In the preparation of esters, one of the main difficulties is the removal of the water produced by the interaction of the acid and the alcohol. This difficulty is very pronounced in the case of those esters which are readily hydrolysed, e.g. oxalic and tartaric esters; the methods of preparation of such esters are long and troublesome, and the yields are not always satisfactory. The method described in this paper is rapid and easy, requires little attention, and gives satisfactory yields.