This review provides a comprehensive overview of Rosamond Mitchell and Florence Myles' book, "Second Language Learning Theories," published by Arnold in 1998. The authors, both linguists and educators, aim to offer a pluralistic account of second language acquisition (SLA) theories, addressing the needs of students at various stages of their studies. The book begins with an introduction to SLA concepts and key questions, characterizing a good theory and discussing factors influencing its evaluation. It then explores different approaches to the nature of language, including Chomsky's distinction between competence and performance, and the potential for integration through corpus-assisted computational linguistics. The book delves into the debate between innatists and environmentalists, highlighting Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar and its implications for language acquisition. It also covers cognitive and information processing theories, emphasizing the concepts of systematicity, variability, and creativity in SLA. The authors discuss the role of learners as language processors and the influence of cognitive and affective factors on their learning process. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the history of SLA research, tracing key milestones from the 1950s to the 1980s, including the work of structuralists and behaviorists, and the shift from studies of first language to second language acquisition. It also reviews the emergence of error analysis, the development of the Krashen model, and Schumann's pidginization/aculturation model. Subsequent chapters explore various theoretical perspectives, such as the Universal Grammar approach, cognitive approaches, functional-pragmatic perspectives, interactionist theories, sociocultural theories, and sociolinguistic perspectives. Each chapter provides a detailed synthesis of relevant research, highlighting both achievements and limitations. The review concludes by praising the book's selective and informative content, its ability to integrate diverse theoretical positions, and its contribution to the field of SLA. It notes that while there are no overarching synthetic theories, the book effectively categorizes and evaluates a wide range of SLA theories, making it a valuable resource for students and researchers in the field.This review provides a comprehensive overview of Rosamond Mitchell and Florence Myles' book, "Second Language Learning Theories," published by Arnold in 1998. The authors, both linguists and educators, aim to offer a pluralistic account of second language acquisition (SLA) theories, addressing the needs of students at various stages of their studies. The book begins with an introduction to SLA concepts and key questions, characterizing a good theory and discussing factors influencing its evaluation. It then explores different approaches to the nature of language, including Chomsky's distinction between competence and performance, and the potential for integration through corpus-assisted computational linguistics. The book delves into the debate between innatists and environmentalists, highlighting Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar and its implications for language acquisition. It also covers cognitive and information processing theories, emphasizing the concepts of systematicity, variability, and creativity in SLA. The authors discuss the role of learners as language processors and the influence of cognitive and affective factors on their learning process. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the history of SLA research, tracing key milestones from the 1950s to the 1980s, including the work of structuralists and behaviorists, and the shift from studies of first language to second language acquisition. It also reviews the emergence of error analysis, the development of the Krashen model, and Schumann's pidginization/aculturation model. Subsequent chapters explore various theoretical perspectives, such as the Universal Grammar approach, cognitive approaches, functional-pragmatic perspectives, interactionist theories, sociocultural theories, and sociolinguistic perspectives. Each chapter provides a detailed synthesis of relevant research, highlighting both achievements and limitations. The review concludes by praising the book's selective and informative content, its ability to integrate diverse theoretical positions, and its contribution to the field of SLA. It notes that while there are no overarching synthetic theories, the book effectively categorizes and evaluates a wide range of SLA theories, making it a valuable resource for students and researchers in the field.