Advanced Russian Through History (CD included)

Centers study on 36 graded, glossed readings about everything from the Decembrists to Stalin. Difficult words are underlined and become the basis for some excellent vocabulary and discussion exercises online. Included is a CD with audio lectures on the same themes as the readings.

For a student who has completed two or more years of college study, this books would be an excellent tool for selfguided study, to a point. Certainly a student can work through the readings and audio/video pieces independently, but to get the most out of the exercises, be they online or in the book, one would likely need a teacher or native language tutor. (Reviewed in Russian Life)

Reading history of Russia all the way back as far as they can go all the way up to the present is invaluable in terms of gaining new vocabulary and becoming more fluent so as to talk about it as well.

One caveat: The way that they pack the cd allows for some of the glue to get on the disk. Carefully cut from the top after removing the tab along the left or right side of the CD container to avoid this. My first disk had so much glue that I tried to remove it and it just spread around worse so that the disk was unreadable. There was still some on one edge that came off on my second disk. So, follow my instructions.

BTW, I told Amazon about the problem, they gave me the files to put on a box to return the item AND shipped me a new one on the same day. Talk about service!!!

Anyse