeping it simple.If you use the Sie form of something with your close friend or relative because you do not know the du/ihr form, they will not be offended since they will know you are learning.A mistake the other way around though could be construed as offensive.Great book, but it will not be all you need to master German.

I love it!
This is a great book. It was delievered timely and the description was accurate. Thanks!

There are better options
I have used several German language resources to try to get a handle on this imposing language.

I found this book to be less helpful than Harrap's German Pocket Grammar, which I much prefer.Part of my preference is that more material is covered in more depth in Harrap's.One example: prepositions are covered in 3 pages in Essential German Grammar and whileHarrap's devotes 21 pages even though Essential describes prepositions as "much more complex in their use than [...] English prepositions.

Harrap's also is a nice small size which is easier to carry.

Verry usefull German grammar learning tool
This was a very useful reference tool while learning German. Shipment and delivery was prompt.

Very Superficial
The verb section of the book does not even mention the Subjunctive Mood. Can you believe that?!?!?!? ... Read more

Product Description
Focussing on individual authors from Heinrich Boll to G3~nther Grass, Hermann Lenz to Peter Schneider, The Language of Silence offers an analysis of West German literature as it tries to come to terms with the Holocaust and its impact on postwar West German society.

Exploring postwar literature as the barometer of Germany's unconsciously held values as well as of its professed conscience, Ernestine Schlant demonstrates that the confrontation with the Holocaust has shifted over the decades from repression, circumvention, and omission to an open acknowledgement of the crimes. Yet even today a "language of silence" remains since the victims and their suffering are still overlooked and ignored. Learned and exacting, Schlant's study makes an important contribution to our understanding of postwar German culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

If you are serious...
I've read most of the novels in Dr. Schlant's book. Yet when I turned the last page of LANGUAGE, I knew that one of my next projects will have to include re-reading them.

She rightly isolates the lone voices who dared speak up from 1945 - 1960 or so, especially Karl Jaspers. Perhaps if we ask, she will write a sequel on the individuals she does identify as positive role models in an era when they were few. [Note: I think I disagree with her assessment of Werner Bergengruen's works, as he was widely read by the small numbers involved in German resistance, and was a special friend of the White Rose. In fact, he manually duplicated some of their leaflets not knowing he knew the authors, an action that could have met with death. But I will not quibble.]

Even if she never gets around to a follow-up work, this one will have accomplished something few others have dared to speak aloud, namely boldly proclaiming that the world has not expected too much of Germany, that there have not been too many books about the Holocaust, that in fact those who chant "there's no business like Shoah business" are the worst informed of the lot.

For what she says is true -- Germany must figure out how to mournthe dead. Once the nation is willing to collectively grieve (and not sate its conscience by buying Magen David necklaces and swelling the numbers at klezmer concerts), then perhaps the writing of books about the Holocaust can end. But not before then.

Thank you, Dr. Schlant.

literature as the seismograph of a people's unconscious
At a recent book party for Ernestine Schlant (a.k.a. Mrs. Bill Bradley), I was particularly struck with Ms. Schlant's statement that "literature is the seismograph of a people's unconscious".

Ms.Schlant and I both grew up in Germany.She was nine years old at the end of WWII, I was six.We both live in the US and have a foot in both worlds.I attended schools where "former" Nazi teachers made sure that I didn't know about the atrocities committed by my people, was surrounded by a thick wall of impenetrable silence and like many young Germans of my generation, including Schlant, didn't find out about the Holocaust until I ventured abroad as a young adult and was confronted with its horror.

It can safely be said that the official silence of the first twenty postwar years has long since given way to debates, discussions, the publication of many non-fiction books, documentaries, and so forth.While German authors like Heinrich Böll (who received the Nobel prize in 1972), Günter Grass (one of last year's nobelists), Wolfgang Borchert, Siegfried Lenz, and others have written eloquently about the horrors and the madness of war and our misery because of it, literature by non-Jewish Germans depicting and addressing the suffering of fellow German-Jewish citizens continues to be virtually nonexistent. We saw our world as shattered by WWII and its aftermath, Jews disappeared - while the language with which we describe our own suffering is rich in nuance and texture, the language we use to describe the fate of Jews is abstract and devoid of emotional resonance.

