Resources and Tools

This section catalogs the resources and tools I use as part of my language‑learning process. I separate the resources by language and then further break them down by type (e.g., coursebooks, software, etc.). I only include materials that I have worked with directly or that I personally own. I have no sponsorships, and there are no affiliate links on my site. This page lists the materials I am currently using, have used in the past, or own and intend to use in the future.

This list will be updated as I acquire or make use of additional resources.

I plan to selectively review some of these materials at a later time. When I do, I will share those reviews as separate posts.

I am actively studying two languages at present : Hebrew and Spanish. The other language-specific resources I list here are materials I have gathered for languages on my wish-list (i.e., languages I have an interest in, hope to study in the future, but haven’t started yet).

Hebrew

Coursebooks

  • Learn to Read Hebrew in 6 Weeks. Miiko Shaffier. 2016.
  • The Hebrew Work Book. Miiko Shaffier. 2021.
  • Hebrew Alphabet Workbook for Beginners. Ruth Levi. 2021.
  • Hebrew Script Hacking. Judith Meyer and Tom Yuval. 2020.
  • Getting Started in Modern Hebrew (Teach Yourself). Shula Gilboa. 2014.
  • Complete Modern Hebrew (Teach Yourself). Shula Gilboa. 2010.
  • Hebrew with Ease SuperPack (Assimil). Shifra Svironi‑Jacquet. 2015.
  • Complete Hebrew Course. Hebrew Institute. 2026.
  • Hebrew Basic Course. Foreign Service Institute. 1965.

Reference

  • Oxford English–Hebrew / Hebrew–English Dictionary. Yaakov Levy. 1994.
  • Comprehensive Shilo Pocket Dictionary: English and Hebrew. Zevi Scharfstein. 1973.
  • Modern Hebrew: An Essential Grammar (5th Edition, Routledge). Lewis Glinert. 2026.
  • CardDia: Biblical Hebrew Alphabet (Flashcard set).

Software

  • Pimsleur Hebrew: Levels 1 – 3.
  • Anki

Online Tools

  • Duolingo: Hebrew
  • Lingopie: Hebrew
  • italki: Hebrew

Graded Readers/Literature

  • JPS Hebrew–English TANAKH (Student Edition). Jewish Publication Society. 2001.
  • The Stone Edition Chumash. Rabbi Nosson Scherman. ArtScroll Mesorah Publications. 1993.
  • Siddur Ashkenaz (Hebrew/English). Rabbi Nosson Scherman. ArtScroll. 1990.
  • Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Hebrew/English). Rabbi Nissen Mangel. Kehot Publication Society. 2022.
  • Tanya (Hebrew/English. Revised Edition). Rabbi Shneur Zalman. Kehot Publication Society. 2014.

History/Culture

  • Modern Hebrew: The Past and Future of a Revitalized Language. Norman Berdichevsky. 2014.
  • Warsaw 1944: Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising. Alexandra Richie. 2013.
  • History of the Jews of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Aaron Oksman. 2014.
  • Israel: A History. Martin Gilbert. 2014.
  • Strange Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and the Limits of Diversity. Keith Kahn‑Harris. 2019.
  • From Occupation to Occupy: Antisemitism and the Contemporary American Left. Sina Arnold. 2022.
  • To Be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life. Hayim Donin. 1952.
  • Portions of Light: Teachings from the Baal Shem Tov. Kehot Publication Society. 2020.
  • A Guide to the Zohar. Arthur Green. 2003.
  • Zohar: The Book of Splendor. Gershom Scholem. 1995.

Spanish

Coursebooks

  • Viajes: Introducción al español. Robert Hershberger, Susan Navey‑Davis, Guiomar Borrás Alvarez. 2013.
  • Practising Spanish Grammar (4th Edition). Angela Howkins, Christopher Pountain, Teresa de Carlos. 2019.
  • Complete Spanish Grammar (3rd Edition). Gilda Nissenberg. 2016.
  • Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish. Margarita Madrigal. 1989.
  • Living Language Spanish (Complete/Unabridged Edition). 2011.
  • Learn Spanish: 6 Books in 1. Fernández Language Institute. 2020.
  • Complete Latin American Spanish (Teach Yourself). Juan Kattán‑Ibarra. 2014.
  • Complete Spanish Step‑by‑Step (2nd Edition). Barbara Bregstein. 2020.
  • Spanish with Ease SuperPack (Assimil). Anton Martinez, Francisco Javiers. 2014.
  • Linguophone Spanish (Vintage Cassette Course with Hardcover Books). 1988.
  • Spanish Basic Course. Foreign Service Institute. 1961.

Reference

  • The Oxford Spanish Dictionary (4th Edition). Oxford University Press. 2008.
  • Collins Spanish Concise Dictionary (6th Edition). HarperCollins Publishers. 2010.
  • A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish (5th Edition). John Butt and Carmen Benjamin. 2011.
  • A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish (6th Edition). John B. Butt, Carmen Benjamin, Antonia Moreira‑Rodríguez. 2018.
  • Breaking Out of Beginner’s Spanish (20th Anniversary Edition). Joseph J. Keenan. 2015.
  • A Frequency Dictionary of Spanish (2nd Edition). Mark Davies, Kathy Hayward Davies. 2017.
  • English Grammar for Students of Spanish (7th Edition). Emily Spinelli. 2012.
  • Latin American Spanish: Phrasebook & Dictionary (Berlitz). 2019.

Software

  • Pimsleur Spanish: Levels 1 – 5
  • Rocket Spanish: Levels 1 – 3 + Travelogue

Online Tools

  • Duolingo: Spanish
  • Lingopie: Spanish
  • italki: Spanish

Graded Readers/Literature

  • Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners. Olly Richards. 2018.
  • Learn Spanish with Beginner Stories. Kees Van den End. 2017.
  • Easy Spanish Reader (4th Edition). William T. Tardy. 2020.
  • First Spanish Reader: A Beginner’s Dual‑Language Book. Angel Flores. 1988.
  • Great Spanish and Latin American Short Stories of the 20th Century. Anna Hiller. 2013.
  • Three Exemplary Novels. Miguel de Cervantes; Stanley Appelbaum (Editor, Translator). 2006.
  • Spanish‑American Short Stories. Stanley Appelbaum (Editor, Translator). 2005.
  • Short Stories in Spanish: New Penguin Parallel Text. John R. King (Editor). 2001.
  • Mexican Short Stories. Stanley Appelbaum (Editor, Translator). 2008.
  • Spanish Stories. Angel Flores (Editor). 2001.
  • El vendedor de sueños. Ernesto Quiñonez. 2018.
  • Cien años de soledad. Gabriel García Márquez. 1967.
  • El amor en los tiempos del cólera. Gabriel García Márquez. 1985.
  • Noticia de un secuestro. Gabriel García Márquez. 1996.
  • La Reina del Sur. Arturo Pérez‑Reverte. 2002.
  • Sin tetas no hay paraíso. Gustavo Bolívar Moreno. 2006.

History/Culture

  • A History of the Spanish Language (2nd Edition). Ralph Penny. 2002.
  • The History of Spanish: A Student’s Introduction. Diana L. Ranson, Margaret Lubbers Quesada. 2018.
  • The Oxford History of Mexico. William Beezley, Michael Meyer. 2010.
  • The Spanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years 1868-1936. Murray Bookchin. 2001.
  • The Spanish Labyrinth (Second Edition). Gerald Brenan. 2014.
  • Free Women of Spain. Martha A. Ackelsberg. 2004.

Yiddish

Coursebooks

  • Colloquial Yiddish. Lily Kahn. 2015.

History/Culture

  • Yiddish: The Biography of a Language. Miriam Weinstein. 2026.

Tibetan

Coursebooks

  • Manual of Standard Tibetan: Language and Civilization. Sangda Dorje, Nicolas Tournadre. 2005.

Sanskrit

Coursebooks

  • The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit. A. M. Ruppel. 2017.
  • A Sanskrit Primer. Madhav M. Deshpande. 2007.
  • Introduction to Sanskrit (Vols. 1 and 2). Thomas Egenes. 1989, 1990.
  • The Sanskrit Language. Walter Harding Maurer. 1995.
  • Sanskrit for Beginners. “Guide.” Accessed April 27, 2026. https://learnsanskrit.org/guide/.

Non-Language Specific

  • The Loom of Language. Frederick Bodmer. 1943.
  • The Study of Language (8th Edition). George Yule. 2022.
  • The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language. John McWhorter. 2013.
  • Fluent Forever (Revised Edition). Gabriel Wyner. 2014.