Swahili
Travel books & maps
Outdoor and field
guides
History
Audio books
Biographies and
memories
Other
The recommended reading is available through Amazon
Learn Swahili
 | Concise Swahili and English Dictionary By Teach Yourself Precise Swahili English dictionary that literally teaches you with no help from a teacher. Has full description and meaning of most common words and items. Gives you the real impression of the language. |
 | English - Swahili Dictionary - Kamusi Ya Kiingereza-Kiswahili By The Institute of Kiswahili Research (Editor) The price tag on this book is only a small reflection of its true value. For any Swahili/English scholar there is no better work. It is not only comprehensive, but also well laid-out and simple to use. It is invaluable for any translational purposes or for reading a Swahili or English Text if you happen to be a first language speaker of the alternate language. |
 | English Swahili Dictionary By Willy A. Kirkeby This is a fantastic dictionary! Highly recommended to those who have an interest in learning Swahili and even to those already familiar with the language. This is not only a dictionary to look up words but also a dictionary to actually sit and read and learn new things from. |
 | Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book By Muriel L. Feelings, Tom Feelings (Illustrator) The beautiful vision of African life in the text merely hints of the community breathtakingly captured in the illustrations. . The space has been filled with monumental figures that glorify the power and beauty of man. This children's book, also illustrated by Tom Feelings, is an alphabet book that teaches Swahili words and African culture. With each word, a child learns more about this vibrant African culture. |
 | KISWAHILI-Second Edition By Thomas J. Hinnebusch, Sarah M. Mirza This is a comprehensive manual intended to teach students the basics of communicating in Swahili at an elementary level. It is designed to teach major communicative skills such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Moreover, the text strives to impart fundamental knowledge about East African and Swahili culture. |
 | Lonely Planet Swahili Phrasebook (Swahili Phrasebook, 2nd Ed) By Martin Benjamin, Anne Biersteker, Charles Mironko, Anne Geoghegan There just aren't that many swahili dictionaries or phrasebooks out there, and this one turns out to be useful too. Its small size makes it easy to take everywhere and the sections give travellers a good feel for the language without being too overwhelmed by Swahili’s many noun classes. I would recommend it more as a reference than as a stand-alone teaching tool, but the english swahili, swahili english dictionary is comprehensive and useful for travellers with all degrees of Kiswahili fluency. |
 | Say It in Swahili By Sharifa M. Zawawi A pocketsize booklet that is helpful especially to travelers to find a specific word or sentence instantly. The book is orderly categorized, from useful expressions to restaurant entries, and from fruits to useful articles. Besides, the English-Swahili index at the back of the book allows you to find words even faster. It is not only a wonderful book to own, it is also a perfect gift for friends who are interested in learning Swahili. |
 | Swahili (Teach Yourself (Book and Cassette) By Joan Russell, D. V. Perrott For this volume of the popular Teach Yourself series, Joan Russell has created a practical course in spoken and written Swahili that is both fun and easy to work through. Based on the Council of Europe's Threshold guidelines on language learning, the course contains 18 graded units of dialogues, culture notes, grammar, and exercises; pronunciation guide; and Swahili-English and English-Swahili vocabularies. |
 | Swahili (Teach Yourself) By Joan Russell, D.V. Perrott For this volume of the popular Teach Yourself series, Joan Russell has created a practical course in spoken and written Swahili that is both fun and easy to work through. Based on the Council of Europe's Threshold guidelines on language learning, the course contains 18 graded units of dialogues, culture notes, grammar, and exercises; pronunciation guide; and Swahili-English and English-Swahili vocabularies. |
 | Swahili and Sabaki: A Linguistic History By Derek Nurse, Thomas J. Hinnebusch The Sabaki languages form a major Bantu subgroup and are spoken by 35 million East Africans in Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Comoro Islands. The authors provide a historical/comparative treatment of Swahili (and other Sabaki languages), an account of the relationship of Swahili to Sabaki and to other Bantu languages, and some data on contemporary Sabaki languages. Data sets, appendices, maps, and figures present essential information on phonology, lexical makeup, and tense/aspect morphology. The final chapter is a synthesis describing the linguistic and historical relationship of the Sabaki dialects to each other and to hypothetical proto-stages. |
 | Swahili English Dictionary By G. Madan This is a great dictionary. It helps with pronunciation and lots of words. Very easy to use! Recommended for beginners in learning Swahili language. |
 | Swahili Phrase Book and Dictionary (Berlitz Phrase Books) By Berlitz (Editor) This best selling phrase book series contains a color-coded system that makes words and phrases easy to find. It is broken down by basic expressions, arrival, hotel, eating out, sightseeing, relaxing, shopping guide, bank, mail, telephone, doctor, reference sections, grammar and dictionary. It also includes handy travel information, tips and much more. |
 | Swahili-English, English-Swahili Practical Dictionary By Nicholas Awde A precise English swahili-swahili English dictionary that is highly recommended for foreigners interested in learning swahili as well as those who have already known the language. Easy to handle and is one of the best selling swahili dictionary. |
About the list of recommended books.
Should you know of other books that you would recommend. Please do not hesitate to
contact us!
back to top