Logical Approach to Modern Persian, July 30, 2002

Thackston applies a logical and systematic approach to teaching Persian. For those wanting to learn the language for letter writing and for reading newspapers, this is a great starting point. Although, as stated previously, a key to exercises would be more than helpful. Also, a broader introduction into the Persian alphabet would be useful to those learning to write as well. Thackston is correct in introducing the alphabet page one - as it is an essential hurdle to clear before learning the language-, however an appendix explaining different writing techniques would have been a big help.

There are a number of Persian children's books which are available at Persian bookstores which give a solid introduction to the script, which I found useful to supplement my studies. I also have the Elwell-Sutton book, which does offer an appendix on Persian writing scripts and it's exercises do have an answer key. Still I prefer Thackston, as it offers a more logical approach to learning the grammar, and the vocabulary introduced is more practical. There are also fewer errors.

With its limitations stated, Thackston is a great meat and potatoes system that will teach you the language if you approach the language with diligence. I did not buy the tapes, so I cannot rate them, but I do recommend that for those learning Persian without access to native speakers should invest in a good set of tapes. It is important to pick up on the pronunciation of the language, which can only effectively be learned by ear.

Thorough and grammatically precise but often confusing, June 4, 2001

This is a good introduction for written Persian language used in present-day Iran, but for a beginning student it can also seem a bit daunting (excessive use of grammatical terms often makes it more useful to look at Thackston's examples than read his explanations, for example). Also his habit of introducing bits and pieces of the same grammatical point in various parts of the book hampers its usefulness as a reference book. Lack of a key to the exercises has already been mentioned, but another frustrating point is Thackston's somewhat vague dictionary in the end of the book - many common words have not been included since you are supposed to be familiar with them, but this is a hindrance if you just want to check out the correct spelling of an already familiar term. I learned my Persian from this book and was reading texts by the middle of my fourth month of study, so the book *is* effective in teaching you the grammar, but by the time I finished it I was thoroughly tired of it and its minor but all-too-frustrating faults. Personally I would recommend Elwell-Sutton for a beginner - especially since it has a gentler approach to introducing the script.

A brilliant Persian grammar, July 2, 2001

I wish I had had this book when I was living in Iran!

It is concise, accurate, and extremely helpful.

Naturally, if you have a serious intention to learn Persian, you will surely wind up with more than one book on your shelf. But this definitely should be among them!

Highest recommendation!

Demanding but excellent as your SECOND Persian book, July 18, 2004
Reviewer: A reader
The reviews below make clear that different people have different reactions to this book. Having used a number of beginning textbooks of Persian over the years, here is another commentary that will hopefully put this book into perspective:

It is a very complete and sophisticated handbook to the grammar of Persian, arranged in progressive lessons, but it does in many places demand a knowledge of English grammar (and grammatical terminology) that excees what most readers have these days. Frankly, I think that this book, and particularly the grammatical descriptions/explanations in it, would be very heavy going for a true beginner at Persian, especially someone working on his/her own without a teacher or class.

For the true beginner, or the independent learner, I think the tried and true "Teach Yourself Modern Persian" by John Mace, (and NOT the new book by the same title written by Narguess Farzad) offers the easiest way to become aquainted with the Persian alphabet and language in easy stages in such a way that, even working on one's own, you can make good progress and get a good feel for the structure of the language.

In my view, the Thackston book is a good follow-on book for someone who has already picked up the basics from Mace. Thackston's particular strength, in my opinion, is the way he has analyzed virtually all the aspects of the language and provided very clear-cut sample sentences, always in both Persian and English, to illustrate even the finest nuances of meaning. In this regard, it is outstanding, and the sentence-examples and their translations make the points sink in well even if the explanations are a bit abstruse in terms of grammatical teminology. But unless you already have a basic grasp of the fundamentals of Persian, you may not be able to benefit so much from Thackston.

In short, I think Thackston's book is marvellous as a "follow-on" textbook for people who have already picked up a basic understanding of the way the language works, but is probably a bit heavy for those just starting out. I thus recommend it as your SECOND Persian book, and I think that if you approach it in this way you will value it very highly for the way it clarifies and solidifies what you have learned from Mace.

the BEST for Learning Persian, October 19, 2003

I have purchased all of the books and CDs for learning Persian and this along with Modern Persian a Complete Course from the Teach Yourself Series by John Mace are the only books worth buying. I bought the Learn to Speak Farsi CD for 150, Colloquial Persian, etc and this is the only one which really helped me. Thackston truly knows the Persian language and how to teach it. It IS technical but how else do you expect to learn a language? If you are just looking to learn a few phrases like "where are you from" or how to get a taxi than buy the Colloquial Persian books which is good for that and for conversation. If you want to really learn Persian however it is crucial that you obtain Thackston's book. Khuda hafiz!

Should come with an English Dictionary, January 25, 2003

While Thackston is obviously well educated in eastern studies, and knows his Arabic and Persian, he ought to keep in mind that not everyone who will purchase his book is a Harvard professor (or student for that matter), and really ought to write at a level that most can comprehend.

Though I plead ignorance to the terms "indefinite enclitic", "non-restrictive and subordinate clause" and "antecedent functions", I have managed to come as far as I have with spoken and written Persian without knowing these terms, and without knowing the Persian that I already know, I would have absolutely no idea what was being discussed -- so much for "An Introduction" to Persian.

It should also be noted that there is a fair amount of Arabic structure used, inappropriately at times, throughout the book. While Arabic has had an undeniable effect on modern Persian, characters such as te-tammat and alef-madde are never used in written Persian, and therefore are completely inappropriate for this text.

In closing, if not for my immense interest in this subject, I would not have made it past page 10. "An Introduction To Persian" would serve as an excellent artifact for the old, dry, and boring foreign language texts we all saw in High School; but unless you are an English Grammer major, or one of Thackston's Harvard colleagues, I can tell you that you will find yourself quite frustrated with this text.