Authors of widely adopted college texts, Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell have taught college composition and basic writing for more than twenty-five years. Using their finely-tuned sense of what works best in the classroom, they have created Foundations First: Sentences and Paragraphs and Writing First: Practice in Context, an innovative, accessible two-book sequence that teaches students fundamental writing and grammar skills in the context of their own writing. Treating students with respect -- a hallmark of the Kirszner and Mandell approach -- both books also address study skills, ESL concerns, vocabulary development, and critical reading, providing beginning writers with all the support they need to master the essentials of good writing.