In my own research, I have found that many of my countrymen believe that there is in fact an abundance of literature written by German gentiles which deals with the plight of European Jews in general and German Jews in particular.In reality, there is a distinct absence of Holocaust victims as protagonists in literature written by German gentiles.Many if not most Germans seem to consider literature about their own suffering during WWII and the chaos of the postwar years, and condemnation of the Hitler regime as synonymous with writing about Holocaust victims.It doesn't strike them as extraordinary that there are almost no books written by them about our former Jewish fellow citizens, who had lived in Germany for hundreds of years, had contributed to our culture and society, had been our neighbors, our class-mates, our colleagues, our acquaintances, our friends and our relatives.As Ms. Schlant brilliantly demonstrates in her book, even after WWII , when it was perfectly safe to do so, almost no books were written by Germans, which explored their feelings about the forced emigration or deportation to a sure death of their Jewish fellow citizens.Not even by the roughly half a million German gentiles who had acquired Jewish relatives through marriage. One could expect that at least a handful of those might have felt compelled to write about the emotional fallout of the tragedies of their Jewish in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, or cousins.

In my first collection of narrative poetry TALES FROM A CHILD OF THE ENEMY (so far only published in the US) the stories of holocaust victims and survivors whom I met in Brooklyn during the sixties, figure prominently. I have returned to Germany regularly to share my work with students and others. Several Germans involved in creating Holocaust teaching curricula, have criticized my inclusion of Holocaust victims in my writing and have suggested that `I should write about my experience, and Holocaust survivors should write about theirs'.

To this day, German Jews are referred to as Jews, hardly ever as German citizens, thereby continuing their marginalization in German consciousness.Not surprisingly, young Germans are generally unaware that German Jews had been fully integrated and assimilated into German society prior to the Holocaust.

Yes, German gentiles visit Israel; some young Germans pick weeds on kibbutzim during their holidays; others join Action Reconciliation and perform lowly tasks in Jewish nursing homes. But to this day we Germans have failed by and large to incorporate the fates, the sorrow and the suffering of our fellow German-Jewish citizens into our literature.

What then does the seismograph of the unconscious as reflected in German literature, say about The New Germany?

A great accomplishment
A great analytic work in which Schlant adds meaning to that which is omitted or left unsaid in post-war German literature about Nazi crimes against the Jews and thereby lifts analytic writing to a new and higherlevel.In analyzing the post-war german literature, Schlant explains,clarifies and puts into context complex metaphors for those of us who wouldotherwise be led onto wrong paths and conclusions.Due to its intensityand perception, this book is hard to put down.

Passau was my hometown, too
I would love to write one. In particular, I would love to read it: A few weeks ago, my own (7th) book about the all powerful silence in Passau came out, as well: "Out of Passau", Herder Verlag, Germany.How can Iget in touch with the author? ... Read more

Product Description

GET D!RTY

Next time you're traveling or just chattin' in German with your friends, drop the textbook formality and bust out with expressions they never teach you in school, including:

• Cool slang
• Funny insults
• Explicit sex terms
• Raw swear words

Dirty German teaches the casual expressions heard every day on the streets of Germany:♦What's up?Wie geht's?

♦I'm smashed.Ich bin total angeschickert.

♦Fuckin' Munich fans.Scheiß München Fans.

♦That shit reeks.Das riecht aber übel.

♦I wanna shag ass.Ich will abhauen.

♦What a complete asshole.Was für ein Arschloch.

♦Dude, you're built like Arnold!Mensch, du bist der Arnie!

About the Author

Daniel Chaffey has lived in Germany for much of the last 12 years as a student, Fulbright Teaching Associate, translator and bartender, where he perfected his high German skills and learned to converse like a German sailor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

The Joy of Slang
The author has done a remarkable job of collecting current German idioms and slang expressions in an entertaining and thought-provoking manner. My German friends are impressed by the range and accuracy of Chaffey's collection. Many of the phrases need to be handled with care, but "Dirty German" is an essential travel companion, whether you're heading for a German bar, boudoir or Bibliothek!

Dirty German ist doch der Hammer!
I've read a few different German slang books and none are anywhere near as cool and funny as "Dirty German"All Slang comes and goes...I mean when was the last time you said Tubular or righteous, but "Dirty German" is packed with tons of cultural tidbits and funny anecdotes to make learning German...and not all of the phrases and terms in the book are "Dirty"...easier and fun. Scheiss auf die anderen...Dirty German ist VOLLKRASS!
I totally recommend "Dirty German" to anyone interested in having a laugh and learning German at the same time.

Used it in class daily
I just graduated from high school and was enrolled in both german 2 and 3, and used this book on a daily basis. It helped a lot with communicating with my friends that are from germany. A lot of it is cheesy, but germans get a kick out of it so it's all good

Read Once and Toss
The author note claims he worked in a bar and that certainly shows considering the expressions used in this book. No one with a level of maturity over ten would go to another country and use these expressions. Many of the statements he says about Germans are stereotypes, insulting, and downright rude. No one expects every learner of German to wax poetic quoting Goethe, but this book is so low-class, crass and pedestrian, the user would be hard pressed to impress anyone but some street punk. It is worth a few laughs (just read the sample pages on line) by those who are fluent and have been to Germany, but it is hardly worth buying.

Disappointing, useless and inaccurate.
I have lived in Germany for 10 years and speak German fluently. This book is full of obsolete terms and badly translated expressions. Profanity and slang are very culturally specific and difficult to translate in any language. English profanity is centered around feces, procreation, and genitalia whereas German is less so. The authors seem to be unfamiliar with German idioms and are trying to make a quick buck translating English street talk literally. My German friends had not heard many of these expressions before. This book might be fine as a joke gift, but don't use
it to try and fit in or sound hip in Germany. I would like to have had a German urban dictionary that catalogs and defines current slang.

Ey Alder, isch habe schon 10 Jahre Deutschland auf den Buckel, boh glaubst Du! Diese Buch ist voll krass der Brueller und als ich in Berlin damit die Ischen klar machen wollte, war isch der Burner des Abends. Willste gangstamaessig cool rueberkommen in Germany, dann hol Dir den Schinken. ... Read more

Product Description
Another entry in the bestselling, Merda! series, this humorous book helps readers navigate the world of real Low German. Scheisse! introduces readers to the fine art of cursing and basic slang to spice up their German speech. On-air radio giveaways. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Very fun and educational
I found this book ages ago in a book shop and sadly, didn't buy it then.I was very excited to get it at Amazon, and it was as funny as I remembered it.It is a great gift for anyone who has learned or is learning German and can be enjoyed at any level of German comprehension.The descriptions and vocabulary give you a sense of the culture, and the book is written with humor.Very fun book.

Semi-Profound Profanity
Thanks to the Army I can swear in a number of languages but SCHEISSE by Gertrude Besserwisser helped raise my level of profane prowess and stupidity. Think of the book as a profane primer for the non-native speaker and you won't be disappointed. It's the surly supplement to your language education that is often left out in school and offers up a few choice phrases that even my old Drill Instructor might have chuckled over.
Most cultures and societies often shine their ethno-centric light on their wonders and achievements while shoving their historical profane to the side. But you know what? It's still there and always will be because we're all too human.
In fact, there's the correct version of what a French General said at Waterloo when asked to surrender that is flowery and heroic. However, historians know is that the General actually gave the one word response: 'Merde.' Appropriate for the occasion, I suspect.
In short, will this book help you get your Nobel Prize...eh, no. Nor will it endear you to any snotty waiter you might run into who ignors you because you're a confused tourist but it can fill in a few blanks in your vocabulary and make you chuckle too, even if you don't say the words out loud.
I like Germany. I like it's people, culture, and its impressive scenery and I like the fact that they occasionally swear too.

Funny as all get out!
I am studying German and using a proper textbook to do so as well as the Pimsleur CDs.Of course sometimes this can get a little tedious and dry.So to have this book brings humor and levity to learning the German language.It is quite funny and entertaining.I would refrain from actually using some of the words when in Germany though.

Finally my wife is learning REAL German
This book is great. It teaches how we really talk in Germany. My wife's German teacher hates "Umgangsprache" and I believe that she should be learning how we talk and not how to sound grammatically correct.

