Best european travel guides according to redditors

We found 496 Reddit comments discussing the best european travel guides. We ranked the 196 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

1. Watching the English - The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour

38 mentions

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2. A Season with Verona

6 mentions

VINTAGE

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3. The Undutchables: An Observation of the Netherlands, Its Culture and Its Inhabitants

4 mentions

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4. German: How to Get Really Good at German: Learn German to Fluency and Beyond (3rd Edition)

3 mentions

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5. Learn German with Stories: Dino lernt Deutsch Collector's Edition - German Short Stories for Beginners: Explore German Cities and Boost Your Vocabulary (German Edition)

3 mentions

Learn German with Stories: Dino lernt Deutsch Collector's Edition - German Short Stories for Beginners: Explore German Cities and Boost Your Vocabulary (German Edition)

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9. Italian: How to Get Really Good at Italian: Learn Italian to Fluency and Beyond (2nd Edition)

2 mentions

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10. Italian: Short Stories for Beginners + Italian Audio: Improve your reading and listening skills in Italian. (Learn Italian with Stories Vol. 1) (Italian Edition)

2 mentions

Italian: Short Stories for Beginners + Italian Audio: Improve your reading and listening skills in Italian. (Learn Italian with Stories Vol. 1) (Italian Edition)

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11. Italian Short Stories For Beginners Volume 2: 8 More Unconventional Short Stories to Grow Your Vocabulary and Learn Italian the fun Way! (Italian Edition)

2 mentions

Italian Short Stories For Beginners Volume 2: 8 More Unconventional Short Stories to Grow Your Vocabulary and Learn Italian the fun Way! (Italian Edition)

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12. German Men Sit Down To Pee And Other Insights Into German Culture

2 mentions

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13. Secret London - an Unusual Guide

2 mentions

International products have separate terms, are sold from abroad and may differ from local products, including fit, age ratings, and language of product, labeling or instructions.NewMint ConditionDispatch same day for order received before 12 noonGuaranteed packaging

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14. Secret Edinburgh An unusual guide ('Secret' guides)

2 mentions

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15. The UnDutchables: an observation of the netherlands, its culture and its inhabitants

2 mentions

Used Book in Good Condition

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16. Lonely Planet London (City Guide)

2 mentions

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17. Lonely Planet London (Travel Guide)

2 mentions

LONELY PLANET PUBLICATIONS

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18. Lonely Planet Italian Phrasebook & Dictionary (Phrasebooks)

2 mentions

Lonely Planet

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19. Lonely Planet German Phrasebook & Dictionary (Phrasebooks)

2 mentions

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20. Lonely Planet Italian Phrasebook & Dictionary (Phrasebooks)

2 mentions

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Top Reddit comments about European Travel Guides:

u/AnotherVersionOfMe · 64 pointsr/worldnews

The undutchables. They wrote a book

/joke

u/Brickie78 · 28 pointsr/BritishSuccess

If you liked this, you'll also like "Watching the English" by Kate Fox - same author and sort of inspired by the pub study (and a similar one commissioned by the horse racing people).

u/whatisthesun · 26 pointsr/FreeEBOOKS

u/perpetual_C000009A · 22 pointsr/unitedkingdom

I'm a little late to this party, but I did read a book called Watching The English by Kate Fox. She explains how to determine which 'class' somebody is by the words they use for things, and Settee is one example:
>Settee
Or you could ask your hosts what they call their furniture. If an upholstered seat for two or more people is called
a settee or a couch, they are no higher than middle-middle.
If it is a sofa, they are upper-middle or above. There
are occasional exceptions to this rule, which is not quite as accurate a class indicator as ‘pardon’. Some younger
upper-middles, influenced by American films and television programmes, might say ‘couch’ – although they are
unlikely to say ‘settee’, except as a joke or to annoy their class-anxious parents.
If you like, you can amuse
yourself by making predictions based on correlations with other class indicators such as those covered later in
the chapter on Home Rules. For example: if the item in question is part of a brand-new matching three-piece
suite, which also matches the curtains, its owners are likely to call it a settee.

