What Are the Best AP Italian Textbooks and Prep Books?

Textbooks

#1: Best Content

Immagina: l’Italiano Senza Confini, Third Edition by Jonathan Cummings and Ellen E. Pastorino

Image Courtesy of Amazon

Pros

• Once you purchase the book, you can access its digital version, which includes activities, audio, videos, and short films ( ⬅️ this is great if you want a more immersed experience).
• The textbook reviews all of the content tested on the AP Italian exam, including grammar, vocabulary, and themes.
• It's the only textbook we could find that is updated for the 2020-21 examination.
• It is extremely in-depth, yet easy to follow, which is always a plus in an AP-level textbook.
• The book only covers AP-level content, but this may be a con if you want to review earlier topics from previous levels of Italian.

Cons

• This book is expensive and sells for up to $312 on Amazon 😳.

#2: Easiest to Read & Best Price (Tied)

Prego! An Invitation to Italian, 8th Edition by Graziana Lazzarino

Image Courtesy of Amazon

Pros

• In case you don't want to buy a copy, you can download a PDF of the textbook (attached above and just press "Get" to download! ⬆️).
• You can rent the book through Amazon instead of purchasing a copy, which is good if you'd rather pay less and not keep the book once the course is over.
• This book covers both introductory and advanced content, but still is a bit basic.
• It goes into depth about important themes in AP Italian like diritti umani (human rights) and sfide ambientali (environmental issues).

Cons

• The book is expensive to buy new or used and can range anywhere from $86-$139.
• Because this book is leaned towards beginning Italian speakers, it is focused less on grammar and grammatical rules and more on vocabulary.
• It puts an emphasis on travel vocabulary and phrases in early chapters, which isn't very useful for the AP Italian exam.
• It doesn't completely align with the AP Italian requirements mentioned in the College Board's Course and Exam Description.

#3: Best Value & Best Price (Tied)

Modern Italian Grammar, Second Edition by Anna Proudfoot and Francesco Cardo

Original photo

Pros

• The grammatical topics mentioned in the book are explained well and easy to understand
• There's an entire section dedicated to irregular verbs and verb tenses, which is helpful if you've forgotten some stuff from earlier levels.

Cons

• It starts with the absolute basics of Italian grammar, but this may be a pro if you need a refresher.
• Because this book mostly for college classes and by people self-learning Italian, it isn't aligned with the AP Italian unit and content requirements.
• There's no practice to review what you've learned.
• As suggested by the title, the book only covers grammar and doesn't introduce vocabulary or cultural themes.

Prep Books

#1: Best Value, Best Content & Best Price

Basic Italian: A Grammar and Workbook by Stella Peyronal and Ian Higgins

Pros

• It has a free PDF (attached above! ⬆️)
• Although it's a self-proclaimed "basic" book, it covers grammar from earlier levels of Italian and introduces new, advanced rules.
• In case you want to practice what you've learned or reviewed, you can do the practice exercises included in the book.
• It reviews most of the important verb tenses, including the presente, imperfetto, and futuro.

Cons:

• Since this book only goes over basic Italian, it doesn't include all the topics that are required for the AP Italian exam.

#2: Easiest to Read

Italian All-In-One for Dummies by Antonietta Di Pietro

Image Courtesy of Amazon

Pros

• The author is able to explain complicated grammatical topics with ease.
• Books 3-6 review most of the grammar needed for AP Italian.
• This book comes with audio practice, which is good since the exam has audio prompts in both the multiple-choice and open-ended.

Cons

• Because this is targeted towards beginners (or as the title says, dummies), there is a focus on tourist vocabulary in Books I and II, which is not tested on the exam.
• It doesn't go into depth about Italian culture.

Closing Thoughts