There is only a few words that I did not know, because I grew up in a different area and I was only 9 years when the book was published, but overall a great way to learn to blend in when visiting Germany.

Nice fun gift
This was a hit as a gift for a family member, who still uses the book off and on. The translations in this book are ok. There are quite a few words in German that nobody actually uses anymore, but the book overall is fun and you can actually learn a couple things. I advise people who are not used to swearing, cursing or using graphic language to look for a different book - off course the title itself tells you that already. ... Read more

Product Description
The most commonly used 510 German verbs are arranged alphabetically in a table format, one verb per page with English translation, and conjugated in all tenses and forms. The bookÂ's additional features include common idioms with example sentences to demonstrate verb usage and a grammar review. This book includes a bonus CD-ROM enclosed at no additional charge. The CD-ROM presents valuable exercises for students in German sentence completion, word completion, word matching, and conversational dialogue, with answers provided for all exercises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Very fast shipping!
I ordered this book on the 20th of November and on the 30th I already received it! In Romania, Europe! It was super fast! The book is great although big. But is very useful! Love it!

A perfect reference book for German class
Just how many verbs are you going to use in class?

This is an excellent reference and as a side benefits it helps with an understanding of English with the tenses and moods in German and English equivalents.It is written in a form that you can recite the tenses in you mind before speaking.

Your next purchase for class should be The Oxford-Druden Pictorial German-English Dictionary

The Oxford-Duden Pictorial German-English Dictionary

An organized reference
Everything was neatly organized in this book. The only problem I had was that it didn't tell you WHY some sentences were formed a certain way, they just threw them at you.

Helpful Book, but Overkill
Wonderful book, very helpful, but could be just as complete with half as many pages.The 501 Verbs series is wonderful for learning and writing a language, but particularly in German, patterns are repeated and rules are followed.Every page of this book contains the exact same conjugations of the auxiliary verb for the future tense.However, it is a great resource for learning a language and verifying one's spelling and grammar.It contains idiom lists, which can be exceedingly useful if one does not have a desk dictionary.

Very helplful
I'm in a German 200 course at my university, and this book is great because it covers all of the most common verbs and their conjugations. ... Read more

Product Description
With its excellent line-for-line English translation on facing pages, this handy dual-language volume allows students of German language and literature an ideal way to read the 1922 classic based on events from the life of Buddha. The restless young Brahmin Siddhartha undertakes a spiritual journey that takes him from years of asceticism to the utmost sensual and materialistic indulgence before he achieves his long-sought enlightenment. Introduction and new English translation by Stanley Appelbaum.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not Much To Look At
I love Siddhartha, and the opportunity to read it in German definitely appealed to me. Unfortunately, this particular edition seems to be rather dated. While the content seems mostly intact, I had to return it for a different edition because it felt odd to read a book with formatting from the last century.

Luckily, there was another edition available on Amazon which had a slightly better aesthetic, and Amazon handled the exchange very quickly. I'd recommend looking around a bit before adding this one to your cart.

Lucid and readable.
I admit from the start I am not one of those beings spiritual or intellectual or artistical or fantastical or...etc. So this book does not inspire me like it has done to so many and doubtless many more to come. My intellect unelevatable and my insight reaches few things beyond material. Poor me! So you know this is not the book for me if not for the sake of learning German.

That said I'll now talk about its merits as a language learning aid. Among many Dover dual-language books in German, this is among the most readable, from my personal experience! You should mingle with these books after you reading skill is already OK or a little more. But Beaware: Greman is real tough, German writer tougher, and still toughest are those immortal names in German literature. And it's exactly these formidable guys featured in this Dover series.In fact this is the first book I manage to go cover to cover with little reference to translation. It's no easy, as is not to be expected of any original work by a German writer with a name. I refrain from making further with regard to linguistics or literature comments (look like German?), which I don't qualify. Just for those language learners of similar stage, if you want that sense of achievement or pride
of finishing an original work on your own (to go along with improve reading skill), then this is a good starting place. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn to speak, read, and write German quickly and easily with Living Language®. Developed by U.S. government experts, this book introduces you step-by-step to all the basics of German: pronunciation, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and grammar.

