Available in a 2-volume format, <b><i>Nachalo</i></b> is the most exciting text available for beginning Russian courses. Written by a respected team of Russian scholars and linguists, <b><i>Nachalo</i></b> presents grammar functionally and teaches students the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing within the context of a wealth of cultural information. The abundant practice material in <b><i>Nachalo</i></b> ranges from focused and controlled to open-ended and communicative. <b><i>Nachalo</i></b> features an on-going story set in Russia with a cast of Russian and American characters,exposing students to new vocabulary and structures in authentic situations. Most exciting of all, <b><i>Nachalo</i></b> includes the most extensive package ofsupport materials for any beginning Russian text on the market, including a video tied specifically to the text, shot on location in Moscow. The Second Edition is even more powerful with a <b>text-specific Website and an all newstudent CD-ROM</b>.