Brandeis Modern Hebrew: Pilot Edition

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, but doesn't withstand heavy use
Review: The material covered by this book is excellent. This is undoubtedly one of my favorite Hebrew textbooks. It easily covers two full years of college level Hebrew. The explanations are concise and thoroughly explained, the excercises are engaging and educational, and the vocabulary is superior.

While academically this book is amazing, there are two drawbacks that give me pause. Firstly, being a paperback book of nearly 600 pages, it simply cannot withstand the wear to be expected with two years of rigorous, continual use. Also, the lack of any sort of audio aides--CDs, online mp3's--could pose a problem to the student who has had no prior exposure to Hebrew.

That said, the text is still superior enough to recommend whole-heartedly--just keep in mind that, over time, some taping of pages in place may be required.

Four and a half stars.