The secret behind John M. W. Smith's popularity is quite simple. His stories are written in an easy and relaxed manner, and in the characters, to whom the writer treats with love and understanding, we sometimes recognize ourselves. But of course, the main thing here is the plots, sometimes incredible, and yet absolutely realistic. After all, the “simple” life of “ordinary” people sometimes presents surprises that the heroes of adventure novels never dreamed of!

The stories included in the book are adapted according to the method of Ilya Frank: they are provided with a literal translation into Russian and the necessary vocabulary grammatical commentary (without simplifying the original text). The uniqueness of the method lies in the fact that the memorization of words and expressions occurs due to their repetition, without memorization and the need to use a dictionary. In addition, the reader gets used to the logic of the English language, begins to "feel" it.

Manuals from the "English of the 21st Century" series include the latest works of English literature and are an invaluable tool in learning the "living" modern English language for the widest range of readers.