format_quote Originally Posted by
backbencher
Marhaba. Think I've got one of the Gafar books, or have used copies from it. Al Kitab fi Taalum Al Arabia should be good; I have the preceeding book, Alif Baa w/ DVD's, which is excellent.
Alif Baa w/DVDs is an excellent choice. But I would place it on an intermediate level and can be difficult for absolute beginners.
My favorite beginners choice for absolute beginners is:
"Arabic made easy" by Mouncef Saheb-Ettaba and Caroline Squire Saheb-Ettaba.
It is an old book first published in 1959. I still have my old 1959 copy and even to this day still refer back to it. It is now a difficult book to find and can be expensive. There are newer updated expanded versions of it. But, in my opinion the 1959 version is still the best, even tho there are some printing errors in it.