Using Russian Vocabulary (Using (Cambridge)) 1st Edition

Thirty some years ago I majored in Russian Literature in college. Since then I have not done much with it but now that my last child is a teenager and I have more time, I am taking it up again. I got this book to try to brush up on vocabulary I once knew and now have more or less forgotten. I have to say that I have been very pleased with the book. It is divided up into subject areas such as the physical world, the human body, business and commerce, leisure, etc. Each chapter has three levels of words, starting with the most basic on the first level and moving to more and more specialized words as you progress. The author also includes some notes on the origins of some of the words which can be helpful as a memory aid. I have found the book very helpful and would recommend it to those who are serious about improving their vocabulary. The price seemed a little steep, but I think it was worth it.

This book is absolutely WONDERFUL for learning new vocabulary! not only does it include detailed lists of vocabulary on many useful topics, it contains a wealth of information on the origins of many words which makes retaining the vocabulary much easier and more interesting. If you haven't purchased this book yet, just do it! Don't even think twice, just get it and you won't regret it!

Received the package ahead of schedule and the book was packed very well to assure no damage came to it.

This thematic vocabulary is an excellent way to learn the Russian language. There is another thematic vocabulary published by Hueber, a German publisher, called "Grundwortschatz Russisch", which can be purchased at Amazon.de. I recommend the German title as well because it is up-to-date. The person reviewing the book above states there is a lack of vocabulary relating to military and government. I think the author of "Using Russian Vocabulary" provided as much material as possible considering he was sick and has possibly passed away. However, if you need military vocabulary, try the Six Language Visual Dictionary by Perun, an Ukrainian publisher. The languages are Ukrainian, English, German, French, Spanish, and Russian. This can possibly be purchased as [...] per ISBN 978-966-569-249-2. But beware, there are other visual dictionaries the publisher publishes, and they do not contain Russian or Ukrainian. The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary, which contains the same exact visual pictures, only contains English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian.

This book is very useful for expanding your Russian vocabulary, particularly for words that are necessary for daily life but aren't often taught in standard language-learning textbooks. In many areas it is quite comprehensive. However, there are at least two areas where it is deficient: government and the military. Perhaps this is in part an ideological choice on the part of the authors. But, like it or not, students of any language need to be equipped with the vocabulary for these areas of human activity, and this book falls short in not providing it. It's a shame because the book is very comprehensive in so many other areas.