One Minute Mandarin: A Beginner's Guide to Spoken Chinese for Professionals

Being so busy in the run up to my first visit to the mainland, I was pointed to Peter's book. I gave myself the flight from Sydney to learn the basics: hi, bye, yes, no, thanks etc. However, I wanted to make sure that I was respectful and didn't appear to have made just a token gesture, so pronunciation and context were important for me.
By the time I got off the plane, I had around 25 useful phrases and a little confidence to give them a go.
My Chinese hosts, from Jiangsu province down to western Guangdong, were surprised and very complimentary. They made several comments about my excellent pronunciation for a westerner and a first timer.
Peter's book is a must-have for business people and tourists alike who wish to speak and understand enough to communicate, as well as make the effort to comprehend syntax, inflection (all important is this fascinating language) and the context.
By the way, my first host happened to be none other than...Mr Wáng!