This is one of ten books in a series entitled The Code... This is an excellent series for independent learners. The method provides all of the following: 1)simplified characters in Mandarin, 2) the pinyin equivalent, 3)the English translation, 4) various combinations of easy word combinations which facilitates transliteration and rapid comprehension, and 5) the audio cd. The creators of this program should be commended for their excellent work! I am using these books daily and am thoroughly enjoying learning Mandarin.