Nicholas J. Brown.

All over this forum I see the name Penquin, and nicholas Brown. I have been looking for it to check it out but can't find it yet. But it must be a good resource? Tell me please what does it have that other educational resources are lacking, that makes it effective such that everyone promotes it so highly. This language is proving to be very difficult for me to learn even with a native speaker to help me, I seem to absorb vocabulary and senteces very easily. and I know what i"m saying. but.. ( And don't laugh) I 'm having trouble understanding the why. The grammer is killing me! I just can't seem to grasp it. So at this point I need all the help I can get my hands on. I shall continue looking for this Nicholas J. Brown and his book of penquins for it seems to be an invaluable tool according to the masses.. Is it a whole series that i"m looking for or it is it broke up into different skill leves? Thax to everyone.

Actually, it's not really that great. The reason everybody suggests it is because it's convenient to have one standard thing we recommend to all the new people. If they're like "Hi! I'm new! I'm just starting this Russian thing! What should I do? Can you recommend any books?" we automatically say "Get Penguin" and that's that. It's tradition. And it's one medium-sized paperback book you're looking for. Look in the foreign languages section of your local bookstore.

You blasphemous blaspheming blasphemer you! Repeat after me: "There is no God but N.J. Brown and Jasper is his prophet"

Seriously though, it isn't all that fantastic as I made it out to be more than half a year ago (through which statement nearly half of all forum-members bought the book and recommended it further). It is certainly a good, general but not superficial, introduction, though you will need more books if you're serious about learning the language fully.

I have looked in the bookstores but it's not there.. I believe that has more to do with my location than anything though. Learning to speak Russian is not real popular around here, and you would think it would be due to the fact there are so many Russians that live here. lol DAMN these mountains and the Ironies they present.! But I'm making a trip to Charlotte in a couple more weeks so there I will look for it. Perhaps with it being a large city there I can find it. I suppose a good general guide is what I need most of all now though so thanx. It doesn't bother me to spend money on mediocre as long as I know that I"m buying mediocre.
If there is one book or resource that in your opinion is the best you have found what would you say that is.?

The best Russian book is New MasterRussian Book by Master J. Admin (to come)

Actually, it is the soon-to-be-published Ученник и Учитель which is a compilation of forum user's questions and their answers from native Russians(or experts in Russian).