u/moremattymattmatt · 19 pointsr/AskUK

Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0340818867/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-nLCCbATQEJ9B might be worth be worth.

u/Dunskap · 17 pointsr/italianlearning

Vocabulary: http://clozemaster.com

Grammar book: https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Italian-Conversation/dp/1260026205/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8

A2 graded reader: https://www.amazon.com/Italian-Short-Stories-Beginners-Unconventional-ebook/dp/B01JKDYV4I/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&amp;me=&amp;qid=

u/bill-of-rights · 16 pointsr/Switzerland

Wherever you move, invest 100% in learning the language. If you are moving into the Swiss-German speaking area, this will be much harder than the French or Italian area, but you must do it.

A customer of mine is originally from India, and he only conversed with his wife in English when they lived outside of Switzerland. When they moved to Switzerland, upon landing she said, "these are the last words in English I will speak to you, from now in it's Swiss-German." He thought she was joking, but she wasn't. It was tough love, and 6 months of hell, but now he speaks Swiss-German like a local, with no accent. This is extremely rare. And even as someone who is clearly not Swiss, he is 100% accepted into his village and really enjoys life here.

I also recommend this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Living-Working-Switzerland-Survival-Handbook/dp/1909282634

It has tips and tricks that even most Swiss don't know.

u/atomicjohnson · 14 pointsr/italianlearning

Good plan ... "Graded readers" is the term you're looking for. There are several available on Amazon with titles like "Italian Short Stories for Beginners", "Short Stories in Italian for Beginners", etc. In the product descriptions they should give you a general idea of the CEFR language level.

u/Allydarvel · 13 pointsr/pics

There's a good book about exactly that. UK and Japan have both developed similar societies independently. Both value privacy, are well mannered, highly structured and lots more. The author claims that it could be because we are both island nations with high populations..It may be called watching the English..It was quite a while ago that I read it

u/skartocc · 11 pointsr/Edinburgh

Oh man you're in for a treat... as there is too many to mention - so to make it easier I suggest buy one or both of these books - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edinburghs-Hidden-Walks-Stephen-MIllar/dp/1902910583 and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Edinburgh-Unusual-Jonglez-Guides/dp/2361951487/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=H08S08Z2Y3MVSPS3JZH0 . They are both excellent and even though I lived here a number of years now and know pretty much every street and path, these two books still had bits I hadn't found. One quick one, just start in Dean's village and do the water of Leith to Stockbridge and have a pint there - if that doesn't work for you than you're in the wrong city!

As for what a local would do end May - well if its sunny, buy a portable BBQ, ciders and lounge in the Meadows - sunshine is too rare to do anything indoors-y.

u/cpcallen · 9 pointsr/london

> I'm told that good service is not to be expected. Is that true?

I think it depends on what you mean by "good service". I would say that competent and reasonably prompt service is to be expected, but if by "good service" you mean super friendly/flirtatious or otherwise especially solicitous or overly-familiar service then you will probably be disappointed.

If there are no problems with the service I will usually tip around 10% for restaurant meals (or pay the service charge, typically 12.5%, if it is already on the bill). I have occasionally left a small or no tip if the service was particularly bad. I have refused to pay the service charge on one occasion, when the waiter took each of my three courses away before I had finished eating it (despite there being a very clear cutlery-based signalling system to prevent such incidents)! I can recall no occasion when the service was extraordinary enough to merit a tip of greater than 10%, or a tip on top of an included service charge.

(By the way, speaking of table manners: fork always in the left hand, never the right, with prongs down (stabbing, not shovelling); and napkin on the lap, never tucked into your shirt. There's a lot more rules, but those two and the cutlery-together-when-finished one will be enough to get you through all but the fanciest meals without looking like an uncouth imbecile).

