Russian Language Books, Audio CDs for Self Study, Textbooks
1. Teach Yourself Russian Complete Course by Daphne West, Book + Audio CD pack, McGraw-Hill
Begins with the basics and gradually promotes the student to a level of smooth and confident communication, including: Up-to-date, graded interactive dialogues; Graded units of culture notes, grammar, and exercises; Step-by-step guide to pronunciation; Practical vocabulary; Regular and irregular verb tables; Plenty of practice exercises and answers; Self-assessment quizzes to test progress; Bilingual glossary.
2. Berlitz Basic Russian (Berlitz Basic Series) by Berlitz Publishing, Audio Cassette: 192 pages
Offers a friendly and accessible approach to rapid language acquisition; words and grammar are introduced through real-life situations. The Roman alphabet is applied throughout.
3. Basic Russian Workbook by Berlitz Publishing, Paperback: 128 pages
Designed as supplementary material for language study, Berlitz Basic and Intermediate Workbooks feature 24 units and exercises that will help improve grammar and vocabulary. Includes a final test section with a complete answer key to help students increase proficiency and confidence.
4. 501 Russian Verbs: Fully Conjugated in All the Tenses Alphabetically Arranged (501 Verbs Series), by Thomas R., Jr. Beyer, Paperback: 624 pages, Publisher: Barron's Educational Series
A fine quick-reference source for language students, teachers, and translators. The 501 most commonly used Russian verbs are listed in table form, one verb per page, and conjugated in all tenses, identified by English infinitive forms. Verbs are both regular and irregular, and are presented alphabetically for easy reference in the Cyrillic alphabet. Added material related to verbs and verb usage is also presented, including lists of hundreds more regular verbs, idiomatic verb usage.
5. English-Russian, Russian-English Dictionary by Kenneth Katzner, Paperback: 1120 pages, Publisher: Wiley
Based on American rather than British English, this is among the first Russian dictionaries revised for the post-Soviet era. Includes new political terminology, new Russian institutions, new countries and republics and new city names. Contains 26,000 entries in the English-Russian section and 40,000 words in the Russian-English section. Irregularities in Russian declensions and conjugations appear at the beginning of each entry.
6. The Oxford Russian Dictionary: Russian-English, English-Russian, by Marcus Wheeler, Boris Unbegaun, Hardcover: 1293 pages, Oxford University Press
Offering a comprehensive look at both languages, it includes over 185,000 words and phrases and 290,000 translations. The dictionary provides exceptional coverage of regional Russian, British, and American dialects as well as of modern idioms and colloquial usage, with numerous illustrative examples. It also includes all common abbreviations and acronyms, such asp, ROM, and others; helpful advice on difficult points of grammar; and pronunciation in the International Phonetic Alphabet for every English headword, an indispensable aid for Russian speakers. Features include: All the latest vocabulary from "hyperinflation" to "multimedia" and from "cash machine" to "electronic security system" and "road rage"; The latest business, computing, and specialist vocabulary along with common abbreviations and acronyms; Special emphasis on current idioms and colloquial usage with thousands of examples to illustrate their use.
7. Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar by James S. Levine, Paperback: 335 pages, McGraw-Hill
Each point of grammar and structure is explained simply, and illustrated with examples, in this powerful study guide. The next-best thing to a private tutor, this book makes even difficult topics like declensions clear. Students begin by mastering the Cyrillic alphabet and correct pronunciation. The many practice exercises start readers using this language in everyday situations. Inside, you will find: Clear non-technical explanations of Russian grammar with illustrative examples; 239 practice problems with answers explained; Handy verb charts; Keys to the Cyrillic alphabet and correct pronunciation.
8. Intermediate Russian: A Grammar and Workbook, by John Murray, Sarah Smyth, Paperback: 217 pages, Publisher: Routledge
Comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume. Using a wide variety of texts from Russian sources, Intermediate Russian enables students to gain an insight into contemporary Russian society and culture whilst strengthening their fluency in the language. Its 18 Units present a broad range of grammatical topics, illustrated by examples which serve as models for the wide-ranging and varied exercises that follow. These exercises enable the student to master the relevant grammar points. Features include: texts and exercises reflecting contemporary Russian; concise grammatical explanations; full key to the exercises. Intermediate Russian, like its sister volume, Basic Russian, is ideal for both independent study and use in class. The two books comprise a compendium of the essentials of Russian grammar.