This book offers students a tool to gain a basic grounding in the Manchu language. The reading selections provided in this volume represent various types of documents, ranging from examples of the very earliest Manchu writing (17th century) to samples of contemporary Sibe (Xibo), a language that may be considered a modern version of Manchu. Since Manchu courses are only rarely taught at universities anywhere, this second edition includes audio recordings to assist students with the pronunciation of the texts. Part I, "Introduction", contains the following chapters: (1) The purpose of this book; (2) Why study Manchu?; (3) Manchu sources; (4) The value of Manchu documents; (5) Work to be done; (6) About the Manchu language; and (7) The Manchu script. Part II, "Reading Selections", contains the following chapters: (1) How to use the texts; (2) About the reading selections; (3) Standard Manchu--Narratives from the Qianlong period; (4) Official documents; (5) Old Manchu--From the Old Manchu archives; and (6) Contemporary Sibe. Part III, "Study Aids", contains the following chapters: (1) Historical background: The Qing Dzungar campaigns; (2) Translations; (3) Grammatical points; (4) Miscellaneous information; (5) Selected reference materials; and (6) Index of grammatical points. This book includes acknowledgments.