T. H. Robinson's Paradigms and exercises in Syriac Grammar was first published in 1915 to meet the need for 'something of an elementary nature which should be of value to the student who takes up Syriac for the first time'. Since then, the book has met this need for generations of students. The fifth edition of 2002 remains the grammar of choice for many teachers of Syriac classes as well as for students learning by themselves. The present revision, drawing on ten more years of university teaching experience and students' comments, clarifies some of the grammatical explanations and exercises. Improvements to the fonts and a larger format make for easier reading. As before, the West Syriac script and grammatical tradition are followed in the body of the lessons, and appendices introduce reading in the other (estrangela and Eastern) scripts. The book remains a plain and friendly introduction to this important language.

"a touchstone for all English-speaking learners of Syriac during the past century ... To Coakley's great credit, he continues to find ways to improve the book for a new generation of students without drastically changing its tried and tested format ... run, do not walk, to buy Coakley's sixth edition ... [it] is a venerable and compelling textbook and should have a place in every university library as well as on the shelf of every Syriacist." - Scott Fitzgerald Johnson, Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies