I am shocked to find myself the first reviewer of this little gem of a book! I first bought this book over a year ago when I began studying Italian and it was by far the least-scary book on Italian grammar at that time. What makes me give it five stars is that I still find it useful today, as an intermediate-advanced student. For such a great price, it has served me a long time.
The book is an absolute must for any student of Italian daunted by grammar. You will simply not find a simpler introduction that cuts past all the scary language and teaches you what you really need to know. From basics like 'articles' and 'pronouns' right up to the tricky stuff like "combined pronouns" and "the subjunctive", this book simplifies it all. I really can vouch for the fact that the 2 little pages on each grammar topic (one for explanation, the other for exercises) are enough to ensure you have understood the essentials.
I think this book is particularly useful for self-learners where discipline may be a problem. It's too easy sometimes to avoid doing the exercises prescribed by more advanced textbooks. When you see in this book that you only have to complete one page of exercise per topic, it's too simple to resist. And afterwards, you'll feel that sense of achievement at having covered another milestone in learning Italian grammar.In short, this book tops the others in it's simplicity and is a testament to the saying "Quality, not quantity". If you're a self-learner, then this book is a must. Another round of applause for the excellent Teach Yourself series!
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