Cassell's Contemporary German is designed to make your German-speaking experience relaxing and uncomplicated. Part 1, A Concise Reference Grammar, is like a complete refresher course in the basics of sentence structure, verb forms (including modal verbs), mood, parts of speech, and gender. It's filled with examples and focuses on the specific problems English speakers often encounter when they try to learn German. Part 2, Contemporary Functional Language, demonstrates the practical, modern, everyday workings of the language. It is this section especially that sets Cassell's Contemporary German apart from any other language guide, because it gives you valuable advice for getting along on a day-to-day basis in a German-speaking country - without sounding like an outdated phrase book. Here you'll find guidelines for: using the telephone, asking for or giving advice, applying for a job and writing a resume, writing a personal or professional letter and offering or declining an invitation. This section also tackles the common questions and unnerving language nuances that plague nonfluent German speakers, such as: how to tell colloquial and slang expressions from vulgar ones, how to express yourself - and your opinions - politely and how to avoid mistaking English soundalikes for German words. Part 3, Word Power, is made up of several specialized vocabularies that help you decipher the unique languages of finance and banking; politics and current affairs; shopping; travel; legal matters; media, the arts, and literature; even weather forecasts. There's a reference you can use to build on the verbs, nouns, and adjectives you already know; and a guide to using popular expressions. Withdozens of examples and illustrations, Cassell's Contemporary German is guaranteed to make any visit or extended stay in a German-speaking area relaxing, enjoyable, and hassle-free.

Cassell's Contemporary Spanish is designed to make your Spanish-speaking experience relaxing and uncomplicated. Part 1, "A Concise Reference Grammar", is like a complete refresher course in the basics of sentence structure, verb forms (including modal verbs), gender, mood, tense, and parts of speech. It's filled with examples and focuses on the specific problems English speakers often encounter when they try to learn Spanish. Part 2, "Contemporary Functional Language", demonstrates the practical, modern, everyday workings of the language. It is this section especially that sets Cassell's Contemporary Spanish apart from any other language guide, because it gives you valuable advice for getting along on a day-to-day basis in a Spanish-speaking country - without sounding like an outdated phrase book. Here you'll find guidelines for using the telephone, asking for or giving advice, applying for a job and writing a resume, writing a personal or professional letter, and conducting business matters. This section also tackles the common questions and unnerving language nuances that plague nonfluent Spanish speakers, such as how to tell colloquial and slang expressions from vulgar ones, how to understand regionalisms and local etiquette, and how to avoid mistaking English sound-a-likes for Spanish words. Part 3, "Word Power", is made up of several specialized vocabularies that help you decipher the unique languages of finance and banking; politics and current affairs; shopping; travel; legal matters; media, the arts, and literature; even weather forecasts. There's a reference you can use to build on the verbs, nouns, and adjectives you already know, and a guide to using popular expressions. Withdozens of examples and illustrations, Cassell's Contemporary Spanish is guaranteed to make any visit or extended stay in a Spanish-speaking area relaxing, enjoyable, and hassle-free.

'Cassell's dictionary of modern German history' is a guide to the people, events, movements and ideas which have shaped modern Germany. Taking as its starting-point the expansion of Prussia under Frederick the Great in the mid-18th century, the dictionary guides the reader through the turmoil of the late 18th and 19th centuries - examining the traumatic impact of the Napoleonic Wars on German-speaking Europe and the achievement of German unification under Bismarck - and goes on to chart the rise of German militarism and its role in instigating two calamitous 20th-century global conflicts. In addition the volume chronicles in detail the fortunes of the divided Germany of the cold War period, the years of the West German Wirtschaftswunder, the events that led to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and reunification in 1989-90, and finally Germany's role in the integration of Europe and the adoption of a single currency in the early 21st century. The dictionary contains over 1800 articles focusing not only on major political, diplomatic and military topics but also on economic, social and cultural matters. Extensive thematic articles on core subjects such as absolutism and anti-Semitism blend clear and readable narrative with trenchant analysis, whilst a wealth of briefer entries define essential terms from appeasement to Alltagsgeschichte, provide biographical data on figures as diverse as Hegel and Himmler, and deliver essential facts about key battles, treaties and locations from Sadová to Stalingrad and from Danzig to Dresden. Extensively cross-referenced and with a full complement of maps, tables and other appendices.