Top 30 German Textbooks, Readers and Books in German for Beginners to Advanced Learners

1. “Collins Easy Learning German Grammar” by Collins Dictionaries, Harper Collins UK (Grammar Book)

Collins Easy Learning German Grammar by Collins Dictionaries is a standard and one of the greatest German grammar books in English, for from beginners to intermediates.

This book is arranged by order of grammatical subjects in chapters and sections. Authors comment rules of grammar and differences to English, then present example sentences, charts, exceptions and comparisons to English. This book compiles essential basic points of German grammar you must know, and rather higher-level points. Comments of this book is simple and helpful. And, the features of this books are rather close explanations, and accounts of detailed usages and exceptions than other German grammar books for beginners. There’re plenty of tips and example sentences in this book.

I recommend this book to all German learners from beginners to intermediates. If you are a beginner to German, I suggest you to read this book as the second or the first book of German learning. You can master basic essential knowledge of German grammar by this book. Also intermediate learners can use this book as a reference to grammar.

2. “Living Language German: Complete Edition”, Living Language (Course Book, Total Solution)

Living Language German: Complete Edition by Living Language is the best organized total German learning material or course of 3 textbooks and 9 CDs. Even if you read a grammar book, but you can’t understand words of example sentences. Besides, you can’t memory and gain your vocabulary by each of words. Even if you read a reader book, but you can’t understand correct pronunciations of words and sentences. And you can’t memorize expressions on a idiom book by only examples and their translations… However, this best organized total learning material, it integrated grammar, vocabulary, conjugation of verbs, expressions, idioms, conversations, pronunciation and listening. It takes into account the combination of elements of learning foreign language.

Besides, this learning material also is designed as you can learn and memorize German by only listening to CDs repeatedly. So another advantage of this product is you can learn hands-free German words, expressions, conjugation and grammar by CDs. (CDs of Essential Level include explanations of grammar.) You can master ‘intermediate level of German’ or ‘all basic elements of German’ by only this great product!!! (German is more complex than other languages, so the level of which you can learn by this is lower.)

3. “Café in Berlin : 10 Short Stories for Beginners (Dino lernt Deutsch, Learn German with Stories)” by André Klein, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (Reader)

Café in Berlin : 10 Short Stories for Beginners by André Klein is the volume one of 8 volumes easy German reader series Dino lernt Deutsch. This reader series is for German beginners. It will gradually become more difficult with the volumes. Each of volumes consists of 10 short stories of Italian student boy Dino stayed in German cities. The former parts of each stories are 3 to 5 page German text, and the later parts are 1 to 2 page English translations of words and phrases. The stories are easy to read, interesting and based on the German culture and dialy life.

I recommend this reader for German beginners to gain ability to read and knowledge of words and phrases. I’d like to say to you should read all of volumes of this seires, but if you were German beginner, you might read to the volume 5 or 6.

4. “German Verb Drills” by Astrid Henschel, McGraw-Hill Education (Verb Drill)

German Verb Drills by Astrid Henschel is the best book to review and memorize exclusively ‘verbs and conjugations in all tenses’ by writing answers. It contains all conjugations in every tense. Part 1 entries the present tense of regular, irregular (heben, sein, werden, vowl change verbs such as geben, lesen and fallen, and verbs with separable prefixes such as vorstellen, abholen and einkaufen), and modal verbs (modal auxiliaries such as dürfen, können, müssen and sollen). Part 2 entries imperative, future tense, and present perfect tense. Part 3 entries the past tense. Part 4 entries perfect tenses, reflexive and impersonal verbs, infinitive constructions, and passive voice. And part 5 entries the subjunctive and conditional moods. The order is from the present tense to complicated conjugations such as the simple past and the subjunctive, reasonable from easy to difficult. Each chapters consists of comments, charts and examples of verb, tense and conjugation system, and questions. You read comments and examples, then on question parts you fill in blank with German or English words or phrases.

This book is really helpful for German beginners to learn and memorize verbs (and articles), their conjugations and means of tenses by practise.

5. » Deutsche Geschichte « von Manfred Mai, Beltz (History Book, Audiobook)

Deutsche Geschichte von Manfred Mai is the most reputable German History book for early teens or junior high-school students.

6. » Der Kleine Prinz « (Mit den farbigen Zeichnungen des Verfassers)” by Antoine de Saint-Expéry, Anaconda Verlag (Children’s Story, Reader, Audio Book)

The most efficientive learning foreign languages I think, is reading in practice. I think German leaners should read book by German from children’s stories while referring to your German dictionary or the English edition, rather than to keep ‘studying French’ endlessly. Reading books by German makes you memorize and learn words, phrases and grammar in contexts and contents.

Der Kleine Prinz by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is the most famous children’s story has a deeper insight than other average children’s books, also be suitable for adults. And another good point is there’re the audiobook and the English edition of this book.

This story is a beautiful, cherish and precious but painful story from the viewpoint of a child. It was described by the sensibility of a child, but therefore the little prince’s words resonate your heart.

