These two books by Geoffrey Finch are designed to be accessible and practical guides to the study of linguistics. The first book listed (HTSL) introduces the major aspects of linguistic study. After the introductory chapter on how language works and how one can describe language, Finch starts with notions such as linguistic competence and performance and the various functions of language (chap. 2). The next three chapters present the central aspects of the core areas of linguistics: phonetics and phonology (chap. 3), syntax (chap. 4), and semantics and pragmatics (chap. 5). Chapter 6 explores the core areas further by discussing topics such as distinctive feature analysis, intonation, morphology, X-bar theory, and transformational grammar, and then provides a brief introduction to sociolinguistics, stylistics, and psycholinguistics. One interesting feature of this book is that Finch often uses literary work and quotations to illustrate his points in the discussion of linguistic concepts. HTSL ends with a chapter that offers advice on how to write a linguistics essay and is complete with a glossary and an index. At the end of each chapter there is a list of references for further reading, but there are no exercises that one usually expects of an introductory linguistics book.