Rating: 
Summary: Great for Self-Starters
Review: I purchased this book 12 years ago, and have used it in courses ever since. I was able to teach myself how to read and write Arabic in less than 6 weeks. I highly recommend this book to anybody who has an interest in learning this fascinating language. The book well-organized, easy to read and understand and there is space to practice writing the Arabic script in all forms: initial, medial, final. It even includes the 12 most common ligatures, a topic frequently overlooked by such texts. Finally, it includes just enough vocabulary to whet your appetite to learn more.
Rating:
Summary: THE place to start for beginners
Review: I purchased this book after reading the many reviews on it here. Because Arabic uses a different alphabet than English, you simply must learn it before you do anything else. This book takes you through each letter, explaining how to write it and showing it in actual words. My advice is to practice writing the letters both separately and as part of the sample words. It took me about a month to get through this (I work full time so I studied at night and on weekends). One word of caution: in this book they write out the vowels in the words, which is good when you're learning. However, my Arabic-speaking friend pointed out that in most situations (except perhaps the Koran) the vowels will be omitted. Darned if she wasn't right--so don't get too attached to the vowels!
Rating:
Summary: THE place to start for beginners
Review: I purchased this book after reading the many reviews on it here. Because Arabic uses a different alphabet than English, you simply must learn it before you do anything else. This book takes you through each letter, explaining how to write it and showing it in actual words. My advice is to practice writing the letters both separately and as part of the sample words. It took me about a month to get through this (I work full time so I studied at night and on weekends). One word of caution: in this book they write out the vowels in the words, which is good when you're learning. However, my Arabic-speaking friend pointed out that in most situations (except perhaps the Koran) the vowels will be omitted. Darned if she wasn't right--so don't get too attached to the vowels!
Rating: 
Summary: If only it could speak too...
Review: I started with this book a month before class began. As a complete beginner, I learned to recognize the letters, the different looks in placement in a word, and got an idea of punctuation. The only way this book could be better is if it came in CD-Rom with digital clips of someone saying the letters. The correct pronunciations need a real, live human-being to watch. A month into class the only reason I'm not lost is because of this book and a couple of others (check out Wightwick and Gaafar).
Rating:
Summary: takes the intimidation out
Review: I studied this book before starting Arabic classes. The book was clear and conicise. It took a large bit of the intimidation of the Arabic script out of the way before I had to deal with it ina classroom setting. I would have liked a companion tape, but for a book a lone, it was quite good. The writing exercises were helpful and the large font size for the initial, middle, and terminal forms of the letters made the script easier to read. I would recommend this for anyone who would like to study Arabic.
Rating:
Summary: Well done thumbnail sketch, and a real bargain!
Review: I was pleased to find this brief text so useful as a supplement to "Alif Baa (with CDs)", and "Beginner's Arabic Script". The Alif Baa CDs are absolutely invaluable, and each of these three works seems to contribute something that the other two don't. I recommend the package of three as a good basis to begin study of book one of the "Al-Kitaab" text and four CDs published by Georgetwon University Press, which assumes working familiarity with the writing system.
Rating:
Summary: excellent introduction to the Arabic script
Review: I worked my way through this book in a number of months in my spare time and was able to competenly identify all letters in no time. After I finished this book, I gave it to a person who was interested in learning Arabic. I was also using J.R Smart's Arabic book in conjunction with this one. The best way to learn something well is to start on the simplest level; this book does a good job of this.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for learning the Arabic alphabet!
Review: I would highly recomment this book to anyone who wants to learn the Arabic alphabet. It breaks it down and shows all the forms of each individual letter, then gives samples of use.
Rating:
Summary: Great for learning alphabet
Review: I'll be honest, when I first saw the Arabic alphabet I thought it would be impossible to make sense of. This book provides insight that made things much easier. It is a great supplement if you are in an Arabic class. It explains some important keys to understanding why Arabic is the way it is. The language is very different to English but I have found not nearly as difficult as it looks.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: I've been looking for a book that will teach you the fundamentals of reading and writing basic arabic script. As you know, there are four ways to write each letter. I have had the book for only a couple of days and I'm half-way through the alphabet! Not only is it easy to understand the authors' explanation, but they make it a pleasure to learn.
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