You don't tip the bartender at a pub, not even if buying food, but you could offer to buy them a drink (which they may accept payment for when offered but serve/consume later). This happens rarely, however, and most typically only if someone is a 'regular' at their local.

One additional bit of general advice:

I would very much recommend the Lonely Planet British Phrase Book as a basic introduction to British English for tourists/new arrivals (hint: the things you wear on your legs are trousers, not pants) as well as Kate Fox's Watching the English which is a delightful introduction to English culture from an antropological point of view (it has a whole chapter on how the English behave at the pub, including IIRC some two pages on the subtle protocol for ordering drinks at the bar) - entertaining and fascinating, even in the opinion of many of my actually-British friends.

u/[deleted] · 9 pointsr/AskUK

I have heard good things about Watching the English.

u/stentuff · 8 pointsr/AskReddit

Actually, according to this brilliant book it's a class thing.. Some upper middle class people decided that napkin sounded too much like nappy and it would make them seem lower class, so they started using serviette instead. Now, the funny thing is that the proper posh people didn't give a fuck, and kept saying napkin. It is now a fairly accurate way of spotting middle class people with upwards ambition.

The same goes for the word "pardon" btw. Upper and working class find saying "What?" perfectly acceptable if they need someone to repeat themselves, the middle classes find it crude and have adopted the use of pardon instead.

I'm a Swede living in the UK, and my English boyfriend gave me that book. It's hilarious and incredibly accurate. Class is still very much an issue over here. At least a lot more than what I'm used to.

u/cut-it · 7 pointsr/london

Yep.

This is a good book on this kind of stuff

https://www.amazon.co.uk/London-Under-Subterranean-Guide/dp/0719552885

u/nothingtoseehere____ · 7 pointsr/AskUK

If you want a whole book on these kind of differences, I'd recommend Watching the English: by Kate Fox It's a great book which is a easy-to-read explanation of some of the linchpins of English culture, and will help you understand how people act differently in the UK compared to the US (one short thing the book explains in alot more detail: it is never the wrong moment to make a joke about something)

u/fucksocks · 7 pointsr/AskReddit

Kate Fox did precisely this as part of her social experiments. She said queue jumping was the most painful experience of her life. "Watching The English" is her book about English social norms:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

u/tefster · 7 pointsr/london

George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London and Jack London's People of the Abyss are good, but more narrative than story.

I also found London Under London interesting, that one is more a true-fact than true-story though.

u/lgf92 · 7 pointsr/AskEurope

I recommend this book to you. I'm reading it for the first time and, as someone English, it's making me realise that a lot of the stuff we do and the way we think is really really weird.

u/krattr · 6 pointsr/europe

Definitely get ths one: Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour

Contents: http://i.imgur.com/Rxxxo.png

u/Craybutt · 5 pointsr/languagelearning

u/ExeterQuickly · 5 pointsr/IsraelPalestine

> When you are ready to have a conversation based on the facts, please let me know.

Something that's really far better addressed to you. Here's something that will help you settle into the true homeland of the Ashkenazim, molto bene!

u/Sean_O_Neagan · 5 pointsr/unitedkingdom

Highly recommend London Under London if you needs more of This Kind Of Thing.

u/EllaTheCat · 5 pointsr/unitedkingdom

Kate Fox's book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

It gets better reviews on amazon.com - she understands us, and helps non-English people understand our wacky ways.

u/random_testaccount · 5 pointsr/europe

I think it's from undutchables, a popular polemic about the Netherlands produced by the English-speaking and Netherlands-loathing expat community. The pun is intentional. The Dutch term for it is steenkolenengels.

This silly bint should venture a little further from the university campus area in her research.

u/vln · 5 pointsr/AskUK

Detergent is detergent. The extras are packaging, including which stores it's stocked in, and perfume.
Staples is your best option, although branches tend to be in retail parks. For town centres, look for Rymans and, perhaps, WH Smith.
No idea. Ask a doctor. It may be that one or more of those are not available "over the counter", i.e. without prescription, here.
http://www.sirc.org/publik/pub.html and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867
Depends, both on whether it's a chain or an independent place, and on what you're ordering.

