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UK Publishers for Language Professionals:

AC Black
Of interest here are the bi-lingual dictionaries, especially for business.

BBC (Languages)
BBC courses are, as you would expect, colourful and media-rich. The list available on BBC Languages is easy to use and rich in detail and illustration. There is a good range of languages including Czech, Hindi and Indonesian.

 

Cambridge University Press
One of the world's major publishers of ELT and materials for other languages. A very attractive site with detailed descriptions of their products, downloads, and linked resources. It is possible to buy online directly from CUP, though the procedure is unnecessarily fussy.

Chancerel
Six languages: English (British and American), German, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. A small range well illustrated on the site. You cannot buy online.

Collins COBUILD
Publishers of the famous Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary and bi-lingual dictionaries in a bewildering variety of formats. A very slick site, as you would expect from a company of this size. Apart from the dictionary and related products, there is not a lot of ELT or MFL material. Online ordering for schools and colleges; individuals may do so only by email or phone.

Concorde French Language Publications
French books, magazines, holidays, grammar and links

Delta Publishing
Delta Publishing is the sister company of Keltic International, the specialist ELT bookseller. A small range of materials, copiously detailed on the site mainly for Primary, Business English and Teacher Resources. A plain, simple site. You cannot buy online.

ELB Publishing
An independent ELT publisher wholly owned by ELB Brighton. ELB Publishing is an unusual venture in that they "publish 'classic' ELT titles which have been put out of print by the major ELT publishers but retain validity and usefulness to students or teachers". Only a few books currently available, but they give detailed information and a downloadable sample as a pdf. They do not sell online.

Eurotalk Interactive
Software for learning over 100 languages on CD and DVD ROMs.

Garnet Education
A specialist ELT publisher. Not a big catalogue, but it has some interesting specialist titles. They include 'tailor-made' courses for such countries as Libya, Yemen, Qatar and The UAE. They will specifically design or modify courses for a commissioning client. Their order form is ungainly, all on one very long page, but orders can be made online as well as by post, phone and fax. They also give the details of bookshops that carry their materials.

Heinemann
General school and FE publishers, Heinemann offer courses in Japanese, Spanish, French, German and Italian. There is a generous amount of sample material and course-linked free downloads. You can buy online.

Hodder Education
Hodder Education is part of the Hodder Headline group, and publish courses in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian. You can order online.

Macmillan
As you would expect from an international organisation like this, the website is beautifully designed and illustrated with ample descriptions of the books, companion websites and downloads. This is also the site for Palgrave Macmillan, the academic publisher. Not all materials are available to buy online. (Sign of the times: there are two coursebooks on Military English with downloadable campaign maps available on the companion site.)

McGraw-Hill
A major publishing house with a very 'deep' website. To find the ELT materials you have to guess, then click several times. Higher Education > Humanities, Social Sciences and Education > English > ESL. Minimal information on the materials. You can buy online.

Marshall Cavendish
Marshall Cavendish ELT was established only in 2002 so there is not a huge range of materials on this website, but everything is very well presented. Each page comes complete with an inspiring quote (including, "Teaching is the profession that creates all others." Now that's responsibility). Materials are described in detail and often come with course-specific downloads.

New Editions
A specialist ELT publisher with a good range of sample material to download. You can order free inspection copies, but cannot buy online.

Oxford University Press
One of the most important ELT publishers in the UK and the world (source of the ubiquitous Headway series) whose site has many features that will draw professionals and learners back to it. For the former there is the ESOL Forum, the Teachers' Club, very detailed product descriptions and free downloadable books. For the latter, lots of online practice material linked to OUP textbooks but more than useful on its own.

Pearson-Longman
Many companion websites (ie, to supplement a coursebook) and downloadable general activities for both teachers and students. Helpfully, there is a Students Home Page with easily navigable links. Online purchases are possible, though not for all products. Note that this is also the site for Penguin Readers.

Richmond Publishing
A smallish specialist publisher with a well-designed website. The range of materials is not large, but is clearly described. You cannot buy online.

Routledge
A social science and humanities publisher with around 1,000 new books each year and a backlist of over 7,000 titles including courses for a wide range of langauges. Quite easy to navigate, though information on materials is sparse. You can buy online.

Scholastic
A site rich in resources above all for UK-based school teachers. There are many online games and lesson plans though they are mainly aimed at native speakers. The major foreign language is Spanish, for which there is a reasonable selection for different ages and levels, including a club ('Club Leo'). The navigation is quite complex and takes a little getting used to. Note that this is also the Web home of Mary Glasgow Magazines in English, French, German and Spanish. You can buy online.

Summertown Publishing
A specialist publisher for professional and business English. Extremely detailed notes about each book. A free online German-English Business Glossary. You cannot buy online.

Thomson/Heinle
A major worldwide publisher with a substantial catalogue in ELT, Spanish, French, German and Italian. Materials are amply described, and the site is easy to use. You cannot buy online. One very interesting service is TextChoice, which allows you to build your own course from Thompson materials (plus your own if you wish) and then choose the delivery mode: e-book, CD-Rom, online, etc. The language-learning options with TextChoice are restricted to General ESL (American). They also publish weekly magazines delivered via email.