For US residents, the Esperanto League for North America is the best and most reliable source for Esperanto materials. They offer a free basic correspondence course (by snail mail, but see below for an E-mail course), and may be offering a more detailed and advanced paid correspondence course. They have an extensive catalogue of books, including texts, reference, fiction, poetry, cassette tapes and audio CD-ROMs. Their address is:
Esperanto League for North America
Box 1129
El Cerrito CA 94530
USA
tel. 1-800-ESPERANTO (1-800-377-3726) toll-free (USA and Canada) for a free information package
tel. (510) 653-0998
E-mail: elna@esperanto-usa.org
WWW site: http://www.esperanto-usa.org/
A more immediate source of texts, especially for those with access to a university, is your local library. The quality of the books will vary widely, of course, but most of the texts, even the older ones, will provide a reasonable general introduction to the language.
One exception, mentioned here only because it was surplused to many libraries around the USA, is the US Army's Esperanto: The Aggressor Language, which is more of a curiosity than a useful textbook. This book was prepared to make military exercises more realistic by having the opposing forces speak different languages, as would be the case in a real war. The soldiers playing the role of the aggressor were taught Esperanto, hence the strange title. Unfortunately, the book is extremely poor and contains a great many mistakes; in addition, its emphasis is on military terms, not on everyday vocabulary.
The problem with most old texts is that they are... well... old! Their presentations can seem very bland and old-fashioned, and their "cultural" information about the Esperanto community will often be hopelessly out of date. One recent US textbook is Richardson's Esperanto: Learning and Using the International Language. It is available from ELNA and perhaps some libraries.
Another book, Teach Yourself Esperanto by Cresswell and Hartley, is a very useful introduction to the language. The Teach Yourself series can often be found in ordinary bookstores.
Another good, if a bit old-fashioned, textbook, Step by Step in Esperanto by Butler, has recently been reprinted and is available from ELNA. Still another book recommended by more than one participant is Saluton! by Audrey Childs-Mee. This is entirely in Esperanto, with many pictures.
Wells's two-way Esperanto Dictionary is a good choice for beginners. This dictionary is in the same series as Teach Yourself Esperanto and is also often available in ordinary bookstores. For a more thorough treatment, see Butler's one-way Esperanto-English Dictionary, and Benson's one-way Comprehensive English-Esperanto Dictionary.
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Free Esperanto courses by E-mail are available in several languages. Typically, these have 10 lessons and teach a vocabulary of a few hundred words. The system is the same as for traditional correspondence courses: the instructor sends a lesson; the student does the exercises and sends them back; the instructor corrects the exercises and sends the next lesson.
E-mail courses also exist in other languages.
Macintosh owners with HyperCard and MacinTalk can take advantage of an introductory HyperCard course on Esperanto. This can be downloaded by FTP.
Each summer, San Francisco State University and the University of Hartford (Connecticut) offer a curriculum of Esperanto courses, in which one may participate at beginning, intermediate, or advanced levels. These courses are available for credit or on a non-credit basis. They are widely considered to be one of the best opportunities to learn to speak Esperanto "like a native", and draw students and faculty from around the world.
information at http://www.best.com/~donh/Esperanto/sfsu/
Other institutions offering Esperanto courses on a regular basis include:
La Kvinpetalo, rue de Lavoir, 86410 Bouresse, tel. 05 49 42 80 74
Jagiellonian University, Krakow. Contact: Maria Majerczak, ul. Armii krajovej 7 M, PL-30-150 Krakow, tel. 12 638-14-49
In the following countries, you may contact the national Esperanto organization to receive information on courses, buy books, etc.
Book Service: c/o T. Elliott, PO Box 230, Matraville NSW 2036, tel. (02) 9311-2246
E-mail: bel@esperanto.org.br
Book Service: Same as above
Book Service: 6358-A, rue de Bordeaux, Montreal QC, H2G 2R8,
tel. (514) 272-0151
E-mail: esperanto@sympatico.ca
Book Service: El Popola Cxinio, P.O. Kesto 77, 100037 Beijing
Book Service: Same as above
Book Services: M. F쨲er, Am Stadtpfad 11, 65760 Eschborn,
and Rolf Beau, Saxoniastr. 35, 04451 Althen,
E-mail: robo.espero@t-online.de
Book Service: Cooperative Editoriale Esperanto, same address as above
E-mail: jei@mre.biglobe.ne.jp
Book Service: Same as above
E-mail: junusov@dagestan.ru
Book Service: Same as Moscow office
E-mail: sef@esperanto.se
Book Service: Same as above
Book Service: Kultura Centro Esperantista, C.P. 779, 2301 La Chaux-de-Fonds
Book Service: Same as above
E-mail: uea@inter.nl.net
Book Service: Same as above
Book catalogue available online in WAIS format.
(You must use a WAIS client to access this catalogue.)
These are just some of the countries with Esperanto organizations. If your country is not mentioned here, please see the complete list.