If it's a chain, then tell them what you need, and let them figure out what they can do without their bosses being arseholes.

If it's independent, then tell them what you're after, and see what happens!

u/abodyweightquestion · 5 pointsr/london

> From Luton Airport to South Croydon, is it better to take a cab,

Between four adults, yes. A train ticket would be roughly twenty quid each anyway, so just get a cab.

>How exactly do the Oyster cards work, in terms of limits?

It's all here, in great depth: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/price-capping#on-this-page-1

>Would it be better to get these or Travelcards? Or would the Oyster card be more cheaper? Crayton seems to be in the travel zone 5, so with Travel cards, you'll be forced to buy 1-5 zone tickets,

Because you're staying Zone 5, but all the tourist bits are Zone 1/2, you'd be best off putting a certain amount on your oyster and let the capping do its work. Pay as you go, as explained above.

>What would be the best 'starting point' for every day? Mostly getting from Crayton to this spot, and then move about to different locations. Just so you would have something concrete to start with everyday. Considering most basic tourism happens in zone 1-2?

>What would be the best 'starting point' for every day? Mostly getting from Crayton to this spot, and then move about to different locations. Just so you would have something concrete to start with everyday. Considering most basic tourism happens in zone 1-2?

London Bridge train station would be a good starting point, as the trains go from South Croydon to London Bridge.

>Are there any 'preplanned' days available online (or some similar app), that give you a rough outline on where to go when, and basically just guide you through things and show you costs, etc.

I get in trouble for suggesting this but, including here, it seems like people genuinely just turn up without doing any research: buy a guidebook. Read it on the plane on your way here. There is a wealth of information written in every language about London, especially for tourists who haven't a clue what they're doing. Everything I've written above will be detailed at great length in a book that will cost less than a tenner. If this post is your only research into coming to London, you'll get into trouble very quickly. Don't rely on an app, unless you want your phone stolen out of your hand.

Budget: £600 for how long? Each, or between you?

u/hutchero · 4 pointsr/Edinburgh

Try and pick up a copy of this it'll be sure to have some suggestions, and it's bloody interesting .

Maybe the anatomy museum at Edinburgh university? They've got Burke's skeleton as he was dissected after being hanged, not exactly secret but not that commonly known either.

u/blue_whaoo · 4 pointsr/soccer

Definitely.

I would add A Season With Verona. Similar in some ways, but more from a fan's perspective. Also a bit more insight to regional culture, political stuff, rivalries, etc.

u/Amuro_Ray · 4 pointsr/britishproblems

Today actually. A BBC podcast by David Mitchell touches on it a little and Kate Fox's book Watching the English does as well neither are serious but they sing to the same tune about this.

u/citysnake · 3 pointsr/LifeProTips

This book would interest you. 'What' is used by upper and lower/lower-middle classes, the latter with a glottal stop. 'Pardon' is used by the class conscious middle. 'Sorry' by upper-middles.

u/FleshEmoji · 3 pointsr/AskEurope

Shopping at Waitrose.
Painting your house in Farrow and Ball paints.
Having a large gun dog rather than a small fluffy one in a bag.
Old Volvo rather than brand new BMW

Watching the English is good on this class thing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

u/poppyclover · 3 pointsr/Switzerland

https://www.amazon.com/Living-Working-Switzerland-Survival-Handbook/dp/1909282634 this book will answer all your questions and much more, it was invaluable when I moved.

u/kjdhgggg · 3 pointsr/vancouver

I know, it's a camaraderie thing, and a whole bunch more besides. It can sure feel hostile if your not used to it - the Brits are a complex lot.

https://www.amazon.com/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

u/jamoke57 · 3 pointsr/languagelearning

I haven't purchased these yet since I've been busy with other things, but another poster recommended them and it looked like a very good supplement to pair with duolingo and memrise.

