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Rating: 
Summary: A nice little European phrase book you can take anywhere
Review: I was thinking that having the "Eyewitness Travel Guide European Phrase Book" is something that people should have just because of the idea that someday you might actually get to use it. After all, there are lots of tours of Europe that visit more than one country and there are even those hearty souls who buy a Eurorail Pass and travel around the continent going wherever they want whenever they want (that is never going to be me). This "European Phrase Book" was compiled by a team of language experts to provide all the key vocabulary we would need to survive in the 14 main European countries (and do not think that it is not interesting just to know what the 14 main non-English speaking European countries happen to be according to these language experts). Each language section begins with a guide to pronunciation and special grammatical points, followed by general words and useful phrases (greetings, numbers, days of the week, etc.), and features on communications, hotels, shopping, and eating out. Each section ends with a menu guide that supplies the core vocabulary for everyday foods and beverages, as well as regional specialties. You will also find typical replies to questions that you could end up asking during your travels, as well as the signs or instructions that you might see or hear (these are provided in tinted boxes). In the main text the pronunciation of all of the words and phrases are imitated in English sound syllables (i.e., the "say it as you see it" system). The "European Phrase Book" is also small enough that it will easily fit in a purse or jacket pocket. Of course, there are plenty of phrase books for any one of these 14 countries that go into much greater depth and make more of an effort to help you learn the language, but this handy book is going for breadth more than depth. I should add that there is a DK "Eyewitness Travel Guides: Europe" that covers the same 14 countries in terms of museums, beaches, castles, galleries, wine, cathedrals, hotels, food, maps, and walks. In that book you will find all the illustrations you normally associate with DK publications, because besides the covers and the ads for other books in the back, there are no other illustrations in this one.
Rating:
Summary: A nice little European phrase book you can take anywhere
Review: I was thinking that having the "Eyewitness Travel Guide European Phrase Book" is something that people should have just because of the idea that someday you might actually get to use it. After all, there are lots of tours of Europe that visit more than one country and there are even those hearty souls who buy a Eurorail Pass and travel around the continent going wherever they want whenever they want (that is never going to be me). This "European Phrase Book" was compiled by a team of language experts to provide all the key vocabulary we would need to survive in the 14 main European countries (and do not think that it is not interesting just to know what the 14 main non-English speaking European countries happen to be according to these language experts). Each language section begins with a guide to pronunciation and special grammatical points, followed by general words and useful phrases (greetings, numbers, days of the week, etc.), and features on communications, hotels, shopping, and eating out. Each section ends with a menu guide that supplies the core vocabulary for everyday foods and beverages, as well as regional specialties. You will also find typical replies to questions that you could end up asking during your travels, as well as the signs or instructions that you might see or hear (these are provided in tinted boxes). In the main text the pronunciation of all of the words and phrases are imitated in English sound syllables (i.e., the "say it as you see it" system). The "European Phrase Book" is also small enough that it will easily fit in a purse or jacket pocket. Of course, there are plenty of phrase books for any one of these 14 countries that go into much greater depth and make more of an effort to help you learn the language, but this handy book is going for breadth more than depth. I should add that there is a DK "Eyewitness Travel Guides: Europe" that covers the same 14 countries in terms of museums, beaches, castles, galleries, wine, cathedrals, hotels, food, maps, and walks. In that book you will find all the illustrations you normally associate with DK publications, because besides the covers and the ads for other books in the back, there are no other illustrations in this one.
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