Have you ever wondered why “laughter” ends with -gh, but “daughter” doesn’t make you giggle? This strange truth—and others like it—will start making sense after you read this review.
Every so often, a book comes along that doesn’t shout for your attention. It doesn’t wear a gold-foil badge on its cover or promise “hacks” for instant fluency. Instead, it leans in quietly, lays out centuries of language evolution across neat columns and bilingual charts, and says, “Let’s figure this out together.”
That’s Vademecum of English—a rare, handwritten-feeling reference guide by Ana María López Jimeno, distilled from over 40 years of teaching and linguistic exploration. It’s as if a seasoned professor opened her teaching journals and offered you the pages that worked best.
Why Your Brain Likes This Book
According to cognitive load theory, people learn better when information is grouped into chunks and visualized through organized frameworks. That’s exactly what this book does. From consonant pronunciation challenges specific to Spanish speakers (see the practical breakdown on p. 13) to the logical unraveling of so-called irregular verbs, it presents English as a language with pattern, reason, and roots. Literally—roots. You’ll see Latin and Greek ones flowering across charts on p. 84 and beyond.
The book’s structure is scaffolded and modular, which neuroscientists suggest is ideal for long-term memory retention. Why does this matter? Because language learners often forget what they crammed. But understanding? That stays.
The Power of Teaching Without Gimmicks
There are no cartoons here. No jokes trying too hard. No bold declarations about making you “fluent in 10 days.” Instead, this book respects the reader. It speaks to teachers as collaborators. It nudges learners with honesty and clarity. And it does something few modern language books attempt: it explains why the English language looks and sounds the way it does.
You learn that phlegm, mnemonic, and ghost didn’t just emerge from a linguistic swamp—they have lineages. Knowing that gives learners a powerful tool: linguistic empathy. You begin to forgive English for being confusing. Because now you know where it came from.
A Book that Thinks in Two Languages
The subtle genius of Vademecum of English is how it moves between English and Spanish without ever condescending to the reader. Spanish speakers will find the side-by-side explanations refreshing, even liberating. In phonetics sections, blue-font annotations in Spanish demystify strange English sounds. In vocabulary chapters, cognates are unmasked, showing how Latin roots cross both languages like old friends meeting again.
This isn’t just a nod to bilingual education—it’s a thoughtful embrace of it.
Where It Shines Brightest
What’s most impressive isn’t how much information the book packs in (and it does pack a lot), but how gracefully it presents that information. Whether it’s vowel maps (p. 16), verb forms (p. 40), or etymological families (p. 92), each concept is boiled down to what matters—no fluff, no filler.
My favorite moment? A table deep in the etymology section that shows how the Latin root scrib- (“to write”) appears in describe, inscription, and scribble. It’s a tiny example, but it unlocks a mental door. Suddenly, language isn’t just memorized—it’s understood.
Who Will (and Won’t) Love This Book?
If you’re looking for a gamified workbook, this isn’t it. If you want a breezy read, turn elsewhere. But if you’re a teacher, a student aiming for deep understanding, or a lifelong language enthusiast, this is your companion. It’s particularly golden for TEFL instructors, bilingual educators, and upper-level ESL learners.
It brings to mind the spirit of David Crystal’s practical linguistics and the quiet utility of English Grammar in Use, but with a multicultural heartbeat that makes it stand out.
A Legacy Text in the Making
Vademecum of English isn’t just a reference—it’s a philosophical statement. It teaches that clarity is kindness, that structure is empowering, and that knowledge of a word’s past gives it a stronger future in your mind. It’s a Roman bridge of a book: elegant, solid, built to last.
When Ana María López Jimeno chose the word vademecum, she didn’t just name her book—she set a tone. “Come with me,” it says. Not “Let me show you,” but “Let’s explore this together.”
And what better way to learn a language than to walk beside someone who still loves discovering it herself?
Final Note:
If you’ve ever felt that English was a puzzle written in code, this book won’t give you all the answers. But it will give you the cipher.
Ink and Horizons Book Award
This book is a winner of the Ink and Horizons Book Award, an accolade dedicated to honoring books that explore the uncharted territories of human experience—stories that invite readers to journey beyond the familiar and engage with the universal themes that unite us all. Whether through vivid fiction, thought-provoking nonfiction, or evocative poetry, the award highlights works that embody the spirit of literary exploration.
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