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-German-Stories-Berlin-Beginners-ebook/dp/B00F33E3C0?ie=UTF8&amp;ref_=asap_bc

He has about 8 beginner German books and a few intermediate to advance ones. You can use click the "look inside" button to see an example of the text. I think I may pick up the audible one as well, because he reads through it very slowly and pronounces everything accurately.

He also bundles the first 4 beginner books here:

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-German-Stories-Collectors-Beginners-ebook/dp/B00W9L9F9A/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&amp;me=

u/Red_Dog1880 · 3 pointsr/soccer

Calcio if you're interested in Italian football.

A season with Verona about an Englishman who lives in Verona and talks about his adventures following them.

Football, Fascism and Fandom: The UltraS of Italian Football
if you're interested in the darker side of the Ultras in Italian football (and mainly Rome).

u/CaisLaochach · 3 pointsr/soccer

Is that the Curva Sud?

I'd hope you've all read A Season with Verona by Tim Parks, otherwise, here's a link;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Season-Verona-Illusions-National-Character/dp/0099422670/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314611415&sr=8-1

u/litheye · 3 pointsr/BritishTV

There was a programme on recently called Posh & Posher about this, but I didn't think much of it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00y37gk

To be honest, the best analysis of that kind of thing that I've come across is this book, which I highly recommend even for British people, it's fascinating. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1302431227&amp;sr=8-1

u/Acrolith · 3 pointsr/funny

Yeah, people make jokes when they're uncomfortable. I read a book by an anthropologist who was investigating British social codes and norms, and in the chapter about sex, she wrote with amused exasperation about how every time she mentioned that particular subtopic of her research to anyone, they always made a joke, and always the same joke: something about "helping her with the practical research".

u/illustrated--lady · 3 pointsr/AskSocialScience

This is absolutely brilliant :)

&#x200B;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

u/ThoreauWeighCount · 2 pointsr/languagelearning

I would combine Duolingo, which is a fairly fun way to get a decent grasp on basic grammar and vocabulary, with a phrasebook geared specifically toward the type of conversations a tourist would likely have.

Edit: If you're already conversational in Spanish, which is a very similar language, you might surprise yourself with how much you'll learn in 20 minutes a day for two months. Of course you won't be fluent, but I don't think you'll have any problem reaching your goal.

u/islandofshame · 2 pointsr/soccer

A Season With Verona by Tim Parks.

u/alltorndown · 2 pointsr/london

I work in a popular indie bookshop that is also a bit of a tourist destination in London. if you came into my shop an asked this question, i would suggest these two new books on londons rivers: 1 and 2. Same title, but both different and very good books. Also secret london. I've been a londoner for 15 years, and my parents both are from here, but most of the places in this book i had never come across. My better half, who is training to be a city of london tour guide, and I, have been using the book to get to know our city better for the last few months. Another awesome way to look at the city is through lost london an awesome (an reasonably priced) coffee table book of historic photographs of the city, illuminating for any londoner. If you are looking for any other sort of book on the city (novel, history of a particular period, esoteric guide, etc...), let me know. It's what I do.

P.S. While i have linked to amazon above, if you can afford to, buy from your local independent bookshop! you'll miss us if we go!

u/dreamstretch · 2 pointsr/unitedkingdom

Watching the English by Kate Fox, a social anthropologist and entertaining writer.

u/arist0geiton · 2 pointsr/monarchism

> I guess I'm just trying to hold these people to higher standards. They're really falling into the constitutional monarchy trap where since they have no power they don't take themselves very seriously.

No English person takes themselves seriously though. It is the secret of Englishness. This book was recommended to me by an English person, and it explains it:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

Edit: And the higher up the social ladder you are, the less seriously you have to take yourself.

