Rating: 
Summary: Horrible.. terrible.. unbelievable
Review: Certainly not a one-star book. It can be very helpful, but you have to be willling to devote time for memorization. It is not for everyone. This book is very dense in information and will give you a solid background in Spanish, but you must devote time to studying it like you would any textbook, and limit yourself to one lesson a day, or it will frustrate you with all you cannot remember. Also, I do not like the 8-1/2 x 11 format.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit of a bad rap.
Review: Certainly not a one-star book. It can be very helpful, but you have to be willling to devote time for memorization. It is not for everyone. This book is very dense in information and will give you a solid background in Spanish, but you must devote time to studying it like you would any textbook, and limit yourself to one lesson a day, or it will frustrate you with all you cannot remember. Also, I do not like the 8-1/2 x 11 format.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible.. terrible.. unbelievable
Review: I bought this book for a spanish class. Since I am not a native english speaker, I have studied many other language teaching books, but this one has a very special place. It is the worst one that I have ever seen. There is no teaching methodology, only trying to give some useful sentences. Best of it, it also translates names, such as Jorge -> George, Jose -> Joseph. It is radicilous. After reading that I started to think people should call me Burak in my home country and Barry in english speaking countries. Keep away from this one, unless it is a must to buy for a class or something like that.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid Foundation
Review: I took this book along with me as a study text while living for several months in Central America working as a teacher. While I found the pronunciation guide helpful, after struggling through the first 30 chapters or so over the course of 2-3 months I advise anyone interested in finding a sound Spanish introductory course to look elsewhere. While SMS may be useful for someone who is willing to learn set phrases by rote memory, it will be found extremely deficient by anyone who wishes to learn quickly the basic rules and structure of the language. As an alternative I highly recommend Madrigal's Magic Guide to Spanish. This text exploits the similarities between English and Spanish to give the student immediate access to a large active vocabulary, at the same time communicating clearly and effectively the essentials of grammar and verb conjugation, which are the key elements of any language for a new student. Madrigal's MGS would also be useful as a classroom text, as it's exercises engage the student's creativity rather than relying on formula questions.
Rating:
Summary: Not Recommended
Review: I took this book along with me as a study text while living for several months in Central America working as a teacher. While I found the pronunciation guide helpful, after struggling through the first 30 chapters or so over the course of 2-3 months I advise anyone interested in finding a sound Spanish introductory course to look elsewhere. While SMS may be useful for someone who is willing to learn set phrases by rote memory, it will be found extremely deficient by anyone who wishes to learn quickly the basic rules and structure of the language. As an alternative I highly recommend Madrigal's Magic Guide to Spanish. This text exploits the similarities between English and Spanish to give the student immediate access to a large active vocabulary, at the same time communicating clearly and effectively the essentials of grammar and verb conjugation, which are the key elements of any language for a new student. Madrigal's MGS would also be useful as a classroom text, as it's exercises engage the student's creativity rather than relying on formula questions.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Foundation
Review: Spanish made simple gave me a very solid foundation in Spanish. It helped me to read Spanish in a short while, and to pronounce clearly. However, it did not help me to construct sentences and speak fluently.
Rating: 
Summary: Spanish Made Simple Works!!!
Review: Spanish Made Simple is the absolutely best book for learning to speak and read contemporary Spanish. The book is written in the form of a interesting novel with the vocabulary and grammar seeded into the captivating narrative. Beginning with absolutely no knowledge of Spanish, I was able to converse on everyday topics within a few months. After two years of self-study, I tested out of 8 hours Spanish at the local community college. If you want to learn Spanish, this is the book to get. It worked for me. It will work for you.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for beginners
Review: The format lends itself for easy learning of vocabulary. Grammar sections are clear but not too technical for an average learner. The ongoing story is interesting and informative. I use the book extensively for review, although I have learned enough that my level of knowledge is beyond the level of the book. I used it to learn the language on my own, but it would be an excellent text for classroom work. There are ample exercises and to do the exercises does much to learn and retain the language.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic! If you are learning Spanish, you need this book.
Review: This Book has been one of the bestselling Spanish Books for 50 years now! The reason why is that it works. A great complimentary book to a Spanish Students Library.
Tom Troughton "Editor of www.fantasticospanish.com" ...
Rating:
Summary: Spanish Made Accessible
Review: This book, like the other four language Made Simple books, is a helpful resource for students who need a grammar base for their language learning--as most second-language learners do. The exercises eliminate the need to memorize and each lesson builds on the previous lessons. No, you won't become fluent with this or any other text; but you will develop a working knowledge of the language. I wish the publishers of Made Simple books would fund more books of its kind. Buy it.
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