Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research Volume 8, Issue 4, 2021, pp. 1-17 Available online at www.jallr.com ISSN: 2376-760X * Correspondence: Melika Saghebi Ghale Joughi, Email: melikasaqeby gmail.com © 2021 Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research A Comparative Study of Two EFL Books: Prospect 1 and American English File1 Melika Saghebi Ghale Joughi * EFL Teacher and Researcher, Farhangian Teacher Education University, Shahid Bahonar Faculty, Tehran, Iran Abstract Textbooks play a fundamental role in the language learning process. Hence, textbook evaluation is critical, with a significant impact on the learning and teaching process. For evaluating ELT textbooks, theorists and authors have offered several evaluation frameworks based on several principles and criteria. The present study was an effort to compare the evaluation of two English textbooks used highly in Iranian schools and language institutes (Prospect 1 and American English file 1). In order to compare these two books, an evaluation checklist adapted from Miekley (2005) was distributed among English language teachers in Tehran. The participant teachers were told to respond to the individual checklists for each Prospect 1 and American English File 1. From the distributed checklists, 100 were returned to the researcher. The averages of the checked items were reported through the figures in order to compare the books. The results demonstrate contrasts in substance, significance, and attractiveness of courses between Prospect 1 and American English File 1. Thus, they can be helpful for curriculum developers, textbook designers, and instructors. Keywords: Textbook evaluation, Miekley’s checklist, American English File, Prospect 1 INTRODUCTION “Although the standard for reading ESL textbooks has been raised significantly recently, the method of choosing a suitable text has not become any easier for many teachers and managers” (Wen et al., 2011). One of the three essential components of any educational context (the two alternatives are the student and the teacher) has long been seen as an essential basis for teachers' decisions about what to show and how to teach and overall student performance. Resources and textbooks are among the most important aspects "within the information and lubricate the wheels of learning; they are better if they permanently provide concrete models in the training room. They act as information models and, in the best case, serve as " resources for teacher development " (P. 98). As a result, the context of English books is a crucial element in deciding learners' performance in a very learning process, and academics and information creators have an outstanding obligation to select all parts properly to show a foreign language in an environment. Most theorists, practitioners, language psychologists, EFL teachers, program developers, and plenty of staff members concerned with the method for teaching a foreign language can