Edit 2: Glad you like the song though!

u/jamescoleuk · 2 pointsr/literature

After reading Watching the English I became very aware of class, where before I was pretty much oblivious. Because class is such an obvious and daily thing in England I thought about it some more, initially out of intellectual curiosity, and now my levels of class awareness are pretty high, and chronic. My life is worse for it.

u/IemandZwaaitEnRoept · 2 pointsr/GlobalTalk

Fluent for me means without Dutch accent. Plus I probably use a ton of "undutchables" - Dutch expressions directly translated to English. But I can say most of what I want to say.

u/amazon-converter-bot · 2 pointsr/FreeEBOOKS

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:

amazon.co.uk

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Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

u/javelinnl · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

The UnDutchables: an observation of the netherlands, its culture and its inhabitants

u/lo_dolly_lolita · 2 pointsr/solotravel

A Lonely Planet book, like a phrasebook or small guide would be fun! I like these Lonely Planet phrasebooks. Or a guidebook where you use post-its to tag your favorites in the book.

u/s3collins · 2 pointsr/languagelearning

I talk to my son (under 1yr), in English and then try to say the same in Norwegian, or the rightful equivalent. I also take him to the store with me and explain to him everything we see and touch (colors, shapes, products). I find that it helps me a bit.

What helped me the most after I grasped the basics (using this book: http://www.amazon.com/NORWEGIAN-10-minutes-day%C2%AE-CD-ROM/dp/1931873089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419271016&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=learn++norwegian+in+10+minutes) I would translate youtube videos and talk shows (I kveld med Ylvis) and watch them a ton.

I want to learn Spanish, because I live in Texas and my son is 1/4th Mexican, but I am not as interested as I am in Norwegian so it's twice as hard for me. So the key is to be fully focused and inspired and you'll absorb the language easily.

u/noradrenaline · 2 pointsr/london

Also post in the stickied thread at the top of the subreddit, where you'll have a really helpful first post with lots of links to our wiki. You'll find a guidebook helpful too - something like Lonely Planet London and the Pocket edition for quick reference while you're out and about. You'll probably find most of your questions (how to get around, how to see the big sights, what to do/not do about tipping etc) are answered in there.

u/threesquares · 2 pointsr/AskUK

Class is sort of hard to define over here, because it's more of an innate knowledge of what's high class/low class rather than anything that actually affects your life. It's more about the papers you read, the school you went to, and the way you talk than anything else. Oh, and probably the way you vote. I'd argue that it some sense it's still tied to occupation for the lower classes, but once you get to middle/upper middle the lines are blurred a lot more.

A really good book to read that might help you get a better idea of how we work would be Kate Fox's Watching The English.

u/problemsdog · 2 pointsr/tipofmytongue

Not by an American, but could it be Watching the English?

u/atomicstig · 2 pointsr/confession

There’s even a book about it! German Men Sit Down to Pee and Other Insights into German Culture

u/maryfamilyresearch · 2 pointsr/SantasLittleHelpers

Do you know the Dino lernt Deutsch series by Andre Klein? It is a series of six books meant for beginners of German and the e-book versions are only 3-4 USD per book. There is even an omnibus covering books 1-4 for 10 USD.

http://www.amazon.com/Learn-German-Stories-Collectors-Beginners-ebook/dp/B00W9L9F9A/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&amp;me=

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00PPH1TLM/kindle/ref=sr_bookseries_null_B00PPH1TLM

Alternatively this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XJ07X94/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

This one is only 1.16 USD: http://www.amazon.com/Kandis-Zucker-kurze-Erz%C3%A4hlungen-German-ebook/dp/B007XSFTJ4/

I really wish I had a credit card so that I could gift one of those books to your daughter, but maybe another Santa is willing to help out?

u/thomasthetanker · 1 pointr/wikipedia

Watching the English is a fantastic read.
Its written like an anthropologist would study cannibals from the jungles of Borneo except it focuses on headhunters from Epsom.

