Practical Spoken Spanish

Rating:
Summary: Very aptly titled
Review: Practical Spoken Spanish by F.M. Kercheville is exactly what it purports to be: practical. Professor Kercheville, like Mario Pei, Robert Hall and others of his generation, were part of a movement towards teaching the common everyday language rather than starting from a lofty, literary approach.
Instead of discussing sunsets or philosophical questions, you dive right in with the things you need to know most: small talk, ordering food, the weather, where is the restroom?
Also, you learn basic communication before irregular verbs and exceptions to the exceptions, etc.
Despite having been published more than four decades ago, this book remains very practical and very useful for self-study or an adult education group. It is gratifying to see that this classic work is still in print. Kudos to the University of New Mexico Press.