Teach Yourself Spanish is the course for anyone who wants to progress quickly from the basics to understanding, speaking and writing Spanish with confidence. Although aimed at those with no previous knowledge, it is equally suitable for anyone wishing to brush up existing knowledge or refresh rusty language skills for a holiday or business trip.

Key structures and vocabulary are introduced in 25 thematic units progressing from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations to making travel arrangements and renting a flat. The course covers all structures required for GCSE level and beyond. The emphasis is on communication throughout with important language structures introduced through dialogues on the accompanying recording. There are plenty of exercises to practise the language as it is introduced and tips throughout to help with pronunciation and grammar. Cultural information boxes give useful advice and information for anyone planning a trip to Spain or Latin America. There are five tests at the back of the book for learners to check their progress and review any areas of difficulty.

The language taught in Teach Yourself Spanish is standard Spanish, which will allow you to communicate with speakers anywhere in the Spanish-speaking world. Differences between peninsular and Latin American Spanish are explained in the units where necessary.

The new edition retains the tried-and-tested structure of the lessons but has been updated to reflect changes such as the introduction of the euro. New features include an English-Spanish vocabulary to go alongside the existing Spanish-English vocabulary and a 'taking it further' section providing further sources of real Spanish: websites, books, etc.

The page design has been improved and section headings given in English to make the course easier to use for the self-access learner.

The accompanying recording has been increased to two cassettes amounting to approximately 150 minutes of listening material. The recordings have been made mostly by native speakers from Spain, but a few sections have been recorded by Latin American people to familiarize learners with different accents. The book (0 340 86713 2) and cassettes (0 340 86716 7) are also available separately. The recordings are also available on 2 CDs which can be purchased on their own (0 340 86717 5) or in a pack with the book (0 340 86715 9).