u/himejirocks · 1 pointr/doctorwho

I read Watching the English . There are so many times I "got it" because of that book.

u/robgoesreddit · 1 pointr/ILiveIn

Hah, you have a lot of 'us' down pat. For further amusing reading, I highly recommend "The Undutchables" and "The Dutch, I presume?" but I'm sure they have been recommended to you by now. ;)

u/JeremyKaisle · 1 pointr/london

I do not own and have never read this book for the obvious reason that I live here, but I've never felt let down by another Lonely Planet book so I suspect it's good.

u/mobile_monster_ · 1 pointr/norsk

Here is the mobile version of your link

u/Shivalah · 1 pointr/germany

https://www.amazon.com/German-Down-Other-Insights-Culture-ebook/dp/B018JEOCL6

u/Super_Bob · 1 pointr/languagelearning

I don't have an answer to your question but rather a comment on living in the Netherlands, I lived there for years as an expat (I'm American). I don't want to discourage you from learning Dutch but you should know that the overwhelming majority of the population under the age of about 65 speaks English fluently. English is mandatory for all students from early grade school, and most learn a third language fluently as well (usually French or German). They do appreciate it when a non-native tries to converse with them in Dutch, but more often than not they will respond to you in English. Even when I was certain my pronunciation and grammar were correct I would still get responses in English, it can be very frustrating. It definitely makes it more difficult to raise your oral proficiency while living there. The answer I got as to why they would do that is "Well it's just easier for us [i.e. them]". Still, having a basic level of vocabulary was very useful in day to day life as most things are only written in Dutch.

PS - This book is pretty much considered required reading for expats moving to the Netherlands, don't be surprised if some of your new Dutch colleagues try to give you a copy. The Dutch are strangely proud of their cultural idiosyncrasies.

u/Ladybug313 · 1 pointr/italian_language

•Duolingo
•Rosetta Stone (there’s free online access available through my local library website)
•The Kindle book Italian Short Stories for Beginners has been great. Only $5. It comes with an audio component. Downloading the Italian-English dictionary on kindle makes defining words really quick.

u/osrevad · 1 pointr/German

Read read read read read. After studying for six months like you, I've set a goal this year to read one book a week. I'm starting book #7 now and it's changed everything for me.

The the best way to master grammar is reading. The best way to learn new vocabulary is reading. There's dozens of extremely common words in German that you might think you know that you actually don't, such as immer, doch, schon, etc., etc.. The only way to learn words like these is to see them in context hundreds of times.

Start with the easiest books you can understand. I guarantee that you are ready to start the book series Cafe in Berlin. That link contains the compilation of the first four books in the series. Go read the reviews and download the sample now. Do it.

Bonus tips:

You don't need a kindle to read kindle books. Just use the phone app or web app.
Try to understand the words and grammar in context before turning to a translation tool
The app (as well as the google translate app) include a highlight-to-translate if you get stuck.

u/MoarPewPewPlz · 1 pointr/norsk

I have this book without CD. It's still good.

u/IMbleu · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I took a sip of something poison, but I'll hold on tight

Need this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1742208088/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3AI2NYW6RQXDZ&amp;coliid=I1ZM4AUUTT2188

used is fine and thank you for the contest!

u/nat_pryce · 1 pointr/AskReddit

If you want to understand English (not all British) mentality, read this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867.

It's a pop-science book written by an anthropologist who studies the English. If foreign, it'll explain a lot of wierd/mysterious stuff: queueing, how queues work in pubs, why English people don't tell you their name, why saying goodbye can drag on for ages, and more... Foreigners living in London have told me it's been the most useful book they've read and they wish they'd read it as soon as they arrived. As an English person it's eye-opening/shocking/depressing how much of our behaviour is determined by our culture.

u/ChemisTT · 1 pointr/soccer

Heard that A Season With Verona is a worthy read.

u/Plasmaman · 1 pointr/sheffield

Asia's quite a big place, where abouts are you from?

