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Rating: 
Summary: A great book
Review: As a speaker of fluent Spanish, this book was invaluable in getting subtle nuances, learning false cognates and distinguishing between meanings from one country to another. It's a fun read as well. I have about 5 copies for my own references and to give away given how valuable and well-written it is.
What I don't understand is how a $7 paperback is going for $40 to $140 on the Internet!
Rating:
Summary: One of the few "essential" reference books I've found
Review: I can't say enough good things about this little gem. It's an outstanding reference book. The author's mastery of Spanish is rather humbling, but he is able to convey a great deal of knowledge using a writing style that is both relaxed and very enjoyable to read. This book is a sort of Spanish-to-English dictionary, but it doesn't simply list English equivalents of a Spanish word the way a regular bilingual dictionary does. It goes into a discussion of the word in question and explains the little nuances and shades in meaning in a way that most dictionaries never come close to doing. The definitions given include examples and anecdotes that put the words in context to help the reader better grasp their meaning. When necessary, the author is always careful to point out the various meanings a particular word might have in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world. Further, the author is not afraid to list "off-color" or vulgar words in an attempt to save the reader from unwittingly making a fool of him or herself by using the wrong word in the wrong part of the world. My only "complaint" is that this book isn't even longer and more exhaustive than it is (it's 303 pages), although the book's relative brevity makes it easier to completely read and digest. Still, a second volume that picks up where this one leaves off would be wonderful to have. I've lived in South America and have a four-year college degree in Spanish, yet I still learn something new (or relearn something I've forgotten) every time I pick up this book. Students of all ability levels from beginning to very advanced will benefit from this work. That said, I think most beginning students will already have enough on their hands with learning the nuts and bolts of Spanish grammar and acquiring a basic vocabulary. For that reason, I tend to think that a book of this type is better suited for intermediate and up students. Along with a good dictionary like the Larousse Gran Diccionario, this is a must-own reference book for any serious student of the Spanish language.
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Summary: Maybe the Best All-Around Presentation of Collouqialisms
Review: While I agree with all the comments of previous reviewers on this little gem of a book, I feel that it is incumbent on me to point out what this book is, and what it is not. It is not a general review of Spanish slang. It was not meant to be, and while it covers a fair amount of slang, it is more in the sense of pointing out those types of colloquialisms that are long-standing and which the foreigner should understand when he or she hears them, e.g., common and universal obscenities. For an extensive review of colloquialisms along with background on the ones that are peculiar to specific areas of the Hispanic world, the book "Streetwise Spanish" is a better choice. However, in the field of discussing the basic nuts and bolts of standard spoken Spanish, there is simply no better book on the market than this one. It is true that Joseph Keenan's recent offering, "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish" offers more in the way of colloquial grammar points, but "Cassell's Colloquial Spanish" will acquaint you with the the sort of vocabulary that you will hear the most often at home, on the street, in the classroom or the office or anywhere else you may end up. If you learn what's in this book you'll be able to communicate effectively 95 percent of the time. What's more, the book is a good read, good enought even to be a bedside book. There aren't many language books you can say that about.
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