Best Study & Teaching Reference Books of 2025

The Merriam-Webster’s Everyday Language Reference Set is an affordable and attractive boxed set that includes three best-selling references to help readers build their vocabulary and language skills. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary provides over 75,000 definitions, while The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus offers over 150,000 word choices with usage guidance. The set also includes Merriam-Webster’s Vocabulary Builder, which is perfect for test preparation as it teaches 3,200 words with quizzes and root words. This set is ideal for home, office, and school use. Overall, this set is an excellent tool for anyone looking to improve their language skills and vocabulary in an affordable way.

The "Cursive Handwriting Workbook for Teens" is an excellent guide for young adults and teens who want to improve their writing penmanship skills. The book includes 100+ pages of practice starting with the basics and progressing to writing words and sentences. The easy illustrated dot-to-dot method makes learning cursive fun and easy. The book also includes motivational quotes and sentences that help teens explore new concepts while building their cursive skills. This book is a great resource for anyone looking to master cursive writing and is currently available for under $10.

The English for Everyone: Beginner Box Set - Level 1 & 2 is an interactive course designed for ESL adults to learn English. The bundle includes course and practice books with visual teaching methods, sentence formation guides, and vocabulary cues. The audio materials provide oral and listening practice, while the write-on lines encourage personalized learning. Level 1 covers core English skills, including grammar and punctuation, while Level 2 expands on conversational topics such as emotions, health, and holidays. This comprehensive introduction to practical English usage is ideal for ESL lesson plans and English test preparations.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders is a literary master class that explores what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves and our world today. The book is a collection of seven essays, paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, and is intended for anyone interested in how fiction works. Saunders approaches the stories technically yet accessibly, explaining how narrative functions and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the art of storytelling and the human experience.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need is a comprehensive guide to novel writing that applies the famous Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology. The book reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any novel a success, from the opening image to the finale. Jessica Brody, the author, presents ten story genres alongside original insights to help novelists craft a plot that will captivate and a novel that will sell. This book is a must-have for every novelist, and it will change the way you think about stories and your writing.

How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading, with half a million copies in print, is a comprehensive guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. The book introduces and elucidates the various levels of reading and how to achieve them, from elementary reading to speed reading. It offers instruction in different techniques that work best for reading particular genres and provides a recommended reading list and reading tests to measure progress. The book is a living classic that shows concretely how the serious work of proper reading may be accomplished and how much it may yield in the way of instruction and delight.

The book "Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour (Mental Performance)" has been the #1 Speed Reading Book on Amazon for four consecutive years. It offers a unique approach that taps into the brain and eyes' natural ability to read more words in a shorter time, helping readers double or even triple their reading speed in minutes. The book is not just about skimming and scanning, but it presents simple tips to accelerate reading, understanding, and memory, making it an essential read for students, teachers, professionals, and anyone who wants to improve their reading skills. The book is well-supported by research and offers detailed instructions and explanations. Overall, this book is an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve their reading speed and comprehension.

American Sign Language for Beginners is a comprehensive guide that provides 30 days of lessons to help readers learn the basics of ASL. With easy-to-understand instructions, clear photographs, and daily practice activities, this book is perfect for those who want to develop a solid foundation for signing with members of the deaf community. The author also provides insight into deaf culture, making this book a well-rounded resource for beginners. Overall, this book is an excellent choice for anyone interested in learning ASL and is highly recommended.

This beginner's guide to American Sign Language (ASL) is a comprehensive and practical tool for anyone who wants to learn this language. It covers everything from basic vocabulary and expressions to deaf culture, and it includes useful tips and apps to make the learning process easier. The book is user-friendly, with a wide variety of signs and clear explanations. It is an excellent source of knowledge for both beginners and those who want to improve their ASL skills. Overall, this guide is a must-have for anyone who wants to learn ASL in a fun and engaging way.

This book, Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching, is a highly practical and accessible resource for special and general education teachers looking to implement explicit instruction in any grade level or content area. The authors provide clear guidelines for identifying key concepts, designing and delivering effective lessons, and giving students opportunities to practice and master new material. The inclusion of sample lesson plans, lively examples, and reproducible checklists and teacher worksheets make this book an invaluable tool for teachers. The availability of video clips demonstrating the approach in real classrooms on the authors' website is an added bonus. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for all teachers looking to improve their teaching skills.