Celebrated Language Expert Michel Thomas's Promise of Language Proficiency "In 72 Hours" Continues in Audio Courses

Most language instructors say you need four to six months of daily drills to learn the basics of a language.

Michel Thomas believed all you needed was 72 hours.

Michel Thomas's revolutionary teaching skills and his promise of language proficiency in three short days transformed him into the world's leading language teacher. Using a unique method he developed and perfected over nearly three decades, Thomas taught countless students - some who had previously been deemed "unable to learn" -- the basics of foreign languages.

Tossing out the traditional rule of starting with verbs, tenses, and gender, instead Thomas would begin with small phrases and key words. Using these as building blocks, he would instruct students to add on, combine, and shuffle, creating the basic structure for successful communication. It required no books, no drills, no homework and no tests, just a purely organic method of listening and interaction.

Thomas, who spoke 11 languages, went on to teach luminaries from Princess Grace, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Mel Gibson to Peter Sellars and Melanie Griffiths, not to mention countless politicians, ambassadors, and diplomats. Academy Award-winning director and actress Emma Thompson told The Guardian that "learning Spanish with Michel was the most extraordinary learning experiences of my life - it was unforgettable."

Thomas died in 2005, but his promise of success in a foreign language continues today with reissues of his language tapes and packets, available this September and November 2006, from McGraw-Hill. The programs, which range from Get Started to Advanced Programs, allow listeners to "sit in" on recorded conversations between Thomas and his students, who are learning to be conversant with a vocabulary of up to 2,000 words, encouraging them to relax and immerse themselves. Advanced students will discover the ease with which Thomas provides tutorials on tenses, grammar structure and review.

The Michel Thomas Speak/Get Started Kit features the first two discs of the Michel Thomas Speak for Beginners Program. The Advanced Course is an eight-hour comprehensive program that features five 70-minute audio discs and an 8-page listening guide. All the sets come in zippered cases.

Get Started and Beginner Programs are available in September; Booster and Advanced Courses are available in November.

SPANISH
Michel Thomas Speak/Get Started Kit
ISBN-13: 978-0-07-147962-2
$24.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak for Beginners
ISBN-13: 978-0-07-148026-0
$79.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak/Language Booster
ISBN-13 978-0-07-148033-8
$24.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak/Advanced Program
ISBN-13 978-0-07-148037-6
$59.95 Audio

FRENCH
Michel Thomas Speak/Get Started Kit
ISBN-13 978-0-07-147977-6
$24.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak for Beginners
ISBN-13 978-0-07-147982-1
$79.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak/Language Booster
ISBN-13 978-0-07-148030-7
$24.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak/Advanced Program
ISBN-13 978-148034-5
$59.95 Audio

GERMAN
Michel Thomas Speak/Get Started Kit
ISBN-13: 978-0-07-147967-6
$24.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak for Beginners
ISBN-13 978-0-07-147985-1
$79.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak/Language Booster
ISBN-13 978-0-07-148031-4
$24.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak/Advanced Program
ISBN-13 978-0-07-148035-8
$59.95 Audio

ITALIAN
Michel Thomas Speak/Get Started Kit
ISBN-13: 978-0-147972-1
$24.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak for Beginners
ISBN-13 978-0-07-148007-9
$79.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak/Language Booster
ISBN-13 978-0-07-148032-1
$24.95 Audio
Michel Thomas Speak/Advanced Program
ISBN-13 978-0-07-148036-9
$59.95 Audio

AUDIO KITS AND ARTWORK AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW BY REQUEST ONLY

For request and more information, contact:
Ann Pryor, Publicity Manager
McGraw-Hill Companies
2 Penn Plaza, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10121
212.904.4078 tel
212.904.4091 fax
Ann_pryor@mcgraw-hill.com

For more information about McGraw-Hill language products, visit our Online Bookstore:
http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/