First Spanish Reader, Angel Flores, ed.
The other day at Barnes & Noble bookstore I found a Dover reprint, dual-language book titled, First Spanish Reader, Angel Flores, ed., and bought it. First published in 1964, it is about 110 pages of Spanish stories, proverbs and anecdotes, and you can halve that because it has Spanish on the left page and English on the right. It also has a back dictionary listing almost all the words in the book. The stories are rewritten some to make the language easier.
The Dover reprint costs $7.95 new. You maybe can get it cheaper on Amazon.com used. If you're beyond the raw beginnings of learning Spanish and want to get started reading you may like this book.
7 Answers
Just thought I'd add that I came across this link whilst looking for Spanish Readers.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/15353
It is free and I hope it is of use.
Hi MJ
please do not post in capitals. It is considered as shouting.
I also would love to know the titles of more Spanish-English dual-language books, stories, and other reading matter I could order over the internet, or read online. I bought the only book I could find at B & N bookstore.
In a library in Tijuana, Mexico, I found "The Little Prince - El Principito". The Spanish story was followed by the English, but flipping the book back and forth was still easier than reading from 2 separate books. --I read it with a dictionary, too, as no vocabulary at the back and sometimes I just couldn't get what an individual word meant.
BTW, I've also started breaking my teeth on a Spanish translation of Nora Roberts mystery-romance novel anthology, "Peligros." The individual book titles are, "Una Vida Juntos," y "Un Negocio Arriesgado." I'm reading a few pages at a time, using the dictionary, and...the juicier parts keep me going.....................
James Santiago said:
lazarus1907 said:
Very rare for Spanish - English [dual-language books]'...in Spain they can be found in any bookstore ....
....I have searched long and hard... and found very few.... Could you post some links to good examples available online?
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lazarus1907 said:
Very rare for Spanish - English? I don't know in USA, but in Spain they can be found in any bookstore for people who are learning English (Obviously, they can be used both ways). Maybe they are all published in the UK?
I guess I should have said "where I live," but I assumed this applied everywhere because I have searched long and hard for taiyaku books on the Internet, and found very few examples. Could you post some links to good examples available online'
Very rare for Spanish - English? I don't know in USA, but in Spain they can be found in any bookstore for people who are learning English (Obviously, they can be used both ways). Maybe they are all published in the UK'
This type of book (two languages, one each on facing pages) is called taiyaku in Japanese, and they are very common in Japan, but are fairly rare for Spanish-English, and the ones that are available, don't seem to be that good. I had the above book (gave it away), but the Spanish is too old-fashioned. I didn't find it that helpful, or interesting, for that matter.
If you want to read in Spanish while being able to refer to a good translation, I recommend finding some books by Isabel Allende, whose works are all translated into English. Furthermore, she writes in a very simple yet elegant style, and is quite easy to read. She has written many books, and you can probably find at least the English, and maybe even the Spanish, at your local library. You can follow along in the English by turning the pages together. Certainly not as convenient as a taiyaku, but better than having to look up all the words you don't know. And Allende's translator is very good at expressing the Spanish concepts in English.
...to be precise.."A Beginner's Dual-Language Book" is part of the title. I have this book! That is some coincidence given our exchanges on pronouncing Spanish earlier today. First little story: "El Burro de Buridán", right?
But I have not read it yet. As I explained, I am trying to avoid the written word initially and am just completing an audio CD for beginners about Barcelona, (which gave rise to today's posts). I'll turn to my little Dover book when I feel confident about all the Spanish sounds.
And then I am going to try to put into practice one of your suggestions and imagine in my head that Gabriela Le Cube is reading to me. (Ms. Le Cube reads on one of several children's tapes - very old tapes, very old technology - that I checked out of the local library and captured to my mp3 player to take on walks)