It looks like other commenters have kept you informed about most of your questions, but, as a student here for quite a while, I'd say most people walk everywhere!
The weather's been really rather mild this year, and the summer, if it matches last year, will be absolutely lovely. You shouldn't have to worry about anything but a rain coat/umbrella if you're coming over during the summer.

If you're curious about British customs, a lot of my friends from overseas have waxed rhapsodic about this book which gives a bit of an insight into British (particularly English) culture. The biggest shock for most is the necessity of verbal politeness and queuing. We queue for everything.

u/jerub · 1 pointr/london

I moved here 8 months ago from Australia, and work for a tech company in the city - nothing related to your area of study I'm afraid.

After you get here I'd be happy to introduce you to one of our many excellent drinking establishments and natter about how everything's different to back home.

I can even lend you a copy of Watching The English http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867 which I was given by a french coworker after I arrived.

u/ngony · 1 pointr/AskReddit

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867
http://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Portrait-People-Jeremy-Paxman/dp/0140267239/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1

They may both help. Or confuse further.

u/oak45 · 1 pointr/AskReddit

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

u/Zergling_Supermodel · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Watching The English is the book you are looking for.

u/NonFlyingDutchman · 1 pointr/soccer

Good list, but I would add:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Season-With-Verona-Tim-Parks/dp/0099422670

u/penisse · 1 pointr/Switzerland

I have been given that book when I came in 1999:

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Working-Switzerland-Survival-Handbook/dp/1909282634

u/MuseofRose · 1 pointr/languagelearning

I cant find the exact one I was looking for though taking a look thru visual dictionaries like this and the Lonely Planet Phrase books for great topic ideas. I really think they cover a wide breath.

u/Sparu · 1 pointr/CasualUK

Try reading Watching the English by Kate Fox. It’s a brilliant book, and it sheds a lot of light on our culture and traditions.

u/shoes_of_mackerel · 0 pointsr/todayilearned

A generalisation, not an assumption - based on the findings of social anthropology ( this is a good read if you're interested). Again, this isn't a dig at Americans or saying that they are incapable of using sarcasm, but that Brits and Americans (and indeed every other culture) have different normal modes of communication. Brits rely on understanding implicit meanings a lot in day to day conversation, while Americans tend to be more "straight talking". It's not that Brits are "better" at sarcasm, just that they're more used to it.

u/bibbade · 0 pointsr/ukpolitics

I get that we have a shared history. But we have a shared European history. We have a shared history with the commonwealth. We have a shared world history. The built environment is very different across different parts of the country and even within cities the contrast can be stark.

I would probably have more things in common with someone who lives in Paris, Warsaw, or even Istanbul of a similar class than I would with someone who lives in rural England.

My life would not compare to say someone on benefits or to a millionaire.

Specific English-ness does not really bind us together. I read Watching the English by Kate Fox not too long ago. She spent,I believe, a year basically researching our culture. The main points I remember is that we say sorry regardless of fault when she intentionally bumped into them. And that we queue instinctively. I don't remember reading that much else which we all shared.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867

u/Gusfoo · 0 pointsr/unitedkingdom

Read Watching The English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox. It is unerringly accurate.

Edit: Really? Minus one`d for a book suggestion? Gosh.

u/Lewis77 · -4 pointsr/AskReddit

Never eat English food. Just stick to Indian/Chinese etc. and you'll do just fine.

Try to see Fatboy Slim live at some festival or other; go clubbing in general. The UK scene is great!

Being self-deprecating (especially when joking) will go a long way towards making British people accept you.

Finally, read this book before you go. Godspeed you good Redditor!

EDIT: lol I had no idea that English food would inspire such... passions. All hail the mighty shepherd's pie then!

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11. Italian Short Stories For Beginners Volume 2: 8 More Unconventional Short Stories to Grow Your Vocabulary and Learn Italian the fun Way! (Italian Edition)

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