Learning Practical Tibetan

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: I first read a glowing review of this book from Columbia University and decided to buy it. It's a wonderful book in its own right and especially good when you purchase the accompanying tapes. I used the book when I was in Nepal with great success, and imagine my surprise when I saw many Tibetans with the same book! They told me it helped them to learn English. By far better than the confusing Goldstein alternative (lonely planet), I thanks the authors for filling a gap with such a worthy product.

Rating:
Summary: Very useful
Review: This is a very useful book. It is basically a phrase book, but I also gives word-by-word translation, and so you know how the sentences are made. Tapes are also useful. It is very practical in outlook, and frankly it could have been better with theoretical description of sound and tone marks - those who don't care can just skip them.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Tibetan Book Out There
Review: Unless you get the audio forum set that has over 2 dozen tapes & several books, this book is the best thing to get you up to speed with Tibetan pronunciation and vocab. Very useful and user friendly, with lots of vocab and clear instruction, as the other reviewers have mentioned. With casual effort, you can make good use of the book, however the more time you put in with it, the more you will be rewarded in learning Tibetan.