IN THIS BOOK, READERS WILL FIND:
•All the words and phrases from the 40 lessons on the Living Language® German Complete Course recordings, plus additional vocabulary
•A guide to pronunciation
•Useful topics including directions, introductions, shopping, faxes, and e-mail
•Explanations of grammar and usage
•Short quizzes to help you check your progress
•A comprehensive summary of German grammar
•Verb charts including all tenses
•A special section on writing letters

While this book stands on its own as an instructional program and an invaluable reference, you'll find that using it with the recorded lessons is even more effective. Living Language® German Complete Course cassette and compact disc packages include this book as well as a dictionary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

German coursebook
German is a difficult language to learn. The gender, case and conjugation issues require a lot of memorization and, above all, practice. The book did a fairly good job and was intended to be used with a CD set of the same name. Unfortunately I did not find the CD's nearly as useful as the book and poorly coordinated with it. For this reason I would look elsewhere for a complete package. ... Read more

Product Description
The Berlitz German Vocabulary Handbook presents more than 8,000 key terms and phrase--including essential vocabulary for business professionals--organized by function and topic and thoroughly cross-referenced. A perfect supplement for learners of German at all levels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Some issues
Overall, this book is quite good. I teach college German, and I picked it up as a refresher. I also lived for a number of years in Germany. I just have a couple of issues with translations in this book. The word "slum" is translated "Baracke". But Baracke really means a shack or hut, not a ghetto or slum. The word for slum in German is der Slum, or das Elendsviertel. I am just wondering about the other translations at this point.

Perfect
This is an ideal vocab builder.It is organized logically by situation and is very comprehensive.It provides a set of words, then tells you where you can find related subjects in the margins.It also gives plurals for every noun (doesn't depend on rules, etc.).The only downside is that this book does require a certain level of understanding before use- there are no conjugations for the verbs and the user must be able to recognize the difference between certain constructions (i.e. seperable verbs versus verbs with a preposition).Great book, perfect for AP exam, CLEP, review, supplement to a class, etc.

An excellent text!
There are any number of texts on German vocabulary.I have a number of them, but this one is the most attractively presented.It is arranged by categories and is very easy and pleasant to use.
Like most Berlitz products, this is very nicely done. ... Read more

Product Description
This book has large pictures for looking and talking, surrounded by small, labelled pictures of 1000 of the most familiar things, to build up and practice German vo cabulary. This is backed up by an alphabetical word list wit h pronunciation guides. ' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Awesome vocabulary book for all ages!
I bought this picture book for myself to refresh my German vocabulary as well as a book for my son( thirteen months). He enjoys looking at the pictures and pointing to the several words he recognizes. This book is a great way for an entire family to begin learning German and the Internet-linked guide is a wonderful addition!

Where's my stuff?
Hi, I did not receive these book yet, could you please help me to know where is it? Thanks and best regards.

Brilliant concept
These books come in many languages.Each 2-page spread is a scene - a city, farm, kitchen, etc. -- the scenes themselves are so detailed and interesting that you could spend a lot of time just using imagination to make up story lines to accompany them.Around the perimeter of the pages are thumbnail sized images pulled from the scene, along with the description of the item in the language chosen.The scenes are the same in all the books, but of course the language changes.Not only is it a brilliant way for the publisher to print more cost efficiently, but it's a great way to learn how to say the same word in several different languages.We have the Japanese book, are now enjoying the German and will soon get French.The kids love it because of the detail in the photos, and because it kind of works like a 'seek & find' book in reverse.I recommend this series highly.

Great book for all ages!
I am a grandmother who wants to teach German to my grandchildren. This is the best language series I have seen.It helps me review my vocabulary and with young children, it has the pictures to go with the words.Pronunciation is listed in the back for the beginners of German.
We have this series in French, German and Polish.Highly recommend for everyone who wants help with vocabulary in the language. You have to begin somewhere!

An excellent guide for adults AND children
I've been learning German for a few years now, and this is a great book.I'd like to emphasize it's excellent for adults and children, particularly.Don't let the colorful drawings fool you into thinking its just for kids.A very handy book! ... Read more