7. “German for Dummies with CD” by Edward Swick, For Dummies (Vocabulary Book with 3 CDs)

I recommend German for Dummies with CD by Edward Swick, the 3 CDs and a booklet set learning material for complete German beginners as the first German learning material. I think one of important points of learning foreign languages is pronunciation. To know correct pronunciation is the key to understand and gain your abilities to read, speak and listen foreign languages. To start learning German by this audio learning material is the best choice I think.

In each chapters of this material, entries words and phrases in various situations of ordinary life, travel and working. The CDs contain an english voice and two times of German voices of each words and phrases. Also some chapters consider to learn very basic German grammar automatically. You pronounce German words and phrases with CDs, you learn pronunciation and basic German vocabulary and grammar effectively. Also you can learn hands-free by listening CDs while walking, commuting, cooking and driving.

8. “German Easy Reader: Super 500 For Beginners” by Brian Smith, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Reader, Bilingual Book)

‘German Easy Reader: Super 500’ by Brian Smith is the ULTRA EASY German reader and German-English bilingual book. The content of this book is the short stories of ‘Familie Schmidt’. Author doesn’t describe grammatical accounts, and he illustrate only charts of conjugation of some verbs and means of some words. The description of the story is quite easy, and every sentences are short. Author uses the active voice only and doesn’t use complex tenses. In this book there are lots of repetitions of similar sentences, so you can learn words and phrases by heart.

So that, I recommend this to absolute beginners of German as the primer, second or third german learning material.

9. » Das große Buch vom glücklichen Leben – Gesammelte Werke « von Seneca, Anaconda Verlag

10. “Intermediate German Grammar (Practice Makes Perfect Series)” Ed Swick, McGraw-Hill Education (Grammar Drill)

11. “First German Reader for Beginners : Bilingual for Speakers of English” by Lisa Katharina May, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Reader, Bilingual Book)

First German Reader for Beginners by Lisa Katharina May is a reader and a bilingual book for from absolute beginners to intermediate German learners. This book is consist of 29 episodes of a American student, Mike studied abroad in German. And it make you a German intermediate learner and enable you to read easy German books.

12. “German Pre-Intermediate Reader: Super 1000” by Brian Smith, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Reader, Bilingual Book)

13. » Das Kleine Gespenst « von Otfried Preußler, Thienemann Verlag (Children’s Story, Reader)

14. “Hammer’s German Grammar and Usage (Routledge Reference Grammars)” by Martin Durrell, Routledge (grammar reference for intermediates to advanced learners)

15. “Drive Time German: Beginner Level”, Living Language (Audio Learning Material with Booklet)

16. “Barron’s German Grammar” by Paul G. Graves, Barron’s Educational Series (Grammar Book)

Barron’s German Grammar by Paul G. Graves is a handy basic grammar reference guide, comments by many short example sentences and phrases, charts and comparisons to English, rather than explanation sentences.

This book is a concise and informative grammar guide for English speaker, composed by many examples, charts and comparisons. It entries many explanations, short example phrases and sentences, charts, exceptions, comparisons to English and definitions of grammatical terms. You can learn German grammar in this book from pronunciation of Geramn sounds and German rules of writing and speaking (capitalization cases in German, kinds and names of punctuation marks, and word division rules) to tenses, moods and definitions of grammatical terms. The explanations in this book are short, essential and concise. In many parts, authors comment grammar by examples, phrases, charts, exceptions and comparisons to English.

I recommend this grammar book to German beginners to brush up and solidify their knowledge of grammar.

17. “German Phrase Book & CD (Eyewitness Travel Guides Phrase Books)”, DK Publishing (Phrase and Vocabulary Book)

German Phrase Book (Eyewitness Travel Guide) by DK Publishing is A little handy book contains short everyday basic words and expressions for traveling and staying German speaking countries, also useful for compelete beginners of German.

This book is a little handy book contains useful words and expressions for traveling and staying German speaking countries. It entries very basic elemental words (months, seasons, numbers, time and directions) and basic everyday short phrases in various scenes and situations (salutations, self-introduction, telephone calling and in hotel, driving, restaurant, store, post office, hospital, pharmacy and emergency). This also useful for leaners and beginners of German, not only traveller, to learn German everyday language and expressions.

You must get the CD. The CD contains most of phrases on this book in English and German. The narrator speaks each English phrases, then he speaks German translations one time or two times. It makes you learn words and phrases by heart quickly and good for your pronunciation.

18. “Barron’s 501 German Verbs” by Henry Strytz, Barron’s Educational Series (verb and conjugation book with MP3 CD and CD-ROM for beginners to intermediates)

19. » Wissenschaft als Beruf/Politik als Beruf. Jubiläumsausgabe « von Max Weber, UTB GmbH

20. “Practice Makes Perfect German Verb Tenses, 2nd Edition: With 200 Exercises + Free Flashcard App” by Astrid Henschel, McGraw-Hill Education (Verb Drill)

21. » Momo « by Michael Ende, Thienemann (Children’s Story, Audio Book)

22. » Von Beruf Schriftsteller « von Haruki Murakami, btb Verlag

23. » Pippi Langstrumpf « von Astrid Lindgren, Verlag Friedrich Oetinger

24. “First German Reader: A Beginner’s Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language German)” by Harry Steinhauer, Dover Publications (Reader, Bilingual Book)